Top tips for successful networking

Top tips for successful networking

• It is common to be nervous when you start networking. Focus on other people, not on having the ‘perfect pitch’ and you will soon start to enjoy it.
• Hard sales tactics don’t often work: networking is about the opportunity to build relationships, grow your network and raise awareness of your product/service, not quick sales.
• Listen and ask questions about the other person’s business. Ask what sort of referrals are ideal for them and think about how you might be able to help.
• Become a referrer and you’ll receive referrals back: think about anyone you know who might benefit from the other person’s services.
• Don’t instantly dismiss someone that isn’t a potential customer or your target market. They may have contacts who are, and they may be happy to refer them to you.
• Let the group know who you have referred, to which member(s).
• Offer to do something free for the group or for individual members – this will give the opportunity for them to experience what you offer – they can then recommend you with confidence
• Some groups allow you to do a 60 second pitch. Think about how to describe your business in a couple of succinct bullet points. Make sure you mention the types or referrals you’d like or your target market and remember to say your name and business name at the start (and the end if you have time).
• Ask for referrals – but only once you have built trust.
• Keep going!  It takes time to build trusting business relationships but commit to going to every meeting and you’ll start seeing results.

Online networking

Face-to-face networking is still important, but don’t forget to establish your presence on social networking sites and join relevant online business groups or forums too.

LinkedIn

LinkedIn is a valuable tool for online networking, from finding potential customers and partners to new employees. Ensure you build a good individual profile and company page. You could start by asking a few happy clients to write you a recommendation on LinkedIn. Check out our events page for clinics and workshops to help you use LinkedIn effectively to generate leads and build relationships for your business.

Facebook

There are various local business groups on Facebook. Some of these are open groups, but many you will need to request to join. When joining a group, remember to check out the rules of the group. For example, some stipulate that you can only post promotional posts on a specific day of the week. Remember not to over post, keep posts short and try to be helpful or informative. Just like face-to-face networking you need to build your profile and trust with the other members.