Posts Tagged ‘networking’

1. Arrive at any networking events early, and stay late. The majority of the networking typically happens after or before an event takes place. If you arrive early, you can both prepare yourself mentally for the event and meet those others who arrive early. Afterwards, the discussion will likely be more relevant to what happened at the event and may lead to more opportunities for you to build relationships with these people.
2. Be prepared. Look into who else is going to be attending the networking events, to see what you could do for each other. Think up questions that you want to ask them. Practice your self-introduction and a 10-second description of you and the business you do.
3. Have a plan. What do you want to get out of this networking event? Is there someone in specific that you want to meet? Some objective that you want to accomplish? For example, some people attend networking events looking to meet 3-5 quality contacts.
4. Go for quality, not quantity. Sure, you could meet every single person in the room, but if that means that you don’t have time to speak with that one person who could potentially use your services, or purchase your product, then you’ve missed out on a great opportunity.
5. Don’t be afraid to give out more than one business card to each person. They may know someone who could use your products or services. Along the same lines, don’t be afraid to ask them to pass on your information to people they know.
6. Take note of the business cards you get. Stop to read them when they are handed to you before putting them away – this will show the person that you are talking to that you are really interested in them and what they are saying. This also could help spark a couple of questions from you to keep the conversation going. As well, make notes on the business card that will help you when it comes time to follow up with this new contact.
7. Remember that first impressions count. Make a good, strong one. Smile, be friendly. If you have had a hard day at the office beforehand, make sure your attitude doesn’t show it. People are more likely to communicate with someone in a good mood.
8. Choose the right networking groups and events. Make sure the event you are attending has the type of people you want to meet in it. At the same time, if the networking group is aimed at a certain group (CEOs who knit, for example), make sure that what the group is focusing on is of interest to you.
9. Don’t spend your networking time trying to sell. The goal of networking is to build relationships that will help both you and the person you’re building a relationship with at some time in the future.
10. Follow-up! The networking process is more than just meeting someone; in fact, it is a three-stage process. First, you meet the person. Second, you build the relationship with the person. Third, you get business or support from the relationship with the person. If you don’t follow up with the person after meeting them (and on a regular basis) then you won’t end up with a strong relationship that can bring you business. Remember, networking is a long-term process, and you won’t get the results overnight.

Building B2B Relationships can be hard; especially when you’re new to the company you’re working for. Not only are you trying to stay friendly with your co-workers, but dealing with potential customers and suppliers can be just as complicated. To follow are some quick ideas to keep things friendly.

1. Keep Notes. When you’re first starting out it can be hard to keep track of the people you deal with on a day to day basis, and nothing is more embarrassing than forgetting someone’s name. To keep yourself on track, keep a record of the people you deal with. The best way is to keep a brief company profile, and include in it information about each employee you’re dealing with. Brian works at Company A, and his hobbies include fishing, biking, and camping. Not only will this keep you on track, it will give you something to talk about to keep things friendly! If you’re really forgetful, or deal with numerous people from a company, include physical descriptions of the people you’ve met.
2. Be interested in their business. A big part of understanding your business is understanding your client’s business. Without the grasping your client’s business, you won’t know what you have to offer them!
3. Stay in Contact. It’s important to keep in touch with everyone you deal with. Whether it is simply answering e-mails or phone calls, be sure to keep on top of your communication!
4. Pay Attention. Keep track of what’s going on with your customers, and you’ll find they appreciate your opinion and thoughts much more. It’s important to keep track of progress your customers are making with their business, and well as anything exciting that’s going on with them at home. This is key in keeping a business relationship strong.
5. Keep it upbeat. No matter what you’re dealing with at home, you shouldn’t be spreading gloom and doom to your customers. Everybody has issues, and dealing with someone who can’t keep their emotions in check can be discouraging. Do you really want someone keeping your books when they can’t seem to keep track of themselves?
6. NEVER Criticize. No matter what’s going on with your clients, you should not be gossiping about it to other clients. Gossip can spread literally in seconds, and it really benefits no one. The detriment that gossip causes will not only affect the person you talked about, but also the person you said it to!
7. Be honest. Honesty is a major factor in any relationship, and lying always ends up coming out somehow later on. Being honest with your client not only shows your integrity, it also shows that you value this client as a person, and aren’t only thinking about the sell. It’s people that show their integrity first that I would rather deal with than someone trying to pull the wool over my eyes.
8. Follow Up. Few people realize the importance of a follow up call or e-mail. Something so simple can have a major effect on the outcome of a B2B relationship. Follow up contact shows that you are still there to support the client after making a sale.
9. Stay on top of networking. Believe it or not, staying active in the social community is an important part of staying active in the business world. Networking meetings, seminars, and other group sessions are a good way to meet new people, and reconnect with other people. If social events aren’t quite your thing, another good way to stay involved is to remain active in the virtual networking world. Websites like LinkedIn can keep coworkers, suppliers and customers all in contact, without as much face to face time as attending social events.
10. Offer Networking Help. If you find a client looking for specific assistance with something, considering if you have a client in that field. Connecting your clients can show your dedication to your employees, because not only are you solving a problem, you’re creating more work for your other client, benefiting everyone in the end.

Media has been all abuzz about online social networking in the past couple of years. While it has been around in some form or another since the early 90s, it wasn’t until sites like MySpace hit that people really started to take notice. Now you can find social networking sites everywhere – and most people you meet will belong to at least one social networking site, if not more.

But how can social networking help your business?

Social networking is just that – networking. It allows you the opportunity to connect with people. People who may be in need of your products or services. People who may have something that you need. People who may be able to work with you for the benefit of you both. People who can introduce you to other people who need your products/services, have products/services you need, or can work with you. Maybe not right at this point; maybe you will have to wait a few years. But at some point, each of these people could offer something that you could benefit from in some way.

Keep in mind that social networking sites only work if you actually USE them. Sure, signing up and creating a profile is great, but unless you actually use it to connect to other people who may become potential customers, partners or suppliers, then you’ll find that you aren’t getting any results from it.

What social networking sites should you use?

Facebook allows you to create “Pages” (profiles for your company) – usually this allows people to sign up as “a fan” of your business. While this works for some companies in certain industries, it may not work for everyone. Pages can contain discussion boards, photo albums, videos, and any other number of applications. This could definitely be beneficial to you if you have a unique product, or a very dedicated customer base. I’ve seen it work very well for fabric designers, publishing companies and home accessories, and others.

LinkedIn is a social networking site for business professionals. You can create a network of people you know, which allows you to connect to the contacts of people in your network. There are also groups relating to specific regions, industries, or types of businesses that you can join.

Twitter seems to be one of the most popular social networking sites at the moment. It’s a microblogging site, that allows you to post updates that are up to 140 characters, and keep updated on what the people in your network on Twitter are posting about. This is useful if you are looking for continuous communication at all times with people in your industry, or with current or potential customers.

Then there are always the social networking sites that are dedicated to specific industries in certain regions (such as the Waterloo Manufacturing Innovation Network). These sites are definitely some of the most useful – you get connected to businesses that are closest to you in proximity, or that are most likely to relate to you.

What social networking tools do you use to promote your business?