“Divide and conquer” is a successful team approach to face-to-face networking when several employees from the same company or association are attending the same meeting, trade show or conference.
• Why use this approach? It’s the number one way to increase value for your time and dollar. You/your employer pay for multiple people to attend external events to build more relationships and increase your exposure … not to talk with each other. Instruct your people to sit at different tables, talk to “strangers” and save the water cooler talk for the office.
• Use the tag team approach. If two of you happen to be speaking with the same person, use the opportunity to say positive things about your cohort that s/he may not be comfortable saying. One of you can also choose to move on to speak with others since you are leaving a team member behind.
• Here’s another use. In addition to standard networking events, use this approach when numerous company employees attend the same trade show. As the owner or supervisor, review the program ahead of time and assign booths and presentations to various people. (No one person can successfully visit 500 booths or attend 15 presentations!) Then make your employees accountable at a debriefing you schedule shortly after the event. It’s amazing how much information and how many contacts your company can amass from one show.