How to Network?

Put five business cards in your coat, skirt, pant pocket or in your wallet each day. Commit to meeting someone new and passing them out, to someone new, every day. If you can then you could meet 1,825 new folks each year! This pertains to anyone that is involved in sales or marketing as their primary business function.

10 Best Places to Network? Include folks that you will see often and who meet themselves new people each day.

1) Your doctors, dentist, pediatricians office. It's easy to strike up a conversation while waiting to be seen. Pass one to the receptionist.

2) Pass one to your children's parents. Often it has your cell number on it and then they can add your cell phone number to their cell phone at their leisure.

3) Share it at social functions. It should be only during natural conversation, when folks ask you what you do for a living or others are sharing their own business cards. They could be your future clients.

4) Attend community events - school play, concert, etc. Pass one to the person sitting next to you at the beginning or after a community event.

5) Share one with your grocery checkout person. If you go to the same line each week (or in my case, several times a week), then introduce yourself to the checkout person and say hello each week. "Hello Mary'" or "Hello Jerry".

6) Stop by your insurance agent's office. Often they see dozens of new clients themselves each day. Another way to increase your visibility.

7) Pass one to your car maintenance/repair shop. My shop's contact's wife is a real estate agent too. He never forgets to ask me "How's real estate these days?" He remembers to ask because he remembers what business I am in - just like his wife!

8) Gas Station attendent - while I frequent a few gas stations in the area, I try to say hello to the service attendent by name. Each has received a card from me in the past.

9) Drycleaners - I asked them to post my business card at the cash register after I passed it to them. It's faded over the years but their customers may see it each week.

10) Library - I asked the resource librarian if I might be able to post it. She said yes and it's on the community board.

Thanks for reading and for listening. Kathleen Ryan, Realtor, GRI, e-PRO, SRES, TRC. Licensed MD, DC, and VA. Notary Public MD. Long and Foster Real Estate, Inc.