Free or Paid?

The question was asked the other day whether it is better to attend a free networking event or a paid one. In my opinion how much it costs isn't the point.

Networking is all about building long term relationships. It isn't about meeting somebody once and scaring them into doing business with you. Effective business networking means meeting the same people on a regular basis and establishing a relationship with them that potentially leads to business for you both. It probably won't be immediate - trust takes time and patience.

When you recommend another business part of your own reputation goes along with it. A poor recommendation reflects badly on you and you lose a little face. A good recommendation makes you look great and increases trust in you too. So wouldn't it make sense to know more about the person you are recommending?

It might no be possible to see the work of the person you recommend but if you have taken the time to get to know them then trust can be built in other ways.

Relationships should be two way, they should have trust in you before they pass you work. You should encourage this. Mostly recommendations are of the person not the business - you recommend the person you have built a relationship with rather than the business they are in. People buy people and trust is a major factor in their choice.

So the question of how much should you pay for networking is a mute point. Cost is immaterial as any networking event is what you make of it. If you network effectively you build relationships.