We all know that networking is perhaps the best and fastest way to grow our businesses yet, many people either don’t do much of it or they aren’t very good at it. This article will give you seven keys to super-charge your networking and show how to use it to significantly grow your business.
Seven Networking Keys
1) Do it often.
You can’t hope to have much success networking if you only do it once every month or two. To have any sort of networking success, you have to do it at least once a week, though more than that is preferable. Like anything else, in order to get good at networking, you have to get lots of practice. The more you network, the better you’ll get at connecting and communicating with people. Also, networking, like sales and business, is a numbers game, the more of it you do, the more people you will meet and the more business you will do.
2) Do it in-person.
While social media and other networking mediums are nice, you can accomplish more in thirty seconds of a face-to-face meeting than you can in a year on LinkedIn, Facebook, or in other social networking arenas. When you meet someone in-person and shake their hand, you become a “real” and more credible person. After you have met someone in-person, then you can ask if you can connect with them via social media. Nothing will build relationships faster and grow business quicker than meeting a lot of people in-person.
Note: Get to events early and leave late, many people do the opposite.
3) Network in the right groups.
Make sure you’re networking where there are people who can either give you business or refer you to people who can give you business. If the networking group does not contain people from your target market, or the people there do not have the authorization to give you the go-ahead on what you have, you want to look for another group. Also, if you are networking in a group that is already made up of a ton of your competitors, that probably is not a great match for you.
4) Talk to strangers.
It amazes me how many people at networking events simply talk to people they already know. That happens of course because that’s where people are most comfortable. While you want to be nice and greet the people you know, your objective at networking events is to expand your network and meet new people. Don’t hang out in the corner with your co-workers, step out of your comfort zone and meet new friends and business contacts.
5) Make it about the other person.
The more you focus on the other person, the more success you will have. Start by asking what they do. Next, ask who their ideal client is. If you can, you want to give them a lead, if you can’t, let them know that you will try to think of someone for them. The more you focus on the other person and giving to them, the more they will like you and want to help you.
6) Have something meaningful to say.
When the other person naturally reciprocates and asks what you do, make sure you say something significant. You need to clearly articulate who your target market is and the benefits they receive. This can be done in the format of, “I help (target market) to (primary benefit).” The clearer, shorter, and more specific you can be, the better. If you are asked for more information, tell a story about how you were able to help a client. Keep in mind, everyone is thinking, “What’s in it for me?” Speak in benefits and results for your target market.
7) Follow up.
After you meet someone at a networking event, you need to follow up as soon as possible. Ideally you will send a personal note out the same day. You can also follow up with a phone call and e-mail the following day. Also, if you made a commitment to do something, do it as soon as possible. You don’t have follow up with a card, call, and e-mail to everyone, just the people you feel are a good match for you. At the same time, you of course want to be extremely courteous and accommodating to everyone you meet whether they can help you or not. If you feel like reaching out to someone afterwards even though they may not be a good match for you, that’s fine, just realize there are only so many contacts you can manage and only so much time in the day.
Most of us don’t have enough leads via people we know, referrals, and other lead sources. Without a doubt networking is one of the fastest and direct methods for growing a business. Also, the better you get at communicating with people you don’t already know, the more successful you will be in business and in life. That said, even if you do have enough business, you should still be out doing some networking from time to time.
John Chapin’s specialty is helping salespeople and sales teams double sales in 12 months. He is an award-winning sales speaker, trainer and coach, a number one sales rep in three industries, and the primary author of the gold-medal winning “Sales Encyclopedia”. In his 24 years of sales, customer service and management experience, he has sold in some of the toughest markets and economies.
If you would like John to speak at your next event or you want access to John’s free monthly newsletter, you can visit his website at https://www.completeselling.com For permission to reprint, or to reach John, email him at johnchapin@completeselling.com.
