How To Network During the Pandemic

BY Kathy Crosett
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It’s conference and trade show season, but how are you going to network during the pandemic? With almost every in-​person gathering cancelled because of the COVID-​19 virus, we’re all operating in a new normal. You may have had big plans to connect with people at upcoming conferences and trade shows. Making those connections is still possible. You just need a new mindset.

Networking on LinkedIn

How many times have you promised yourself that you will finally use all the features LinkedIn has to offer? Now’s the time to start. Your first instinct may be to check out groups that relate to optimizing sales results. Great. But don’t stop there. You should connect with prospects and find leads for the future. To do that, join groups that focus on topics of interest to your primary customer groups. Check out their content for a while, before you start asking questions. Over time, you can cultivate virtual relationships and eventually invite some of these contacts to check out podcasts and webinars you’re holding.

Podcast and Webinars

If you have a list of folks you were planning to meet in person, you still have a chance to make an impression on them. Remember that everyone is in the same boat right now. Most of us are working from home. With the extra time we have from not commuting, we’ll be a little more open to checking out links to interesting podcasts and webinars.

Start by inviting prospects to listen to your content via email. Make sure send out your email at the best time based on tips in this video.

Virtual Conferences

Your prospects might like the idea of attending a virtual conference and this strategy will help you network during the pandemic. These gatherings could offer a mix of recorded and live sessions.  For the live session part of your virtual conference, do the extra legwork to ensure that all technical issues have been resolved. You may want to limit sessions to a few attendees and keep the tone informal. After all, if everyone is working from home, they’ll likely encountering similar challenges – barking dogs, fighting children, and cabin fever. Remember that your goal is to provide value to prospects, such as answering questions about your product and service and how they can use it to boost their sales in the coming months.

Network and Sell During the Pandemic

You can still network and sell during the pandemic. Nobody says this will be easy but if you keep the right mindset, you're one step ahead. If you’re looking for ways to motivate your team and yourself, check out these resources:

SalesFuel Webinars

SMM Connect

Manage Smarter

Sell or Die


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