Truthfully, I don’t enjoy typical networking meetings where sales folks gather to exchange business cards.You know the kind I’m talking about; a gigantic business after hours with a hundred small business owners in attendance most of whom are eager to pitch to you. Or maybe a smaller event with a dozen or so hopeful business folks who get together for lunch or breakfast and go around the table with a canned speech about what they do. “Hi, I’m Jerry from Bug Eliminators. We rid your house of bugs.” Or, “Hi, I’m Marvin from All Lines Insurance Agency. We make sure everything that matters to you is protected. A good client for me is anyone who needs insurance.” Good luck with that.
When I first started attending business networking events I used to feel exactly the same when it came to presenting my sixty seconds (or elevator pitch as some call it). The vast majority of my business is gained through networking so it’s an essential part of my daily routine. Fortunately I’ve managed to overcome my fear of presenting with these two great business networking protocols list.
Disclaimer here: I don’t care for these types of groups. It feels too much like the dating and bar scene. Everyone’s seems to be scrounging around for business and not interested in anything deep or meaningful. Plus there are tons of the same types of persons at these meetings so you have lots of competition and not a lot of differentiation. What happens is your services become commodity services instead of personal-it becomes about your price instead of your inherent value.
Are you confident in how you look? Knowing that you look good can really bolster your own self-confidence. Get your hair trimmed, manicure your nails and make sure your suit is pressed and clean, and your shirt is freshly laundered and ironed. Shine your shoes and plan your outfit at least a few days before. That way if you find an ugly stain on your jacket you will have time to get I cleaned!
Don’t hang out with those you already know. If you stand to the side talking with your spouse co-worker friend etc for software defined networking the entire event you didn’t network.
If someone within your professional circle gives you a qualified lead, it is highly reasonable that the customer on this lead has made several people aware of their interests in a product or service. Which would mean that their name and phone number is being passed around in more than one professional circle.
This is my favorite part. There is nothing better than sending a blank excel sheet to a virtual assistant and getting back all the contact information you need on potential clients. Contact person, phone number, email, websites, everything you need. And not only that, they’ll even import it into your contact management software, mailing list, or even submit friend requests to them on Facebook! I love it!
networking groups is another great way to exchange ideas and share your content. A few network members believe “networking” means advertising your home business to all the other members. That’s as boring as someone who comes to a party just to talk about themselves. Ugh! Who wants to really listen? Too bad we don’t use more “trading of knowledge” and “sharing ideas and resources”. I believe we all might just achieve a little bit more with the “un-advertising” technique. True, you won’t gain a lot of sales and become rich through networking, but you can gain more knowledge and resources, find partners, get referrals and more through networking in the right manner.
These are some of the most effective ways on how to earn money online. Freelance writing, merchandising and selling on eBay and blogging are only three of the numerous methods on how to earn money in the internet. This may require some of your time and effort but the great deal of success and earning opportunities will be returned within a short period of time.
Support Others. Supporting others means genuinely caring. My greatest advice and the secret to my networking success has been to support others and in return, they will support you. By reading this article, it’s clear that you care about fostering meaningful relationships. Networking cannot be about your next big deal. Networking has to be about investing your time to meet new people and building long-lasting, caring relationships. You will find you often get back what you give.