Common Networking Mistakes NY Visitors Make on Business Trips

New York City is one of the most popular travel destinations in the world. Unlike sunny Miami or the sandy beaches of Santa Monica, New York isn’t mainly seen as a tourist paradise. Many visitors come to explore new business opportunities, instead. They often discover they are in over their head as they try to rub elbows with the city’s elite.

Few people will gasp in shock to hear that New York topped a recent list of the snobbiest places in the country. This ranking is a bit unfair, because the average New Yorker will give visitors a chance. However, newcomers need to learn to mingle if they hope to score business leads.

When you come to the Big Apple, you need to follow the networking hacks listed below if you want to grow your business.

Don’t necessarily set out for the ritzy parts of town

Lots of business coaches recommend visiting the most affluent parts of New York City to meet the most influential people. The Gaslight Lounge and Ace Hotel are some of the places they suggest business people go to meet valuable business contacts.

However, I have to disagree with these suggestions. These venues might not be ideal if you don’t already have a commanding reputation. Powerful industry leaders in New York city don’t tend to be as receptive to cold pitches as business mavericks in other cities. Numerous people are vying for their attention every day, so you could be wasting your time trying to stand out from the crowd.

It is best to focus on networking venues that are more in your league.

Keep your elevator pitch to 30 seconds

You have probably already heard the rule of thumb that you should have an elevator pitch that you can deliver in under 30 seconds. However, most people extend it a bit, because people in most other places are fairly open to hearing more. This isn’t the case in New York. People are more pressed for time, so it is good to condense your speech as much as possible. As expat and business icon Joe Cross suggests, it is a good idea to craft a life story and trim it into your elevator pitch. You also need to make sure that you have plenty of business cards on hand.

Know which business communities to frequent

NYC is the number one commerce center in the world. While some venues are geared towards Wall Street investment bankers and real estate moguls, there are also plenty of crate places for lesser known, up-and-coming entrepreneurs.

You can find a lot of prominent business trips on Meetup. The NYC Business Networking Group is one of the most popular. This group has been posting networking events for the past 12 years and currently has 20,000 members and has hosted over 400 events. You don’t have to pay anything to join the group, but you may have to pay a fee to attend certain events. The fees are well worth the price, because around 40 people attend the average event.

NY Tech Alliance is another popular group to attend. This is a great meetup for entrepreneurs in the technology industry.

Be mindful of New York time etiquette

Many visitors to New York are not used to the fast-paced lifestyle. This is especially true for people traveling from California, Greece or Latin America. Business professionals from these regions have often admitted they were not used to the insistence on punctuality that New Yorkers are famous for.

When you are attending a networking event, make sure that you are promptly on time. The same goes for meetings with anybody that you hit it off with there. New Yorkers are not quite the rude folks that they are made out to be, but they don’t have infinite forgiveness for tardiness.