If you read the last post and said to yourself, “Well, I don’t have anyone in my network that has high-level contacts . . .” (followed by a defeated sigh), then I say to you: What are you doing!?!?!?!
I can’t beat this horse dead enough. To be able to rely on people in your network, you need to get out there and build your network in the first place. You should constantly be networking both inside and outside of your industry.
A big key here that we sometimes forget: Networking needs to be genuine and reciprocal. Bring something to the table for your colleagues in return. You can’t just call someone you have zero rapport with and ask for referrals. You need to have a genuine network and relationship beforehand, and that takes time to build.
You might want to know where in the world you can find great people to connect with:
- National trade/niche expos and conferences;
- Local business organizations;
- Blogs;
- Forums/group discussion boards;
- Local events (like the ones your bank should be inviting you to);
- LinkedIn and Facebook;
- Cold calls! Introduce yourself to people you’d simply like to know; and
- Yes–even your non-business friends!
If you take the time now to invest in buiding strong relationships with those around you, when that moment of “wingin’ it” hits you, you’ll be ready.
This entry was posted on Friday, May 30th, 2008 at 6:00 am and is filed under Press Tour. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.7 Responses to “Build Your Network”
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June 23rd, 2008 at 11:37 pm
I enjoyed your article. I am just getting into the forum scene for promotion on my airbeds that I sell online. It seems that if you can catch someone’s attention you’ve got them hooked. I am just running out of creative ideas on how else to do this. I just read about a software product called Glyphius where it scores your ad copy against 100,000 other ads, both successful and unsuccessful. Has anyone used this yet?
June 24th, 2008 at 11:20 am
If you want to develop the theme of this post in more detail, you should read “Get Noticed, Get Referrals” by Jill Lublin. The title of the book is a bit misleading in that she discusses a lot more just business referrals…she explains building and deepening relationships in painstaking detail, she gives specific advice on how to network through professional groups and local events, all by way of a systematic approach. I don’t see how even the most inexperienced couldn’t build their client base using Jill’s techniques. If you want more brilliant business tips from Jill, you can sign up for her free newsletter and be notified about special promotions happening this week with thousands of give-aways. Just click here:
http://www.jilllublin.com/newsletter.php
July 16th, 2008 at 10:45 am
I agree with your article. Buliding your network is the key.
I would like to network with women enterepreneurs that are
serious about growing their business.
I’ve read that fewer than 5% of women enterpreneurs have companies that generate less than $1 million in annual
revenue. I’d like to change that.
July 16th, 2008 at 7:33 pm
Hi Carol I love your forum- I started my business knowing it will be a long road ahead I would like to subcontract with more seasoned virtual assistants until my business took off do you have any thoughts on that.
July 21st, 2008 at 10:01 pm
A tip I’ve learned for effective networking is to start conversation about the event you’re attending. Are you attending a Chamber of Commerce event? Ask about how the local business environment is treating the other person’s business. Are you at a local trade group? Ask about how the latest hot topic is affecting that person.
Use the context of the event to begin a conversation. This should lead into more detailed conversations about the nature of why you’re actually at the networking event in question.
Dallon Christensen
President/Founder
Beacon Business Consulting
www.beaconbusinessconsulting.com
August 3rd, 2008 at 8:44 am
So true! It has taken me a year to really fit into a networking group I’m a part of. But I find that this group of women does a great job of referring business (and personal) to one another! And I love returning the favor.
Networking and referrals aren’t an instant fix, but they can be long-lasting.
August 14th, 2008 at 12:38 pm
Great article! Networking is often difficult for women because we’ve been socialized differently. There’s a great blog post on networking tips for women at http://womensblog.score.org/2008/07/01/learn-to-network-like-a-pro/. I also agree that more entreprenuers need to take advantage of social networking tools. They’re inexpensive, if not free, and require little time investment!