A lot of business is about knowing how to put opportunities together- and to do that you need to know people.
The only way to get to know people is by deliberately networking.
Simply put – make a habit of talking to strangers. The obvious places are at conferences or networking events where you can hand out your business card.
When you meet someone recognise that they are likely at the same event networking too, so swap details and then make the effort to follow up by email, and if you have something more pressing in terms of opportunities, then ring up and arrange a time to meet.
Make sure you contact the person within a week of meeting them, and then stay in touch.
It is amazing how often these kinds of contacts can turn into regular contacts, or even friends.
Your competitors may in fact become your closest network. You are all going through similar issues in terms of running your business and will understand each other well. Just avoid talking about specific clients or pricing and legally you are fine.
Ask your employees, wife, husband, friends, and existing network if they know people in a certain company or field. Then ask for an introduction.
Linkedin is pretty useful too, as is just Googling companies or professions.
And don’t forget the golden rule of maintaining a good network – use it to help others and then they will help you too.
No comments:
Post a Comment