Companies renting serviced offices will find great potential for networking. Serviced buildings, with their shared amenities, offer many opportunities to build connections that can lead to collaborations, partnerships, and referrals.
These are our top 10 tips on networking in a serviced office in London and the UK.
1. Keep Your Business Cards on You
When sharing a building, you never know when you could meet someone new. Keeping your business cards on you ensures you are always prepared to connect.
If you’re making a coffee or having a chat in the corridor, quickly exchanging business cards may lead to a future collaboration or a follow-up discussion.
Ensuring that your business cards are up-to-date and professional is also important. Avoid designs that look too busy and distract from the information. Remember to reprint your business cards if details change; handwritten edits are a no-no.
In a bustling city like London, every interaction could be a potential business opportunity, so carrying business cards could make all the difference.
2. Make Conversation
Shared facilities in serviced offices, such as coffee machines, printers, and communal lounges, provide natural opportunities to start conversations with people. Engaging with others while waiting for documents to print or while your coffee is brewing can provide the starting point for a connection.
Using shared spaces as networking opportunities allows you to connect with a diverse range of businesses.
3. Attend Social and Business Events
Many serviced office providers often host regular social events for tenants. These provide the perfect opportunity to meet other businesses in a less formal setting. Whether it’s a lunch or a weekly happy hour, attending these events will help you to connect.
In addition to social gatherings, providers may also host business events. Look out for these, as they can include seminars, workshops, or networking breakfasts. These events are designed to help businesses learn from each other while broadening their networks.
To make the most of these events, consider volunteering to speak or present if the opportunity arises. This will allow you to showcase your expertise and attract the attention of those attending who may benefit from your services.
London can be very competitive, so participating in events can enhance your credibility and visibility.
4. Host Your Own Networking Events
If your serviced office building allows, host your own networking event. Whether a lunch meeting or a workshop, hosting an event positions your business at the forefront and lets you control the attendees.
For example, we have found that many finance companies rent office space in areas like the City of London. If you’re in finance, hosting a roundtable discussion on investment trends could attract similar businesses
On the other hand, digital marketing companies tend to look for offices in Shoreditch or Old Street. Hosting a social media workshop in these locations could offer many networking opportunities.
This can help to ensure you meet and network with the most relevant companies.
5. Be Active on Social Media
Social media has now become just as important as networking face-to-face.
The best ways to network online are to engage regularly with groups/forums associated with your serviced office, follow fellow tenants, and share relevant content on social media.
It is important to note the impact of dormant social media profiles on your business. A lack of recent posts and engagement can give the impression that your business is out of touch with current trends, which can deter potential collaborators or business partners.
Staying active online helps to extend your networking beyond your office, connecting you to like-minded businesses worldwide.
6. Build a Rapport with Reception Staff
Reception staff are the first point of contact for visitors and tenants, so building a good rapport can be highly beneficial. They know all the organisations in the building and can often introduce you or give insight into networking opportunities.
7. Be Consistent and Visible
Consistency is essential when networking. Establishing a regular presence at events and in communal areas, as well as engaging in conversation, will ensure that people remember you. The more visible you are, the more likely people will think of you when they’re looking for services like yours.
8. Offer Help and Collaboration
A key part of networking is about what you can offer others. Be open to helping organisations through advice, collaborations or introductions. This will boost your professional image whilst building goodwill, which can lead to reciprocal help in the future.
However, offering help is only the first step. By following up after initial meetings, you can solidify these connections.
After meeting someone new or offering help, send an email or message to reiterate your interest or to provide any additional information. This will show potential collaborators that you are serious about the connection, and they are more likely to keep you in mind for future opportunities.
9. Set Networking Goals
Setting networking goals can help you maximise your efforts. These goals could include handing out a set number of business cards or attending a specific number of networking events per month.
Setting and tracking goals ensures that networking is prioritised and becomes a deliberate part of your growth strategy. A disciplined approach can ensure more productive and meaningful connections.
10. Stay Professional and Approachable
Finally, it is important to remain professional and approachable. Reputation is key within serviced offices. Being respectful and reliable will help boost your reputation and encourage others to connect with you.
Bonus Tips
The ideas above are essential for networking effectively in a serviced office, however there are always extra steps you can take to further your networking opportunities. Our bonus tips will give you an edge and help you to stand out within your building.
Use Office Bulletin Boards
Whether it’s physical or digital, many serviced offices provide bulletin boards for tenants to post notices. You can use these boards to offer services/discounts, announce networking events or introduce your company.
This is a quick way to network and build relationships without approaching individual tenants directly.
Create or Share a Tenant Directory
Most serviced office buildings will have a list of all companies renting space. This could be a document or an online webpage listing all the organisations in the centre. Sharing this with other tenants provides a quick way of getting to know one another.
These directories are particularly useful in larger buildings where companies constantly come and go.
If your building doesn’t have a tenant directory, you could create one. However, obtaining permission from all the businesses involved is crucial. Privacy and data protection are important, especially in the UK, where GDPR regulations apply.
Ensuring that each business consents to being listed shows respect and builds trust, demonstrating your considerate and professional approach to networking.
Share Your Success Stories
By sharing your organisation’s networking success, you can inspire others and create opportunities for deeper business connections.
Celebrating your achievements can offer other companies the chance to learn how to network successfully and open the doors for future collaborations.
Successful networking involves focusing on relationships, creating opportunities for collaboration, and offering value to organisations. Whether you are a start-up or an established company, the effort you put into networking in a serviced office will certainly pay off in business relationships and new opportunities.
