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“Nothing will replace face-to-face personal contact. That's “Seeing you piques the interest of people who will start thinking,
the way to really get to know someone,” says Greg. “You get to ‘I'm going to go over and say hi to that person because I saw
understand their interests better.” them last week or last month’.”
Steve agrees, noting while Zoom and other virtual platforms In terms of in-person networking events, Steve also recommends
became a necessity during the pandemic, their popularity as a defining what your goals are prior to attending.
networking tool changed in the aftermath. “You’re investing your personal time to go to an event so make it
“There will obviously continue to be a place for virtual platforms worth your while,” he says. “You’ve got to know what you're there
since it allows you to connect with people remotely all over the for, because once you know what you're there for, then you can
world, essentially,” he says, adding the nuances of a face-to-face sort of guide your interactions based on what it is that you want
meeting differ from a virtual one. “I think that people are realizing to achieve.”
that virtual meetings are not the be all and end all. We are, after Networking puts entrepreneurs in touch with others who have
all, humans, and we respond better to personal connections.” faced similar challenges or are currently navigating the same
Keep Networking Going terrain. Through peer-to-peer learning, or simply engaging in
To create those connections, consistent and thoughtful thoughtful conversations, business owners can gain insights that
help them avoid costly mistakes or discover more efficient ways
networking is required to help a business owner build their of working.
personal and professional brand. The more someone shows up in
industry circles, contributes to conversations, and provides value, Ensure You Offer Value
the more likely they are to be seen as a credible and trustworthy “Networking is as much an art as it is a skill. It really is, and the
figure in their field, something Greg says is imperative. most effective people at networking, they're not just good at
“The most important is it to keep it going,” he says. “And if you collecting contacts. They're like masters at creating meaningful
go to an event, whether it's a networking event or a function of and memorable connections,” says Steve, adding listening to
some sort, and people recognize you because they saw you at others helps strengthen those connections. “There is an the old
last week's or last month's event, that's really, really important saying, ‘We have two ears and one mouth’. We should listen twice
because all of a sudden now you visually become recognizable.” as much as we speak. The people who are good at networking,
they're the ones that attend an event to be bold and to be
Define Your Goals curious, but not in a way that makes them obnoxious. They offer
Greg says being engaged by attending such events regularly is value before asking for anything.”
key to successful networking.

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