Your ultimate guide to navigating small business networking in Milton Keynes..
You only need to hop onto eventbrite and search networking Milton Keynes to realise there are a cacophony of events to serve and connect the SME population of MK and surrounding areas.
If I had a pound for every time an entrepreneur asked me ''which networking group will work best for me’ - I’d not have to think twice about a faancy second motor :0)
One of the beautiful aspects of my employed role, is that I literally attend these as part of my job; being connected to as many founders locally as possible, and leveraging the benefits of networking (and associated showcase opportunities) that these groups provide. When I ran a business in MK however, I didn’t enjoy networking- especially women only networking- and I failed to really optimise the opportunity for promotional and connectivity outputs, and now I know why, and I want to share my learnings with you in the hope that it saves you some wasted time, money and energy.
You can literatim network for breakfast, lunch and dinner most days- few for free and many attracting the same faces. So, what have I learned about the good, the bad and the plain old ‘same old’ as I traverse the networking circuit? Well, my reviews over the coming weeks will share with you my findings of all the events I’ve been to this year, who and what I found, and my advice to help you decide if you should give it a gander.
But before I do, a few helpful hints and a whacking great disclaimer…
Let’s start with the disclaimer: all opinions shared in my blogs are my own (and honest ones) and not necessarily those of my employer. Comments are subjective and obviously I’m taking a snapshot (from a series of events) reflected sometimes from just one single session. I have not been paid for any of these reviews but I am often hosted free of charge by nature of my role; however this does not in anyway ensure a positive review. If you would like me to cover one of your events please just ask, I’d be happy to.
Ok, now to the nitty gritty.
Lack of confidence. Fear of rejection or judgement can make approaching others intimidating. This insecurity often leads to missed opportunities and anxiety which holds you back in connecting or seeming authentic or engaging.
Try contacting the event organiser in advance and requesting some support - or take along a buddy.
Start small; some of the larger groups can feel very daunting as a nervous first timer.
Pick one community and be consistent. It does get easier, practice makes progress.
Poor communication skills. Some individuals struggle to articulate their values, interests or activities- leading to awkward conversations or unclear intentions. Others fail at active listening; crucial for effective networking.
Attend a pitching club; learn how to ‘tell your business story’ in just sixty seconds.
Sign up to a public speaking group to build skills in a safe space.
Listening is as important as speaking at networking; challenge yourself internally ‘could I tell someone what THIS person does and their name if I was asked when I step away?
Transactional mindset. Viewing networking purely as a means to an end can hinder relationship-building success. When you focus only on what you can gain, a side effect can be that you fail to establish genuine connections.
in 1929 a group of people played a game of trying to connect any person in the world to themselves, using a chain of others; the ‘six degrees of separation’ theorem was born. Little has changed since despite the advent of social media connectivity and the expanding (yet easier to traverse) population. So remember; if you pitch properly, even this person might help you connect onwards after the event and vice versa.
People buy from people who they know, like and trust; it’s a process and rarely happens on first contact- no matter how great your pitch! No one likes or respects the ‘go and throw’ business card or leaflet leaver. It’s commonly acknowledged that buyers need 7 touchpoints before a transaction occurs, so a one-hit wonder appearance will do you few favours.
However, on the flipside, I often attend events where people are trying too hard to avoid this and infact fail to even introduce their business properly. Its a balance.
Slow (or no) follow up. The events are just ‘step one’ in the process. The art of networking is meeting a good number of people on the day, identifying shared interests or commonalities and then following up to find out more and building relationships that covert to good business outcomes.
Connect with those who attended on social media where appropriate.
Follow up with a note to remind them where you met and why you should connect.
Suggest a 1 2 1 for those who you really think will be mutually beneficial to get to know better.
Add their contact details to your CRM or directory to search easily later. Only add to marketing comms funnels with their permission.
Lack of preparation. Either choosing the event itself or strategising for maximum effect (this one event, and others generally).
Decide which event meets your needs and why
Plan how long you will commit to this group and what returns you expect on investment
Peruse the attendee list if provided, note the event agenda, means of connectivity afterwards ie whatsapp group, can you optimise this opportunity, at this time.
Missing the value of networking.
There are some proper ‘narners out there who pooh-pooh networking because it wasn’t right for them or they weren’t doing it properly. More often than not these naysayers have their own strong commercial pipeline, a great established network and are well connected and confident, and measure success transactionally. See the bullet points above. It might not have worked for them, but it works perfectly well for millions of others across the globe.
If you prepare, strategise, choose wisely, commit, communicate and engage well, follow up and build authentic connectivity- it works. But it’s certainly not just rocking up and hanging out with people you already know. That’s socialising, and if you’re doing too much of that at networking events then you’re blocking the rest of us from making meaningful connections with your clique; move over ;0)
So.. dive in; discover the best networking events in Milton Keynes to help your small business thrive in my blog articles published weekly.
Navigate the local scene with confidence using my comprehensive guide and reviews from 2024, and if you need more help than this check out my short course on Networking Mastery.
Thanks and acknowledgements:
Showcasing the power of networks; I’m grateful to our fabulous NatWest Accelerator MK Alumni;
Gareth Ellis at Cloud Nine Writing for his Write Path- short course on blogging that helped me to get set for success.
Lydia Berman at Creative Support Hub for being a font of all knowledge when it came to building my own site as a technophobe.
and to Stephanie O’Callaghan who created the above photo on a mini shoot recently and enabled me to update my portfolio.