[Video] 4 ways to network without business cards
The past few networking events I’ve attended, I’ve felt like the only one with a business card. It usually goes like this,
Me: “It was great to meet you. I’d love to stay in touch. Here's my card.”
Other person: “Thanks but I don’t have a card...”
Me: "What, What???"
Giving your card and not getting one in return is equivalent to getting a “thank you” as a response to “I love you.” Painful.
This reckless cardless networking has caused me to up my networking game. Here are a few tips on how you can leave your cards at home and become a real networking rock star.
1 Text your contact:
Create yourself as a contact in your phone and save it to favorites. Don’t forget to add your website & social media links in the notes section.
When you meet someone you want to keep in touch with, tell them you’d like to text them your info. Click share contact and send it to them. That way, they have all your contact info and you have their cell number. Save them as a contact and make a note about where you met them.
2. About.me
I love about.me. It is a great personal landing page. If you don’t have one, you should. They also have a pretty cool app that send people your info.
It’s as easy as opening the app and handing the other person your phone. They choose to email or text and type in their info. They not only get your contact info, they also get your bio & links to your social media sites. For reference, click here to view my about.me page.
3. Go straight social:
Twitter has connected me with more quality business relationships than any other platform. The question I ask almost every person I want to stay connected with is, “What is your twitter handle?”
I have to continually remind myself that everyone has different preferences on how they like to connect on social. So, I try to ask in a more broad way.
“I’d love to stay in touch, what is the best social media platform for us to connect?” is a much better way to ask.
4. Just ask:
“What is the best way for me to keep up with you” is a great question. It’s important to leave the question broad so they can answer any way they’d like. They may say text, e-mail, social or they might surprise you and hand you a business card.
What is your best tip for staying connected to people you meet?
(Leave your comment below)