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8 Ways to Maximize Business at a Meetup

90 Comments

From Trust Agents by Chris Brogan and Julien Smith

Meetups are popular social gatherings usually organized around a particular business topic or hobby or other special interest. There’s a meetup.com site where you can learn if there are any events in your area (though many events happen without being facilitated through that site).

Here’s how you can do business at meetups

1. You can connect your online presence with face-to-face humans.

2. Before an event, research for information about who will be there.

3. Check Flickr.com for photos of attendees, so you can recognize them when you see them.

4. Check Twitter for mention of organizations of attendees.

5. At the event, find the people you most want to meet — earlier, rather than later.

6. It’s not about how many business cards you hand out, but how many useful ones you collect.

7. Be conversational and polite and do not monopolize any one person’s time.

8. After the event, send brief notes to people whom you want to build a relationship.

Don’t forget that you, too, can start a meetup group to gather together like-minded individuals.

FURTHER READING:

Chris Brogan’s  primary blog

Chris Brogan Nails a Universal Truth

Networking DO’S and DON’TS

Beyond the Hype: Roadmap for Social Media

Why social media is like a day at the beach

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90 thoughts on “8 Ways to Maximize Business at a Meetup”

  1. I don’t have any experience in meeting up especially in business but this may help me later. Well, anyway thanks for the tips ahead.

  2. Hi Shari,

    This are great tips! Sometimes because of the fact that we can do business online we forget one of the most great techniques in business and it is the Face-to-Face meet ups. Thanks for posting this.

  3. Thank you Shari for sharing these tips with us. It truly is a must to maximize business at these face to face meetings. Also, it really is important to plan ahead and be prepared before attending these meetups.
    Have your calling cards ready as surely they will have theirs too.

  4. Thanks for the lists! These are really important in expanding and maximizing our business. We have to grab the opportunity in every business dealings and meetings we have.

  5. Something I really like to do when I am at ecommerce or tech meetups is use my phone to contact people who I want to speak to via twitter and tell them I am there and going to catch up with them at some point. Its a great ice breaker and lets people know you are really interested in talking to them

  11. A life Without goals, aspirations, and dreams can make one feel lost in life. It is statistically proven that people who are actively working to achieve an objective, fulfill a purpose, dream, or goal they have, are generally much more happy!

  12. I have been in a senior management position for several years before I retired. Your are words of wisdom, you should plan for your meetup in advance. That way you will waste no time target the people you want to meet.

  13. I haven’t been into some meet ups and I think the idea is really looks helpful with this we can know how successful the meet up will be since you are making some forecasting before the day of the event. Let me know if any of them work especially well for you. I haven’t been to a business meeting in years.

  14. I normally go to local WordPress meetups. My big piece of advice is come with questions. How can anyone learn anything. Most of the meetups that are social media, or tech involve learning: lectures, Q&A’s, etc.

    The engaging is great, but that is only a part of it.

  15. I haven’t been into some meet ups and I think the idea is really looks helpful with this we can know how successful the meet up will be since you are making some forecasting before the day of the event.

  16. Excellent article on my favorite way to build this business, shoulder to shoulder, the personal touch! Let me know if any of them work especially well for you.

  18. Great post and very nice and useful tips. And the most important in my opinion is to stay calm and show your qualities. Thanks for sharing, keep up good work.

  22. The activity meetup is great! I could meet potential customers and get many new and useful information, that is wonderful. Also thank you for your tips, and help me a lot to make use of each chance well.

  27. Great tips, one thing I would also advocate is connecting via twitter where possible. Rather than a business card as such I just have a small card with my twitter name on that I hand to people I want to stay in touch with. Its a risk if you are in a meetup where peope are not really tech orientated but as thats my field its working for me quite well.

  28. Hey Shari,

    Excellent article on my favorite way to build this business, shoulder to shoulder, the personal touch!

    There is no better way to build a relationship then face to face contact, sometimes online we lose sight of this “old school” element as we build our businesses via emails, blogs, and webinars.

    You have given us some awesome tips on how to prepare for a business “meetup.” I’m going to use your tip #3 in the near future!

    Thanks for sharing Shari,

    Kevin

    1. Kevin, if I didn’t write this on that article, then the best advice for Face2Face networking is to approach each new person looking for what you can BUY, not what you are trying to sell. The entire dynamic changes, and people will want to know what you do.

    1. good analogy, Sandra. My best advice for “equipping” oneself is given above to Kevin, i.e. for Face2Face networking is to approach each new person looking for what you can BUY, not what you are trying to sell. The entire dynamic changes, and people will want to know what you do.

  30. Meet ups can be a great place to market yourself. It can even help you meet up with new or potential customers.Here you are at an advantage because you are there yourself and hence convincing someone is easier this way.

  31. Hi Shari,
    Great reminder list to review prior to meetups!
    My daughter facilitates what she calls “circles.”
    Circles can be on any topic that the group decides.
    People join the circle because they want to connect with others on that topic.
    I would like to learn more about how her circles are
    accomplishing goals. It might be like masterminding and I would like to learn the difference!
    All the best, Linda

  32. When you implement these principles in your business, you’re going to see an influx of referrals coming your way.. Great source of help for the newbies like me..

  36. I try and attend all the local business social meetups, breakfasts and coffee mornings that I can. Even though my dating review site isn’t a b2b service I’ve landed lots of web design and SEO jobs through them.

    The only downside is, all the buffets and breakfasts add inches to the old waistline

  38. We all want to avoid this, but, in life, rejection is inevitable. Even uber hot celebrities like Halle Berry and Angelina Jolie get dumped. There’s just no way around it.

  39. There are two things you need to set when starting a business like firstof all, Set your target audience and second be conversation and polite with your audience. Although having a short audience but touch with them lifetime is more important rather than targeting un limited audience.

  43. Yes. I agree with all of your points .Especially ”
    Check Flickr.com for photos of attendees, so you can recognize them when you see them.”

    and
    “After the event, send brief notes to people whom you want to build a relationship”

    will helps for the pre and post preparation meetup

  45. Well I do realise that these types of meet ups are important from a business point of view but sometimes what comes out from these meetings are lots of networking on the spot, but little follow up. Also sometimes people are not really interested in what you do per se, they talk only because they have to, you know what I mean? say Hi hello and then drop off the surface of earth.

  46. Maximizing business at a right time and place is very important. It is not very easy at the same time. Your ways to maximize business at a meetup are very essential.

  47. Shari,
    this is needed information that I have never herd of as a meetup?

    This is a standard in Boston. We have these meeting with different groups. I just never needed to attend one. I usually will met people on a daily bases by just traveling downtown and in our local areas.

    It doesn’t hurt being withing our churches with all the weekly groups and gatherings.

    This is something I will complete my due diligence in creating one that will help more people just looking for having a side business.

    Shari, your a true visionary in our industry and one I will be following. Thank you for sharing and caring. Looking forward to your next amazing post.

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