 | Top Reasons Why Business Networking Can Help Your Businessposted by Isis De La Torre, Group AdministratorFriday, April 29th 2011 @ 4:43 PM (not yet rated) |
I have found that by attending Business Networking Events in New York has become one of the most successful and cost effective ways to get a message across and make new contacts. The key is to have a good strategy and a clear purpose of what it is you're trying to accomplish. What kind of business relationships are you looking to form? What is your business offering in return?
1. Have Definitive Objectives:
It is important in business networking, when deciding what you are looking for and what you are looking to give out, to have clear, definitive objectives. You should have a clear focus on what your business networking efforts are trying to accomplish, and what company is going to benefit from networking with you.
2. Identify the Target:
Make a list of all of all the kinds of people you intend on marketing to, including marketing connections you might already have, to strengthen and bolster your efforts.
3. Define Yourself:
Quickly identify what it is that you are planning to exchange in return for these goods and services, if it is going to be information, clients, contacts, etc. If you have a clear idea of this relationship, on your end, as well as on their end, you will have a clear path to success.
4. Listen Actively:
Be an active listener as you approach your networking partners, and get to know and identify all possible connections, services you could offer, what they can do in return, etc. Listen very closely and try to read between the lines and figure out any possible advantages that may come up. Also, if you can perform a favor for someone else, then by all means do it. Meet people and become a person that is well-known for being generous and trustworthy, and you will receive this treatment in return.
5. What Are You Really about?
Write a clear essay of what your company is really about and what solution business networking will give to your business. Find common ground with your business networking contacts and know them on a personal level, as well as a professional one. Part of the most effective business networking strategy is to maintain great relationships, by forming great relationships with people you can help, and people that can help you. It is not greedy to want somebody to help you, just as it is not foolish to help somebody that needs it. It is common sense in business and a fundamental principle, that building strong business relationships means building a strong and powerful business.
| Business Networking - Finding a Local Business Network Meeting to Boost Your Businessposted by Isis De La Torre, Group AdministratorFriday, April 29th 2011 @ 4:41 PM (not yet rated) |
Networking is one of those things that all businesses are encouraged to do. After all, it's a way of increasing the amount of business that you do by word of mouth, probably the cheapest and most respected method of advertising out there.
So how do you go about finding a local business network meeting?
And once you've found one, what happens next?
There are some internet sites that exist to allow businesses to meet each other. You may have a local chamber of commerce that organises regular meetings. Or it could be a site such as Meetup or Linkedin. Or it could be a division of a larger organisation such as BNI that holds regular breakfast meetings and expects you to pay to be a member of your local chapter.
To an extent, the choice is yours.
The more formal networks claim that their members all promote everyone else's business. The theory is that you each carry a few cards for each of the other businesses in your local group and then when someone asks you a question such as "Do you know a good plumber" you can say yes and hand them the relevant business card.
This can work quite well although there are a few restrictions. Groups like these often only allow one of each type of business into any particular group, so if there's only one meeting locally and your industry is already covered, you may have to wait until the next group is formed.
Some of the other groups aren't as formal. For instance, sites such as Meetup allow anyone to set up a group for a small fee. It's then up to the organiser to organise! They set meeting dates and locations, set the agenda for the meeting and decide whether or not there will be a cover charge for the venue or speaker if there is one.
This can be quite a good setup so long as the local organiser is prepared to put in the effort to make sure things happen. It's less formal than the paid networking meetings, which has pluses and minuses according to your point of view but it can mean that the setting is less "selly" as people don't feel that they have to get their membership fee back every meeting.
Another type of local business network is an industry specific one. This could, for instance, be property investors or it could be based around something like personal development - the Tony Robbins inspired "Yes" group is one such example. These kind of meetings are great if you want to meet up with people in your industry and get all the latest news and gossip. They can be harder to find initially but the effort can be worth it.
