I’m sure you have heard the saying ‘connections are everything’ before and well, I would have to agree. When you think about it, real estate networking opportunities are really large pools of valuable resources for you to dive into. You can find people in all different areas of expertise to connect and share knowledge with, in one place at one time.
I hesitate to even call it a pool of resources, as that would imply that there are walls and although most networking events in fact have walls around them, if a connection is made inside those walls, then that person has welcomed you into their personal network which could hold a whole new set of connections and opportunities who each have their own personal networks to tap into, and so on.
The best industry events have two main areas of focus: industry knowledge and networking. For this article, I am going to be zeroing in on the networking piece and go over why you should be focusing on the power of connection at your next industry event.
Real estate networking in person and online
Whether you are attending a big industry conference, a real estate seminar, or even a webinar, keep an eye out for all the networking opportunities that are there. In-person events are pretty explicit about where and when the networking opportunities are, but for online events, it can be a little trickier.
Some things that can help with networking at online events are
- Be active in the chat during sessions
- Be active in any post session discussions boards that they have set up
- Connect with any session leaders, panelists, and/or key notes that you enjoyed on socials
These are all fantastic ways to build relationships with colleagues and connect with others in the industry.
Don’t just collect business cards – create connections
One important thing to remember while at networking events, is that just because you know someone’s name or were able to shake their hand, doesn’t mean it’s a real, true connection.
Make sure to take the time to create valuable connections that can stand the test of time and be leveraged to both of your benefit. You can
- Offer to buy someone dinner or a drink
- Save them a seat at a session you both plan to attend to following day
- Be genuinely curious to learn about them and their business
- Leave with a way to stay connected
- Celebrate their successes
Let GOLD be your guide
When I got my first retail job back at the age of 17, the company I worked for at the time used the acronym GOLD to help their employees to remember to
- Greet the customer
- Open a dialect
- Lead the sale
- Deepen the brand loyalty
all before the customer exits the store. It has stuck with me through life and is largely how I interact with people today, but instead the brand is now either myself or whoever I am representing at an event.
I encourage you to either adopt this, or come up with something similarly easy to remember and repeat back to yourself so that those handshakes evolve into true connections.
Focus on the relationship, not the opportunity
Whether you are meeting someone for the first time or have plenty of history and are reconnecting, one thing to make sure is not to skip over the G or the O before getting to the L or the D.
Notice that greeting someone and opening a dialect with them has nothing to do with gaining anything from that person other than gauging their willingness to interact with you. These steps are imperative to breaking down barriers and making them not feel as though you are hoping to get something out of them but are genuinely interested in them and forming a connection.
Once a genuine connection is achieved, the possibilities are endless. You can share knowledge, resources, ideas and expertise, you can collaborate on business efforts or even just lean on each other for advice when facing new challenges.
With connections comes community and a sense of belonging which is very powerful so make sure to get yourself excited for any real estate networking opportunities that come your way and utilize the amazing power of connection.
Trust me, I understand that after a day of keynote speakers and breakout sessions, a networking event can feel like an exhausting activity after an already exhausting day. I promise though if you go and even make just one valuable connection, it will be worth it!
