Once you?ve learnt some of the skills of networking, you?ll find that it gets easier to do. However, there are plenty of things that can go wrong and affect the results of your networking efforts. Here are just of the common mistakes made at networking meetings and what you can to avoid them.

Not having an objective for a meeting. If you do not have a goal, how can you tell whether or not you achieved it?

Not knowing your ideal client. Even if you keep going to the meetings and keep meeting new people, but still find it difficult to win new clients, it could because you?re not giving people a clear picture of the type of businesses you want to work with.

Networking is not just about telling other people what you do. It is more about telling people who you are looking for ? your ideal client. When you can accurately describe your ideal client, you help the people you speak to decide whether or not they are your ideal client. You will also help them to find your ideal clients for you and give you referrals.

Lack of research. If you turn up at a networking meeting without knowing why you?re going or who will be there, your time and effort will be wasted. If you?re going to meet someone specific, they won?t be impressed if you haven?t done your research and know nothing about their business or the issues they currently face. Spend some time doing your homework and you will get more benefit from your networking.

Practice makes perfect. When you can say your one-minute presentation confidently, you?ll give people a far better impression of yourself and your business. When you have a number of questions ready, you?ll be able to steer the conversation in the direction in which you want it to go. Write down what you want to say and then rehearse it until you are happy with the way it sounds and the way you say it.

Click the links above for more ideas on how to avoid each of these mistakes and make a real success of your networking