Is your business networking \t\t\t helping you bring in the new clients you want?<\/p>\n
If you are like most independent professionals and small \t\t\t business owners, you put hard work into getting your name out there \t\t\t and distribute your business card wherever you go.<\/p>\n
You may even \t\t\t attend a weekly or monthly networking group or occasional business \t\t\t conference where people share leads. And like most people, your \t\t time and effort isn\u2019t generating a steady stream of new business.<\/p>\n
The problem is that most people think that business \t\t\t networking consists of telling as many people as possible what they \t\t\t do, and handing out as many business cards as they can. They waste \t\t\t the few precious moments they have with new and existing contacts \t\t\t by focusing on themselves.<\/p>\n
Its possible to meet someone in the airport, hand \t\t\t them your card after a brief conversation, and have them call you \t\t\t to request your services, but this random approach is like playing \t\t\t the lottery. You can\u2019t count on it to produce results.<\/p>\n
It \t\t\t is a Push and Pray technique: you push your information out to others \t\t\t and pray that they respond.<\/p>\n
It rarely works. Your contact loses your card or simply forgets about you, or the timing wasn\u2019t right, or, in spite of the connection you thought you\u2019d made, a single conversation usually isn\u2019t enough to launch a client relationship.<\/p>\n
That initial conversation should be about understanding your prospects\u2019 problems, needs and concerns, and collecting their contact information.<\/strong> The objective of business networking is not to expound on your credentials.<\/p>\n Spend the time you have with prospects (or people who might know a prospect) asking questions and collecting information. Then you can determine whether they would have any genuine interest in\/need for the solutions you provide. Use this client problem centered networking strategy to initiate and build profitable relationships.<\/p>\n 1. See how many cards you can collect from prospects, and don\u2019t worry about how many of your own business cards you distribute. Some successful marketers don\u2019t even have a business card.<\/p>\n 2. When you meet people, use the time to gather information from them, including: 3. Continue to expand your network. Whenever you make a contact, ask for referrals to other prospects.<\/p>\n 4. Once you have this information, enter it into your database or contact manager.<\/p>\n 1. People have short memories. Follow-up after your initial contact and then stay in touch with your network on a regular basis. If you let more than a month go by without making contact they\u2019ll forget that you exist and that you are the best person to solve their financial, legal, human resource, design, or other problems.<\/p>\n You\u2019ll want to make personal contact with some people on your prospect list, but in most cases, a letter, newsletter or ezine will do the job. Use the merge function in your software to personalize your mailings.<\/p>\n 2. Demonstrate the value of your expertise or products by sending prospects and clients an idea or suggestion they can use right away. You could present this in an article you\u2019ve written, or one you\u2019ve read. Your contact will then associate you with the problems you solve.<\/p>\n Pull information from prospects and clients to grow your network, stay in touch and regularly demonstrate the value of your products and services. <\/strong><\/p>\n Networking should be one of the core small business marketing tactics of most independent professionals and small business owners. Use client-centered networking to lessen your reliance on costly and time consuming cold calling\/telemarketing and advertising. Over time, this business building strategy will reward you with a steady stream of new clients.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Discover how to turn networking contacts into profitable business.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[12],"tags":[40],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.marketingforsuccess.com\/ic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1395"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.marketingforsuccess.com\/ic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.marketingforsuccess.com\/ic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.marketingforsuccess.com\/ic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.marketingforsuccess.com\/ic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1395"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.marketingforsuccess.com\/ic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1395\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.marketingforsuccess.com\/ic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1395"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.marketingforsuccess.com\/ic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1395"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.marketingforsuccess.com\/ic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1395"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Pull Information<\/h4>\n
\n\u2022 Primary concerns about their business
\n\u2022 Problems they want solved
\n\u2022 Unmet business needs.
\n\u2022 Areas where the solutions you provide overlap with their needs
\n\u2022 Their contact information<\/p>\nBuild Relationships<\/h4>\n