Most business experts would say that networking is a business activity we engage in for the purpose of building ou businesses. We network specifically to find customers. How else will you meet the contacts and prospective new customers necessary to grow your business?
Effective networking is all about getting to know people who will do business with you or introduce you to those who will. You will get a lot more leverage from your business networking efforts if you work on building relationships with people you could collaborate with. In just about any business there are natural referral partners. By identifying these complimentary businesses, you both win by getting business that either of you might not have known about, or thought about before. Your customer also wins by working with businesses that are accustomed to working together.
Why is networking important to growing your business?
Here are the best reasons for networking to build your business:
*When done effectively, you’ll get better referrals than from any other source.
*Networking is the easiest way to continuously meet new prospects, get more clients, and grow your business.
*Through effective networking, you’ll form new relationships and continuously have a ready group of people to consider when growing your business; your efforts will be stretched much, much further.
*Through networking, your visibility and credibility are heightened in your industry.
How do you rate your networking skills?
Now let’s look at good networking skills. Profit Magazine (October, 2006) offered its readers a quiz on networking skills. This quiz asked questions about whether you dedicate time and effort to:
*developing sincere relationships through networking groups;
*sending follow-up notes to people you meet thanking them for their help;
*participating regularly in an online networking site;
*attending one industry specific conference a year;
*creating positive first impressions;
*asking everyone you meet How can I know if someone I meet would be a good prospect for you?;
*knowing who your best prospective customers are and focus more of your networking efforts on them.
Now take a moment to ask yourself which of these networking activities you engage in, and do well. Reflect on how you approach your networking efforts. Identify areas for improvement. Record your personal assessment of your networking skills.
Here’s How to Network More Effectively!
Let’s focus on helping you network for the express purpose of building alliances and relationships to help grow your business. Building your collaboration network isn’t difficult.
Start by answering these questions:
- What do I want for my business in the long term? Become clear on what you want to achieve.
- What types of services and products do my clients consistently ask for that I don’t offer? Identify the specific services and products you don’t offer.
- How can I build my credibility and my business image? Think about all the ways you can do this.
- Who can I collaborate with to bring in more business? Write down the names of your ideal collaboration partners.
- Who can I collaborate with to easily add value to my clients/customers? Write down your ideas.
- Who can I collaborate with to get new prospects and clients? Note these people and companies.
Now create a plan which includes:
*A goal to meet five or more new people at each networking event.
*Identifying business organizations that would benefit your business.
*Attending one or two new groups per month with businesses and organizations you best fit into. Attend every function that is consistent with your goals and the prospects you want to nurture.
*Setting a goal for what you expect from each meeting.
*Setting a target on the number of lead/prospects you want each month.
Being successful in business is all about taking action. Complete the exercises in this article, learn more about networking so you become an expert, and seek help and support in creating a networking strategy that will grow your business like
never before.
About the Author:
Erika Trimble is a professional business coach and entrepreneur, who has worked with hundreds of business owners and entrepreneurs who want to improve their business-related skills so they can be more successful. They want to accelerate the growth of their businesses.
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