Networking is a skill anyone can build, including shy people. It is not about selling. In fact, it is not about you at all. When you understand networking as providing value to others you are on your way to being successful. Networking is about connecting, building relationship, understanding the needs of those you are getting to know, providing something of value, and developing trust for long lasting business relationships. Here are 12 networking tips to grow your business to success.
Technique: One rule of effective cold calling is to get a “yes” or “no” at the end of every conversation. So, learn how to deal with the stalls, objections and put-offs when prospecting. For example, when someone says, “Call me in a month” say, “Sure, now suppose it was two months from now and I called you and we were on the phone, what do you suppose you’d be telling me then?” This technique effectively, and with finesse, eliminates the “call me in a month” put-offs. I call it the “take it to the future move.” Note that while asking what they’d say if you call them further in the future than they asked, it’s quite disarming!
Think about a time when you needed to make a new connection, say, to a reliable auto mechanic. You may have started out by scanning the yellow pages only to realize that there’s no way to know who’s honest and competent. What do you do then? You do what everyone does: they turn to friends, family and acquaintances for a personal recommendation. If the first person you ask can’t offer you a good referral, he or she may know someone who can, and if not, you move on to the next person on your list, and the next. Pretty soon you make the connection you were looking for…even without your set of official sdn technologies!
If you have a retirement plan, you have a set period of time to “turn over” the account if you have less than a certain amount vested in the company. This information should be in your severance package. If not, you will need to contact the human resources director of your firm.
Take stock of your business contacts, who are your confidants, mentors? Who do you know and what do they do? Do you belong to professional networking groups or Chamber of commerce in your areas? LinkedIn is one of such business networking sites that comes to mind.
Look for future job fairs or events in your community by calling the local Chamber of Commerce. A booth supplied with exceptional materials is a perfect setup to advertise. Join or visit all the local Chamber of Commerce locations in your area. They hold monthly events and mixers.
Practice active listening. You’ll captivate software defined networking the talker by speaking less. The majority of people enjoy talking about themselves. They’ll enjoy the conversation so much they won’t notice you have hardly spoken.
Join your local Chamber of Commerce, get involved in community events and activities, expand into surrounding communities! Pass out flyers, get business cards made up and hand them out to everyone you meet, talk to everyone you possibly can about your business.
To shift into action choose one tip to focus on for one week and see what new results come your way. Then try on another and so on. Before you know it your networking efforts will be paving your way to success… Starting Now!