It’s great to attend networking events, but there’s little point in being there if you just talk about social topics. Here’s how to turn social chat into business conversations. Day four of my FITTER networking programme:

Turn social conversations into business chat 

Before you start talking business, take your time to get to know the person first and generate some rapport. 

Once rapport has been established, then move the conversation onto business topics. 

Many people make the mistake of zooming straight into a sales pitch when they’re out meeting people. But l cannot emphasise this enough: when networking, you are not there to sell, you are there to build relationships. 

It’s from these relationships that opportunities and business will flow.

Want to read more? Check these articles out, too:

Why business owners need to think of both online and offline networking

16 tricks to win business through networking clubs 

Tomorrow is day five of my FITTER programme, when I’ll cover the letter “E”, looking at “Engagement”.

Heather Townsend, Britain’s queen of networking, helps professionals achieve business and career success using social media and networking. Follow her Joined Up Networking blog for more useful tips and tricks. She is the author of the current best-selling book on networking The Financial Times Guide To Business Networking which has 68 five-star reviews on Amazon.