To be a successful networker, remember these five things:

First - Know Your Target Market! Once you identify who your are ultimately trying to reach, you can evaluate which networking events are right for you, who you want to talk to at these events, as well as which businesses serve your target market.

Second - Know Who YOU Are! Be ready to give a brief description of who you are and what you do. Avoid drivel about your historic building or other peripheral information. People want to know how what you do can help ease their problems, them make more money, or save them time.

Third - Stop Reading Name Tags! When you walk around the room, reading name tags and ignoring those folks that aren't of interest to you, you say more about yourself than you realize. You're sending the message that you're on a hunt to make a sale, and anyone that doesn't meet your criteria is useless. With this tactic, you've told me everything I need to know about you, and it's not good. Look people in the eye and introduce yourself. You don't know who I may know!

Fourth - Stop Talking! Ask a lot of questions. The more you know about the person you've met, the better able you are to determine if you can give them a referral in the future, or if they are doing business with your target market.

Fifth - Don't Assault People With Your Business Card! In my opinion, business men and women who give me their card and walk away are rude and unprofessional. Introduce yourself first, and then ask me if you may give me a card; otherwise, I can't throw it away fast enough. Again, you've told me more about you than you might have realized with this tactic.

Sixth - Are You There to Party, or Are You There to Work? I've seen too many business professionals who say business networking doesn't work for them; but when I observe them at a networking event, they are hanging out with all their friends, and never spend a minute meeting anyone new! It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure this one out.

Seventh - See People as More Than a Commodity Stop seeing people as your next sale, and see them as human beings. Most business professionals know when someone doesn't have a sincere desire to get to know them.

Pick one of these tips and try it at your next networking event. Build up your "networking muscles" one by one until you are doing all of these, and I assure you that you will see a difference in your business!