Don’t forget the work in networking
PR people are natural networkers right? Well, not in my case unfortunately. Given a story and a list of people to contact, I will happily “sell in” all day – on behalf of someone else. But until recently, walking into a room full of strangers with the intention of selling my own business was not something I enjoyed and which definitely didn’t come naturally!
But then I realised that networking isn’t about selling. At least not in the short term anyway. And now I am thoroughly enjoying rooms full of strangers – and finding out plenty about the people doing business inYorkshire around me.
I have known Steve Kitchman for more years than I would like to mention. We have worked together (him as my client, me as an associate of his agency) and I have always admired his ability to network. So here are a few words of advice from Steve – who is currently the Area Leader for 4Networking in Doncaster, Rotherham, Bawtry and Scunthorpe.
Business networking is nothing new, we’ve been doing it in this country for years now, but there is still a fear factor for some business owners, or an attitude from some company bosses of it being a ‘skive off work for a couple of hours’.
However some businesses and individuals have done very well out of constantly networking. New companies and even consultants have sprung up all over the UK in recent years offering advice on how to network properly and more effectively. For those who want to increase their own profile and hopefully business sales, there are dozens of networking meetings to choose from in your local area. For example 4Networking is an organisation with around 400 breakfast events taking place in towns and cities across the UK.
Networking meetings range from weekly, fortnightly or monthly, morning breakfast events to lunchtime meets, even after-work informal catch-ups into the early evening are available. The choice is vast; some meetings offer a very formal system where members ‘refer’ business to each other, so keeping the work within their network of contacts. Other organisations, such as 4Networking, base their successful networking philosophy on a meet-like-know-trust basis, where members are encouraged to keep networking together in a more relaxed 50/50 business and social atmosphere.
When we think about it, we all network in the most unusual of places without knowing we’ve done it. For example we chat about our business in the supermarket, at the pub or in a restaurant. When done naturally it seems very easy, the nerves however only start to appear when asked to stand up and talk for 30 seconds to a room full of people, or if we have to walk into a room full of strangers!
Networking can be fun as well as help to improve your own skills and confidence levels, not to mention improve your business too. If you want to try it out, perhaps for the first time, or are seasoned networkers looking for something different, research the market first as there are a lot to choose from. Ask if you can attend as a visitor, to try it out first before committing.
10 handy tips to remember when networking:
- Do plan and rehearse your elevator pitch
- Do practice your listening skills and remember to talk benefits, not facts
- Do ask to exchange business cards (make sure you have plenty)
- Do call or follow up with people you meet, especially if you say you will
- Do remain positive and see all contacts as potentials at first
- Don’t dismiss someone’s business pitch as being no use to you
- Don’t just attend 2 or 3 times and expect business immediately
- Don’t try and just sell, sell, sell. Networking takes time, effort and patience
- Don’t explain to people what you ‘are’. Explain to them what you ‘do’
- Don’t forget the work in networking!
Do you enjoy networking? What’s your top tip for doing it right?
[…] It’s no good saying you’re a business coach if everyone is looking for a business consultant, or mentoring, or business training. Use the Google Keyword tool to come up with new ways of describing what you do rather than what you are (as Steve Kitchman said in his post on Day 10). […]
All good advice, esp the one about business cards. And also it amazes me how few people take leaflets, though I would say that, being a printer. I always spread my leaflets round a room and they do half my work for me. If I miss people, which in a decent sized room I am bound to, they can and do pick up the leaflet and take it away. If I do talk to someone, they have probably already seen the leaflet, so I can refer to it and move on to the interesting bit-ie what do you do? The elevator pitch is easy for me-everyone knows what a printer does-“I print stuff, like this leaflet.” That’s about said it all. For some people it is a bit more difficult but I am often no wiser after I have spoken to someone and left wondering if they know themselves. It is often better to concentrate on one punchy offering and forget the full range. You will meet lots of people and they will forget half of what you said anyway. I leave people with the impression that Target Print only prints leaflets and flyers but they will remember that and you can’t do everything.
I do a fair bit of networking and I think if you put in the legwork it will pay off and the key thing to remember is that everyone wants to talk to you. That’s why they are there, so relax and enjoy chatting and finding out all the wierd and wonderful things people get up to. I am printing a job today from someone I met at a network meeting last week, a fellow printer as it happens. I saw them, went straight over, showed I wasn’t a threat and chatted. I have also a new customer I met at a bar opening of one of my customers. I went to support my customer, not because I really wanted to. That’s another aspect of networking, you do have to put yourself about and continue networking with existing customers. You should enjoy it too, business or not.
One last thing – it does take time. When I started I was disappointed I didn’t immediately get a sale, but I kept it up and now I hardly even think about sales. I just get about and chat. The rest comes naturally.
Thank you again @Leedsprinter :) I think what is really clear from your comment is that it is important to enjoy what you do – and so it’s important that you find people that you connect with. Work is a means to an end for most of us – so if we can find some people to have fun with and do business with along the way – it’s a win-win situation for everyone. But as the saying goes – you have to kiss a lot of frogs before you find your prince ;) And here’s a question for you: how about a guest blog on what works well in terms of leaflets and business cards – especially to support networking activities….