Promotional materials such as flyers and handouts are useful tools to distribute when at a networking event. They give others more information about what you do and last longer than your verbal self-introduction. Here are five rules to follow when distributing handouts at networking events.

1. Be certain that distributing handouts is appropriate for the meeting you are attending. Every meeting and host has different rules. Just ask the host if you may hand out your flyer or promotional piece. This way you won't appear to have been pushy or overly sales focused.

2. Have enough for every attendee. This means that you will likely need to plan for double the number of attendees just to be safe. Do not put a date on your promotional piece unless you are promoting a time-sensitive event or sale. This way you can reuse those that are not distributed next time.

3. Have the best possible quality promotional piece. Remember that the flyer, brochure, postcard, or promotional marketing piece will remain as a reminder of the quality and service you and your company will provide. That can be good news for you if your piece is quality. If at all possible print in color. Have them printed by a professional printer instead of running copies on a copier or printing them on your desktop printer. The difference in quality and the time you will save will more than pay for the slightly higher cost of printing.

4. Arrive early and distribute your promotional piece(s) at each place setting prior to guest arrival. This way you are free to meet and greet when the other attendees arrive without the cumbersome task of carrying and distributing promotional pieces. And remember that promotional pieces should be distributed only at events that provide seating unless you or your venue provide a bag for the attendees to conveniently carry items distributed. You may wish to consider distributing your materials at the door as attendees are departing. Be certain your piece is easily carried or provide a bag containing your promotional item.

5. Pick up any materials that were not retained by the attendees. You can be certain nearly fifty-percent of the attendees will leave your materials on the table. Don't fret, these folks were not interested in what you were offering and they did you a favor by not taking the materials and just throwing them away elsewhere. These folks actually saved you money! Picking up the leftover pieces sends a message that the little things are important to you. If you won't waste your own money you won't waste your clients either. This will tell others a lot about you.

Using quality promotional flyers and materials will increase your success in networking. People hesitate to discard good quality pieces and therefore you will remain top-of-mind with those who retain your pieces. But don't attempt to be too clever. Each of us has a drawer in our desk full of promotional items that we did not want to throw away but we never use either. Keep it simple. Start with a full color post card or flyer on good quality stock and you will begin to see more people calling you. And getting warm calls instead of making cold calls is what separates the marginally successful from the ultra-successful.



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