WHY NETWORKING REMAINS A GREAT WAY TO BUILD A BUSINESS
It seems almost every day now has a title. As well as the traditional milestones in the calendar like Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day, there are some less well-known ones.
For instance, this blog is coming to you on January 31, which is both Street Children’s Day and Leprosy Prevention Day.
Next week, from February 5 to 9, has been declared International Networking Week and I’ll be happy to lend my full support. Because, in the months since I started offering copywriting and content management services to businesses in Kingston and the surrounding areas, I have become a big fan of networking.
I recently had a long conversation on the phone with someone trying to sell me an expensive monthly contract to ensure I was maximising my online commercial footprint.
For what it’s worth, I am sure online customer acquisition tools are extremely valuable and efficient, and I don’t rule out LeBoo Media making more use of them in the near future.
But call me old school (because I admit it, I really am), in the initial stage of building my customer base I want to do it the traditional way.
Yes, the world has shrunk considerably. We are never more than a couple of clicks from anybody connected to the web, wherever they are on the planet. But nothing beats meeting someone face to face and building a relationship in person.
In the end (sound the cliché klaxon), business really is all about relationships. People buy people. And 20 minutes talking with someone at a networking event is a more valuable and effective way of developing a relationship than two years of emails.
Everybody has their own ideas about how to maximise the value of any networking session. So here’s my top five:
1/ Be positive. It is not easy for anybody to walk into a room of total strangers and just start talking. Just remind yourself that everybody is there for the same reason, then gird your loins and, well, just start talking.
2/ Rehearse. Have some words ready to answer the question: “What do you do?” Make them as clear as possible. If you’re expected to give a 60-second pitch, practise it in advance. Many times. In front of a mirror. Until it flows like honey.
3/ Listen. Ask what other people do and be genuinely interested. You might not end up doing business together but they might know someone who needs you. You might miss that point if the only subject of your conversation is you.
4/ Don’t rush. A wise man of my acquaintance always says networking is not hunting, it’s farming. He is absolutely right. You’re not there to close a deal, you’re there to meet people, learn about them and grow your network. The deals will come; we’re back to patience being a superpower.
5/ Follow up. When you get back to your office with a pocket full of business cards, use them. If it was good to meet someone, drop them a quick email and tell them so.
Happy networking – and please feel free to get in touch if you want to discuss the above points or any copywriting requirements.
Oh, and one of my daughters recently sent me a calendar which says that February 1 is Baked Alaska Day in the USA. Now that really is an occasion worth celebrating…