Shanghai Networking News - The Secret of Out-Networking Your Competitors

The Secret of Out-Networking Your Competitors

Traditional networking events like mixers can easily become a bore. Go to a bar. Pay 120 RMB. Have two drinks and talk to the same kind of people as the last one. Rinse, lather, repeat. Oh, and don't forget your competitors who are also there, getting their faces in front of the same crowd. This kind of event can only get you so far before you realise just how little business you're getting from it.

So, what can you do about it? Shanghai has plenty of other events that are fertile ground for meeting new contacts and offer opportunities to mingle.

Most of the large wine companies organise regular or semi-regular wine tastings around town. Check out ASC Fine Wine and Ruby Red for more details. They're usually more relaxed and offer something other than the bog standard wines you get at most mixers. They usually offer a more interesting crowd too.

All that wine can get unhealthy after a while, so what better remedy than sports? Sweat that alcohol out of your body by having a run with the Hash House Harriers and network over a meal and drinks afterwards. If you're after the higher-rollers, try one of Shanghai's many golf clubs.

In the mood to learn while you network? Jiaotong University offers a range of courses in English, and you can find lots more educational courses in the expat magazines.

There are lots more options too, from joining clubs to taking part in community events to going to bar openings to organizing your own small events. The possibilities are endless.

Obviously, you can't use the same techniques as you would at a networking mixer. The aims of the events are completely different, so just handing out cards left, right and centre might not create the best impression. Get to know people first, bond a little and arrange to do coffee or lunch. Remember, people don't learn how to dance or take photographs to make business contacts. Take it slow.

Most importantly, have a real passion for the activity. Try to see networking as a potentially lucrative bonus, not as the whole point of attending, otherwise it'll be less fun for both you and everyone else.

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