The Quartz Effect

the quartz effect  //  Quartz Marketing is an innovative business service that helps companies develop a strong brand presence through developing strong marketing plans and running simple and effective marketing programmes and campaigns that you understand with you.

Oct 28 / 4:19am

Networking

So I attended my first breakfast networking event in a very long time, in a new town and ultimately new surroundings to me. Networking with fellow business people and professionals has a lot of its advantages and it doesn’t matter if you are a high flyer in the corporate world, run your own business or if you have millions of friends or one friend. There really are plenty of advantages to this great business platform.

It was once considered a method to increase your client base, but business networking is actually much more than that. It’s also a great way to gather information, meet new people, and develop your own skills—among other things! It’s not a platform to sell but really it’s more about building relationships with your peers and more.

                                                                                                                  

Image001
                                              

Learn New Things

Even self-employed entrepreneurs who work from home can benefit from the advantages of networking. When you go to networking events, you’re going to learn something from somebody. Whether it’s the inside tip that a major company in your area is looking for new hires or the fact that Google AdWords has coupon codes inside the latest edition of a certain magazine, you’ll learn something. Every bit of extra knowledge you can scoop up is beneficial.

Expand Your Social Circle

The more people you know, the more connections you have, which is why you really can expand your client base with business networking. In order to do so, though, you’re going to have to talk to others. Just showing up isn’t going to help you out much– remember you’re there to network.

Even though networking events can be pretty crowded, they’re usually just comprised of a lot of small groups of people that are conversing among each other. If you’re relatively shy, make it a goal to approach at least two people per event. They’ll probably even introduce you to someone else, and that will get the ball rolling.

Develop Skills You Didn’t Know You Had

Believe me on this one, I learn something new about myself on most occasions.  Discussing what you do for a living with people at parties and events is also an advantage of networking as it allows you to perfect your ‘elevator speech,’ which is when you get a 60 second opportunity to talk about yourself and your business and how you can help others. Even if it’s just going through the motions, explaining what services you offer, offering pros and cons of certain aspects of your industry, and letting people know how they can reach you should they decide they need some assistance are all good ways to practice doing it with real potential customers. (That’s not to say people at these events can’t become customers, too, but they’re probably not going to be as judgmental.)

There are loads of networking groups in your area, go out there and start building relationships with your business peers.

Have a great rest of the week.

www.quartzmarketing.co.uk

0 comments

Leave a comment...

Powered by FeedBurner