Networking event is basically an event with the sole purpose of creating new business leads. You go in a room full with professionals, and you try to talk to them and get more leads. Many people, many Freelancer hate networking or they don't think it works. And I know why. Because they get it wrong. If you ever go to networking given remember one thing, you don't sell your services or your product to the people in that very room.

You don't want to sell them anything. You are tapping into their network and you are getting referrals from them. I will talk about how to do it. But first, there are several type of networking events. You can draw a scale on one end of the line are the very strict networking events read a written order. Everyone has one minute every wise two minutes If you have to talk about your business today, and a person and you sit next table and talk to another person with a strict order everything go by the rules.

One of these is bi Business, Business Network International. It's a great networking event you can go in and there are so many rules and there are so many professionals and it will work for you probably. On the other end, there is what I liked in Glasgow when I was living in Scotland, there is business banter. It's a totally open meetup, professionals go there in the room, have a coffee and talk nothing else. And these are the two end of the networking event scale. in between.

There are different events where there are some rules set and there are no rules set. Me personally I like the events where there are not many rules where I can simply talk to people. The reason I like these events more is what I said in the beginning. You are not selling to the people in that room. But you tap into their network and how you do it is that you make connections, you find a local event. You go in there and just act normal.

Just talk to people, if they ask, What are you doing, you talk about your profession. Don't push people pull people. Be friendly, be approachable, be kind, seem professional, be confident, etc, etc. Be normal and the best you can be. Make people like you, okay, it sounded bad. But you know what I mean, you cannot force people to like you, but if you act normal and be kind, they will like you big time.

Also, one more thing, and networking event is not a one time event. If you just go there and want to pull the trick and sell everyone in the room and just go out and go to the next event. It's not gonna work. Being on a networking event. It's also about being regular They're, the more you go and the same even several times to people who are also regulars gonna recognize you. And after a while, they're going to recognize you as someone they know.

And they can refer to. And that's the point. You want to get referrals from the people of the room. Because they have many, many clients and they know many other professionals, and they can refer your services or products to them. And that's the best part. One of the best advice I got once about networking is simple.

Don't be an octopus. What does it mean? An octopus is a person who is going into a room and want to sell so much himself or his service, that he's handing out a business card with eight arms. Really, he is just going to anyone without asking what the person is about what is he doing, just pushing his business card in his face. It's not really working. It's what I told earlier.

It's pushing people away when you are going and forcing your business cards in there. Talk to them, Wait for them to ask your business card because that means they are genuinely interested in you. being genuine in a networking event is also key to build a higher level of trust and get better referrals from the other professionals. If you have no networking event in the area where you are leaving, or no networking event you like, simply make one. Put an event on Facebook, get other professionals to come book a place in a cafe or somewhere or a room somewhere. And that's it meet with fellow professionals.

This is what I did. I mean, it's not a commercial for my event. It's just here in Budapest. But what I did was simple. I went into a cafe I talked to them if I could have my meetings here every Friday morning. I started it a year ago with a few people now we are 1520 people or professionals coming and there are a lot of regulars and there are always new faces.

It's a very good fresh experience for everyone. learn from each other and we get a lot of business referrals from each other. And the whole thing is working just normally and honestly no push. So if you consider yourself shy and you were thinking, I gonna make freelancing work for me, but I'm not gonna go to any networking event. I hope you reconsider after this lesson.