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Network, network, network
June 2007
Many people hate the thought of networking. But you don’t need to worry about it. Networking is simply meeting with people of similar interests to identify opportunities, increase your knowledge or share ideas and information. It’s all about building relationships. If you think about it, you network every day with colleagues, friends and family.
Networking is a great way of opening new doors but it does take time. Don’t go to your first networking opportunity and expect to get new sales. Set a realistic target. This could be to talk to five new contacts. Or swap business cards with eight people.
More than half of new business is gained through word of mouth so networking is a great way of building up your name and reputation in your local area or in the industry.
There are so many networking events that you could attend but with busy work schedules it isn’t possible to attend them all. Research what is out there and decide which is best for your business – perhaps it’s a small business group that meets on an evening, a networking lunch for women or a regional business group like your Chamber of Commerce.
If possible try and get a list of attendees in advance so you can decide who you want to talk to and think of suitable questions you can ask. Be confident, positive and go armed with your business cards.
And if at first you don’t succeed then keep trying. Successful networking takes time so don’t be put off after your first attempt.
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