Great business networking tips
Business Consulting Quotes
from local business consultants
Business networking functions are a necessary evil. No-one ever feels comfortable, however these basic tips will help you not only survive but thrive and grow your business.
What are business networking functions?
As a business person you'll undoubtably be invited to a number of functions each year. Your hosts might range from your suppliers, local chambers of commerce and your clients, to local councils and industry associations. Sometimes the function will be formally set up for business networking, others are just the perfect setting for building up your network.
We often hear of the power of "word of mouth", these functions are where word of mouth starts.
Be Prepared
- Bring your business cards. Nothing worse than realising that you've left all of your cards at the office when someone asks.
- Dress to impress. Dress for the occassion.
- Be your brand. Know who you are and what you stand for in advance, that way when people meet you they meet the you that you want them to meet.
Have the right approach
- Believe it or not, you're not there to sell. No matter how hard you try, no-ones ever going to pull money out of their pocket and buy from you right there on the spot in the middle of a business networking function. So don't try.
- Get to know others on a personal level. Go beyond business, find out what really drives them? Is it sport? Is it their children? What are their true passions?
- Genuinely help them. The more you help others, the more they will help you.
Offer your Network
- The real power of networking comes in not building your network one by one, but instead accessing everyone's whole network one by one. That's right, don't ever try to sell to them, but ask them to help you sell to their whole network. Now that is the power of networking!
- To do this, look at how you can offer your network to others, and how you can help them sell to your network.
- This is a perfect case of "I scratch your back, you scratch mine".
Some bonus tips
- Act as the host, not the guest. Don't wait for people to come to you, or let another person stand there on their own. Instead, be hospitable and make sure everyone there has a great time.
- Don't mix up your cards with others. Learn to take your cards from the top and add the cards you receive from others to the bottom. Nothing worse than accidentally handing out someone else's card as your own.
- Earmark the cards of the people you really want to follow-up. That way its easy to remember who truly impressed you the following day.
- After the function, write down the key points of the conversation you had on the back of the business card. That way you can impress them with your recollection when you touch base with them into the future.
Go electronic
- Use your iPhone to scan the cards you collect with CardMunch. That way they're automatically added to your address book.
- Add your new contacts to LinkedIn. That way you will be connected well into the future, and interestingly you will be able to peer into their network of connections and see who they know.
Happy Networking!
Enjoy your functions, and most importantly enjoy meeting lots and lots of new people and learning all about who they know and can connect you with.
Business Consulting Quotes
from local business consultants
