Networking in 4 Easy Steps

In today’s economy, networking is more important than ever.

With more competition you have to work much harder to get your business recognized.

Not only that, you have to continue to network so they don’t forget you.

It’s not enough anymore to put a sign in the window or create a website. There are too many others doing the exact same thing.

For example, if you started a coaching practice in nearly any city five years ago, you were probably the only one and therefore had to do very little to get noticed and hold onto your clients.

Today your customers probably have several dozen other practices like yours within driving distance.

How are you going to attract and keep them? What makes you memorable?

The answer is… networking.

Everyone networks nowadays. Online and offline. There are almost 200 networks events in Holland EVERY single day.

But be aware that although networking opportunities are all around you, some will do a lot more for you than others.

Be choosey

Just because you can network anywhere doesn’t mean that you should. As usual – quality is more important than quantity.

You want to make sure that the time you’re investing in networking is really helping you grow your business.

You time is valuable so you need to make the most of it. Ask any entrepreneur or business owner in similar markets to yours where they network or post the question in the relevant LinkedIn groups.

Here are a few tips when coming to a Network Event:

Observe

When you attend an event, you don’t have to mingle the entire time. Take a few minutes, here and there, to simply watch the room.

Look for those who appear to be comfortable and in the centre of attention. These are the leaders you want to network with.

When you figure out who the key players are, don’t be shy. Introduce yourself; find out what they need and how you can help them.

Get involved

You can’t show up at an event once, drop your name, offer to help and expect your phone to start ringing off the hook or emails to flood in. You have to do more if you’re going to be recognized by the key players.

You need to be committed to networking.

Attend as many events and meetings as you can so others will see you as reliable.

I see thousands of entrepreneurs come and go in our events, but I remember those who I see regularly. And those are the ones I do business with and refer business to.

Follow-through

Reply to requests for information, materials, etc., within 24 hours.

You need to make the most of every single opportunity you get because you never know how valuable it is or where it will lead. The longer you wait to provide requested information, the more time that person has to look elsewhere or lose interest.

One warning

It cannot be stressed enough how important it is to learn the difference between networking and selling.

One of the biggest mistakes you can make is being too pushy.

Don’t sell yourself when networking! You want to offer information about your business that makes them want to learn more. When you build trust and credibility, people will come to you…

Now it’s your turn…

I’d love to hear your thoughts about the sentence: “In today’s economy, networking is more important than ever.”

Do you agree, or disagree, and why… What makes networking so important today, and how can you profit from it.

Share with us your ideas about networking?

Share with us in, the comment box below.

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Have a magical week! Vered