Networking: The Most Important Thing You Can Do For Your Business

Networking is one of the easiest and most important things you can do to increase sales. But just showing up doesn’t cut it. This series will show you how to make the most of the networking events you attend.

But before we get started ask yourself these questions:

Do you network effectively in a crowd?
Are you attending the right events?
Are you attending enough events?
Do you generate leads from your networking?
Do you make time to follow up with the people you meet?
Does the time and money you spend attending networking events turn into revenue?

Get started today with the first tip – Where do your prospects network?

Figure out the best places to meet your ideal prospects. This may mean experimenting a bit and thinking “outside the box.” Your best prospects are not always where you think they are. If you make a list of the networking events you attend on a regular basis you can analyze how much business you have gotten from each and determine if you should continue attending. Even if you are attending for charitable purposes the relationships you build can result in direct business, referrals or collaborations.

A newspaper or business journal will be helpful to find listings of local networking events. You can also research organizations on the internet and find local chapters. There are many wonderful business and service organizations for almost any profession you may be in. Don’t just attend your professional organization, visit others as well. The people who attend those are potential clients, referral sources and maybe new friends.

Where do you “Get Connected”? I’d love you hear your comments about places you network and the results you’ve seen.

If you would like a list of some professional networking organizations we recommend for getting connected, please call me at 775.852.5020.