26 February 2012

Small Business Networking

By Donald C. Fort


You meet new people every day at the grocery store, at a business meetings, or even at your kid's track meet. But are you taking advantage of these interactions to create opportunities for your small business?

Small business networking is the ability to meet and connect with other people resulting in a mutually beneficial relationship. Small business networking is vital for the growth and success of a business.

Making prospective business connections, or networking, can be one with the most important tactics to expanding your base of consumers, business partners, and firm. How do small business owners take control of their networking? Strategic networking, if carried out right, could be more productive than any advertising campaign. Here are a number of guidelines to get essentially the most out of one's networking:

Create a strategy

As hard as you try, you will never be able to attend every relevant networking event and still run a successful business. Attend only the most worthwhile events. To start, ask yourself a few questions such as: Which networking events were the most valuable in the past? And are there any new events that might attract a target market you haven't yet considered?

Narrow down your prospects

Once you have your strategy in place you can begin to examine your potential contacts in order to decide who exactly you want to connect with. By establishing which industries and customers have the most potential you can choose their specific groups and events to make the most of your networking efforts.

Set a Goal for New Contacts

Each year a small business owner should determine his goals and objectives. One of these goals should be making a certain number of new contacts. Small business networking is a growing and changing process. Even one new member in the network is a good and attainable goal.

Avoid common mistakes

A lot of new networkers think that once they meet an individual they automatically must start out selling. This can not merely scare away your network prospective but will ruin your probabilities to establish a business relationship. Networking should really be approached as creating connections amongst people today for a potential long-term business relationship, not just a one-time sale.

Utilize Business Cards

A professional looking business card is a must for every individual involved in small business networking. More importantly, be ready to pass out business cards at every opportunity. A business owner never knows when he might meet a new and promising contact.

Now that you simply have your networking strategy in spot it is time to connect. But when you've exhausted the business networking events exactly where else can you find prospects? Here are several suggestions for non-event networking:

- Attend a seminar about your industry or a lecture on something you find interesting

- Join your local Chamber of Commerce

- Participate on a local sports team or athletic training team

- Join a nearby volunteer group or start out your own

Small business networking is a vital aspect of your marketing strategy. Making and keeping connections with potential customers, employees or even business partners will help your small business be a success.




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