By: Fatema Fatakdawala
Are you ready to network your way to success? Have your morning cup of coffee with the Altitude Accelerator at Breakfast with the Experts on September 6th. Our panel is geared with tips and tools to help you grow your business using the art of networking:
Donna Messer, also known as the Queen of Networking will start with a brief presentation followed by an interactive session to encourage networking within the audience. Donna is a renowned expert on and promoter of the often overlooked, true currency of business – personal relationships – how to forge, nurture and leverage them to put them to a mutual benefit.
Jeffrey Wellwood, will approach networking from a banking perspective. He will go over the key relationship management tools that can be used to your advantage in growing your business. As an investment advisor at RBC Dominion Securities, Jeff will cover three experiences where he has used networking to leverage his business relationship with his clients.
Vigen Nazarian, CEO of ANTVibes Inc. and a business friendly entrepreneur, has implemented networking to grow his customer base. ANTVibes is the provider of Audible Name Tags, a cloud-based voice capture and delivery platform which can be used for personal and promotional branding. ANTVibes’ successful technology recently received $300,000 in funding from FedDev Ontario.
Who should attend?
– Entrepreneurs who need to find the right people to commercialize their idea
– Start-ups that are looking for a “foot-in-the-door” to grow their company
– Innovative SMEs that want to leverage networking for business growth
So how do you make networking work for you? Here are my three simple tips:
1. Make a great first impression – Give the person you are talking to the first opportunity to introduce themselves. Then look for an opening where you can present your story; be sure to be short and simple until you are requested for more information. Using short and creative tag lines will make a great first impression.
2. Be different – Think about your value proposition. Try to make it so that the other person will find it interesting. Alternatively, then find someone who you know has been successful at this and talk to them about it.
3. Make sure to follow up – Be sure to have your business card ready for exchange. If they dont have theirs, politely ask for their email address and be sure to email them the following day. If they respond, then use that as an opportunity to “connect” them with your goals and needs.
Don’t miss this great opportunity!
Fatema joins the RIC team as the Communications Officer responsible for marketing, social media, event and web management. She is a graduate student pursuing her final year in the Master of Biotechnology program at the University of Toronto Mississauga.
The RIC blog is designed as a showcase for entrepreneurs and innovation. Our guest bloggers provide a wealth of information based on their personal experiences. Visit Altitude Accelerator for more information on how RIC can accelerate your ideas to market.
