Lets make is short. Below is a starting list of super smart people whom I would like to have 5-10 minutes conversation this year during my Babson journey. Why I publish this list? first - make it easy for me to go over this list as long as needed. second - make it easy for you to know or talk with a great bunch of smart new people.

Geraldine Alias
Colin Angle
Pano Anthos
Dave Barrett
Steve Bayle
David Beisel
Jeff Bennett
Woody Benson
Adam Berrey
Elon S. Boms
Dan Bricklin
Shawn Broderick
Joe Caruso
Jon Chait
David Cohen
Jarrett Collins
Matt Cutler
Richard Dale
Eran Egozy
Brad Feld
Bob Frankston
Daniel Gaffney
Michael Gaiss
Mike Grandinetti
Dayna B. Grayson
Chris Heidelberger
Jean Hammond
Will Herman
Eric Hjerpe
Nabeel Hyatt
Steve Kane
Alec Karys
Warren Katz
Will Kohler
John Landry
Margaret Lawrence
Rich Levandov

Chris Brogan wrote a great post about How Social Media Users Prep events.I think that Chris gave a great bunch of tips about few sites to find local events, people in your conference /event area. While I agree with Chris’s post, I would like to expand on the topic of meeting the right people using the tools mentioned there.

Maximize Your Free Time

Events are great. If you have free time, going to an eventcan be a great way to meet new people. The most successful business men and women, though extremely busy, still find the time to attend at least one event per month. Considering the limited time and the plenty of opportunities, maximizing your time becomes a very important goal. Choose events at which you are likely to meet people that will be advantageous to know.

Look Out For People

Using the tools mentioned by Chris, you can find the list of people and speakers attending the event ahead of time. Read about them in Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter. Find any common interests? Write their name on the paper. Make sure you have at least a few names at the end of the process. Now what? Think what value you can give them. Business partnership? Job offer? Kudos for some work they did in the past? Studying the “whos” of any event beforehand will keep you from missing out on opportunities to make personal connections.

Contact Before

Contact people in one of the networks hosting an event you attended, either before or after. Schedule sometime to meet them during coffee break or lunch. Be very specific about what you want to talk about. Make a list of two or three points on a paper. Don’t forget the paper on your desk!You will probably would not have more than five minutes with that person before you lose their attention.

During The Meeting

Arrive early! Say hello and share few insights about the event, or ask questions to learn more. That process should be more than two minutes. Be focused and tell him or her how you think you can help . Then shut up and listen. Don’t criticize, don’t blame. Think Win-Win. Try to have at least one action item at the end of the talk, such as setting another meeting date or getting introduced to another person.

Pre-Event Work

Add the people you met with to your LinkedIn network. So many people forget to do that. It’s one of the most important things to do. Why? Because now you can track those people changes in work and contact information. Don’t forget to send thank you message. Don’t write a generic message. You can start with a generic sentence, but then write a few words about your experience from the event or the meeting.

It’s a Lot of Work

Yeah, I know. Who has all the time for that? After few times, It will take you between 5-10 minutes before the event, and 2-5 minutes after the event. It’s worth it, believe me. Better network connectivity leads to better opportunities in the long run. The goal is to get more out of your time. Your time is important so spend the little extra time to get the best out of it.

For me, It’s one of the most powerful tools for networking.

What do you think? Have any tips? Please comment and share

Want to hear more?
subscribe to my blog or follow me on Twitter.

Photo credit dsevilla

When I think about the next leaders in the marketing area, I think about Chris Brogan.He is well known speaker and author of a few books. The beauty of his blog and books that he talks with you and about you, not at you.
Chris has been my virtual leadership and marketing mentor for the last 2 years. I had the privilege to meet him in person few days ago. It was the end of a long-term goal to meet Chris some day.

From thinking forward, to going on your success path, to building an online business, to winning with the crowd, Chris covers a bunch of leadership skills that you can use in any business.

Here are 5 life insights from Chris:

1. Work by heart - Money is important, but Chris businesses are powered by heart.
2. Capture your ideas - Spend the time every day capture your insights and ideas by writing or drawing them on paper. It helps to make some deep thinking about your ideas.
3. Listening is a daily thing - Chris spends a lot of his time to listen. He speaks a lot in events, but still find the time to listen. We all have a lot to say, we don’t really need to do that in a one time.
4. Use framework to guide you - Chris use mind-maps as a powerful tool to capture his ideas and model his framework. When you have framework, you have a path. When you have a path, you have vision.
5. Don’t forget your family - When it comes to business and passion, you can find yourself really quick in 30 year career path while your children are growing up while their dad is flying around the world. Chris puts his family in the top of the list as it should be.

I hope you enjoy these lessons as much as I’ve enjoyed putting them together.