Networking provides a great opportunity to connect and engage with like-minded business owners and share knowledge and experience. Meeting face to face cements relationships built online and strengthens the factors of know, like and trust.
There are many ways to build your network, and you do not have to solely rely on breakfast meetings or networking events. Practical and interactive workshops offer an ideal environment for building on relationships and creating new connections with like-minded people who share your interest and are wanting to also build their knowledge.
Often one in four people you meet networking will become a supplier, referrer, client or friend.
As business relationship grow , opportunities to refer , supply and collaborate unfold but it does take time.
Did you set yourself goals this year to improve your networking but are failing in achieving your desired results? Have you been overwhelmed as to which events to attend? Are you wasting the precious time you are investing by not finding the right connections? Do you follow up? Perhaps you have no system in place?
Stop procrastinating and start to kick goals to get the networking results you are after. These Top 5 tips will help you to feel less overwhelmed :
- Have a clear intention of what you are wanting out of the event and pick the right events. If you are a start up , you will need to try out a few different events to find the best fit and where you feel the most comfortable. You want to enjoy the time you invest in networking, too.
- Be mindful that good networking is not about selling. It is about getting to know, like and trust people who you would like to help grow their business and build a relationship sharing resources, advice and experience.
- You also need suppliers and you also never know who knows who, so do not limit your thinking to only seeking prospective clients.
- Make sure you have business cards and a pen and notepad to jot down notes.
- Importantly, have a system in place for follow up within 48 hours and set up a reminder system to keep in touch in the next couple of months with the contacts that are a good fit for your business, beliefs and values.
Ultimately, having a plan and system in place will help you kick goals and make not only your business, but also your networking more efficient during the remainder of 2016.
