There are many different types of face-to-face networking meetings that you can go. If you?re looking to improve the effect of your networking, you can look at the types of meetings you go to. Good marketing is about doing more of what works and less of what doesn?t, so you need to decide which types of events work best for you, so you can attend more of them (and less of the ones that don?t work.)

Here are a few comparisons for you to consider:

Morning, noon or night? If you?re a morning person and can get to meetings on time, looking presentable and make a good impression while you?re there, then early morning meetings are for you. If you always turn up late and can hardly keep your eyes open, you won?t give a very good impression of your business.

If you can work the whole day and still have enough energy to talk to people, then dinner or evening meetings are suitable for you. However, if by the end of the day you?re in a bad mood and don?t want to talk to anyone, then avoid these meetings, as you won?t  be able to focus on what other people are saying, or spot opportunities for your business.

Me? I?m a morning person so I like networking breakfasts (as long as they don?t start too early.) Lunches also work well for me, but by the end of the day I?m ready to sleep!

To eat or not to eat? Can you concentrate on holding a conversation while enjoying a meal? Are you comfortable talking while eating (without talking with your mouth full)? Some meetings provide food, either as sit down affair, of from a buffet to stand around. Think about what?s on offer and how well you can cope with combining food and networking. Think also about the other people who go to networking meetings with food ? some only go for the food and pay little attention to the networking.

I like sitting down to breakfast or lunch and networking at the same time. Standing up with a plate of food in one hand and a glass/business card/brochure in the other is harder. I don?t have enough hands for shaking hands with other people!

How much? When you?re deciding which networks to go to, you need to consider all the costs. Some groups are free, but because no one is paying, you may not meet the right sort of people ? do you want to meet people who don?t want to pay for anything?! Other networks ask for an annual fee in return for membership benefits; some only charge for each meeting. Others do both. If you?re considering a group that charges for membership and meetings, work out exactly how much you?ll spend over time. Find out if you have to attend every meeting or just the ones you want to go to. This will help you work out how much you can afford to invest and what return you need from your investment.

At Networking Lunch our members get all sorts of benefits like a profile on our website and discounts on lunches and services from other members. They can choose how many meetings they come to, to suit their budgets. We help them do their networking, to help them get the best from their investment. Click here for more details and keep an eye on this blog for another post when I?ll talk about other networking considerations, like formal versus informal, meeting competitors, industry specific groups and speaking at events.