Business networking, as I’ve reported here before, has exploded in recent years and the trend is continuing. It’s no longer the preserve of the smaller business either, with more and more SMEs and even large corporate businesses now foraying onto the networking scene.
Yet more and more people are saying it doesn’t work. So what’s going on?
Last week I spent some time at Andy Lopata’s workshop on business networking strategy. Andy is without doubt the expert on business networking – he works with many large companies and trains their staff on getting the most from networking. He says the problem lies in that many people ‘play’ at networking. They give it a go with no real expectation as to what they’re going to get out of it or, just as detrimentally, what they’re going to put into it.
The fact is that networking is now very sophisticated in the UK, so rather than just turning up somewhere for breakfast, you should look to build a proper networking strategy as part of your marketing mix. Of course many people aren’t doing this so with record numbers of people heading into networking without a strategy, it’s no wonder many are falling out of it.
So if you’re going networking and want to make it a success, here are the key points you should know:
1. Understand why you’re doing it. Consider the mix of profile building and personal development as much as the referral generation.
2. Write down a plan with your goals on it. Writing down your goals influences your behaviour which of course influences your results. Your networking plan should link in to your overall business plan.
3. Based on the above, choose the right group or groups. Consider both on and off line networking. Many people erroneously choose their networks based on what times they meet or where they meet. Are these the groups that will help you to reach the goals you have set yourself?
4. Measure your return. Your financial return can be measured not just by your sales performance, but also in terms of savings generated on supplies or time taken to achieve other projects. Your return in terms of personal development or profile might be more difficult to measure but you should certainly look to put some value on your personal development.
5. Consider the message that you want to get over to people. Make it succinct, precise and jargon-free, and be consistent in delivering it. Tell people exactly what makes good business for you and also the kind of people that it’s useful for you to meet.
6. Help others as much as possible. You’ll find people are more willing to help you either because you’ve helped them or the fact that you become valuable to the group.
When you look at it this is just a list of common sense marketing principles; just don’t forget them if you’re going networking. If you don’t apply them you risk becoming one of the people wondering why networking doesn’t work when perhaps you really didn’t know what you were there for in the first place.
And the opportunities are passing you by.
Yet more and more people are saying it doesn’t work. So what’s going on?
Last week I spent some time at Andy Lopata’s workshop on business networking strategy. Andy is without doubt the expert on business networking – he works with many large companies and trains their staff on getting the most from networking. He says the problem lies in that many people ‘play’ at networking. They give it a go with no real expectation as to what they’re going to get out of it or, just as detrimentally, what they’re going to put into it.
The fact is that networking is now very sophisticated in the UK, so rather than just turning up somewhere for breakfast, you should look to build a proper networking strategy as part of your marketing mix. Of course many people aren’t doing this so with record numbers of people heading into networking without a strategy, it’s no wonder many are falling out of it.
So if you’re going networking and want to make it a success, here are the key points you should know:
1. Understand why you’re doing it. Consider the mix of profile building and personal development as much as the referral generation.
2. Write down a plan with your goals on it. Writing down your goals influences your behaviour which of course influences your results. Your networking plan should link in to your overall business plan.
3. Based on the above, choose the right group or groups. Consider both on and off line networking. Many people erroneously choose their networks based on what times they meet or where they meet. Are these the groups that will help you to reach the goals you have set yourself?
4. Measure your return. Your financial return can be measured not just by your sales performance, but also in terms of savings generated on supplies or time taken to achieve other projects. Your return in terms of personal development or profile might be more difficult to measure but you should certainly look to put some value on your personal development.
5. Consider the message that you want to get over to people. Make it succinct, precise and jargon-free, and be consistent in delivering it. Tell people exactly what makes good business for you and also the kind of people that it’s useful for you to meet.
6. Help others as much as possible. You’ll find people are more willing to help you either because you’ve helped them or the fact that you become valuable to the group.
When you look at it this is just a list of common sense marketing principles; just don’t forget them if you’re going networking. If you don’t apply them you risk becoming one of the people wondering why networking doesn’t work when perhaps you really didn’t know what you were there for in the first place.
And the opportunities are passing you by.
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