Nothing in life gets done without a good, solid game plan and the same goes for power networking. Even though you should always be in the networking mindset and meet people everywhere you go, you’ll get the best results if you’re organized and you have a clear plan to follow.

Your Networking Schedule

First of all, you should decide how many networking functions you’ll attend per week. These can be official industry-specific events or informal gatherings where you can build your contact list. You should attend at least one per week, although two or three is even better if you have a time-sensitive goal. Don’t attend more than three or your schedule will be too hectic. Remember that in addition to meeting people, you also need to follow up with them.

Put your follow-ups on your schedule as well. For each networking function you attend, plan to follow up the next day or two days after. Any plans to meet or contact the person again made during the follow-up should also be added to your calendar.

Making the Rounds

For each networking event you attend, plan to spend some time beforehand researching it and its participants so that you know who you’re going to talk to. Another preparation is to decide how many people you’ll talk to at each event.

Set a quota of new contacts for yourself and try to stick to it. This is important because it’s the only way to build your contact list. Without a quota, you run the risk of not approaching people or spending the entire event talking to only one person or group of people.

Getting into the Right Mindset

You may want to create a pre-event ritual to help you get relaxed and into a sociable mood. You want to be at your best when you enter the event and approach people because first impressions matter. You should walk into each event confident, relaxed, and with a big smile on your face. Your ritual might include deep breathing, visualization, meditation, or just listening to some upbeat music that puts you into a good mood.

Take Notes

During the event, you’ll want to keep track of everyone you talk to and any pertinent details you’ll want to recall later. Don’t rely on your memory. After shaking ten or so hands you’ll have trouble remembering who you’ve talked to and what about.

There are several ways to take notes during an event. Of course, you don’t want to be jotting things down while you’re talking to people. After each encounter, you may want to write down a few things in the quiet moment before you make your next approach. One option is to take notes on business cards. You can also take notes on your phone, which looks less obviously like you’re taking notes.

Don’t Stop Networking

Even when you have a busy schedule of following up and meeting your contacts, don’t stop attending networking events. You may scale it back to once a week or so, but don’t stop going. You need to continually build your contact list because you never know who you’ll meet at your next event.

Your Networking Buddy

As part of their networking game plan, some people choose to have a ‘networking buddy.’ This is a person you attend events with. Many people find it more comfortable and enjoyable to attend with a friend or associate. If you go as a team, the two of you combined have more skills and strengths to bring to the table. You can play off each other and have livelier conversations.

Mix Up Your Game Plan

It’s important to create a good game plan, but make it flexible. Sometimes it’s good to mix things up a bit, adding new ideas or techniques to what you do. If your game plan is flexible, you can improve it over time or tailor it to changes in your goals or situation.