Networking is much more than just socializing with friends. Many people spend too much unproductive time ‘networking’ with friends and colleagues and then have little to show for their efforts.

Now I’m sure it’s on the tip of your tongue – “but aren’t we supposed to build relationships and make friends?” Of course, the answer is yes, BUT there needs to be a balance between nurturing new relationships, socializing with friends and making new contacts.

You can talk with existing friends any time, so treat a networking event as your opportunity to discover or build on new relationships. Acknowledge your friends, catch up on the latest and then devote time to being with people you don’t already know well.

If you don’t want to strike out on your own, try doing some ‘tag team’ networking. Introducing your friend to a new person allows you to praise their business virtues while making the introduction – something that most of us don’t do for ourselves. “Have you met my friend Bob? He’s an amazing Chiropractor who works magic by quickly eliminating small back pain…” One tip – make sure you can adequately describe each other’s business in an engaging way.

Also, don’t sit with your friends at the same table. Or if you do, at least don’t sit beside each other. Sitting with a few chairs between you or across the table will help keep the focus on including others in your conversation.

If you’re more of an introvert or don’t know many in the room, going solo may be a bit uncomfortable. Here are some great places to casually met and engage in conversations with others:

1. in food or beverage lines – always a great opportunity to strike up a conversation
2. stand near the door, registration table or name tag table and greet people as they arrive – a great example of the “host” mentality in action
3. volunteer to sell prize draw tickets or help with name tags
4. if they have networking tables make sure to stop by and talk with the representative – they’ll be glad you did! Don’t worry if it’s not a product or service that you need because it might be a great referral to someone in your network instead.

And finally, remember to smile – it goes a long way in helping you feel comfortable and you’ll appear more approachable too. Because you just never know who’ll you meet!