Comment overheard at a networking event this week: ‘The problem with this networking group is that is always the same old faces. Hardly anyone new ever comes. Let’s face it - we’re all here to do as much business as possible’.
Opinions like this demonstrate a very common - but incredibly misguided – attitude to networking.
Most potential customers don’t buy on the first contact, and this is just as true at networking events as anywhere else.
However, the real downside to this kind of thinking is that it ignores the greatest opportunity that networking offers: that of creating powerful business relationships.
Forming contacts that you see regularly is good for your business in so many ways:
- It builds your credibility. You are confident enough of your product or service to return and pitch for business again and again.
- It is fertile ground for strategic alliances
- You may be able to recommend a contact you meet to someone else you know. Such good turns will be returned just when you need some extra support.
- You may get the chance to do a presentation to the group for 10 minutes, which enhances your status as an expert in your field.
Networking, just like marketing in general, can be a slow burn. You chat to someone and never hear from them again – but 6 months down the line they refer you to one of their circle of friends. Just when it seems your networking efforts are amounting to nothing, you get that surprise sale. A chance encounter leads to some unexpected work for one of your friends.
Networking builds trust, and trust is one of the most powerful marketing tools any of us can ever possess. So make that 180 degree shift in your thinking today, sit back and reap the results.
No comments:
Post a Comment