Many people attend a couple of networking events, don’t make any sales and give up, thinking it doesn’t work. So wrong.

The fundamental point about networking is that it is not about instant selling. It’s about building relationships that will lead to selling. Not selling today. Probably not tomorrow, Possibly not even to the people you are networking with. But eventually you will reap the benefits.

As consumers we only buy products and services from people we trust. Networking is about building that trust and building a reputation with people who don’t know you. That takes time.

Usually it will take five or six contacts with a potential customer before they will trust you enough to buy from you. You may strike gold at the first attempt but that is rare. Either you got really lucky or you are totally brilliant at networking, in which case you can stop reading this now and have a gold star.

Don’t go for the hard sell when networking. Concentrate on making a good first impression. You have no more than thirty seconds to do this and most people will make their minds up about you in the first ten. So no pressure then. Those of you who have attended a speed networking session will be familiar with this, but it applies everywhere.

Start with a smile. No, not like Gordon Brown. Smile naturally. Think of that time you saw the traffic warden’s hat blow off into the puddle. Smile, introduce yourself, and start taking an interest in the person you are talking to.

No one likes people who launch straight into a sales pitch. Most people like to talk about themselves and what they do, so ask about that. At some point they will return the favour and ask about you.

Now is your chance and here is the trick. Don’t tell them what you do. Tell them what you can do for them. For example, when people ask what I do, I never start by saying I am a business coach. Why should they care about whether I am a coach or a coach driver? They were just asking out of politeness anyway because I had asked them.

Before I walked up to them (with my best smile) they were thinking about how to get more customers, or how to improve their marketing. Hang on a minute, those are things I can help them with. So that is what I tell them I do.

But they don’t know me from Adam. They don’t know if I am any good, so why should they buy from me as soon as they meet me?

After making a good first impression, the second golden rule about networking is follow up. Always exchange business cards if you can. At the very least get contact details. Then, a day or so after meeting, send an email or make a phone call to say how good it was to meet. Follow that up with a newsletter or email update about your business about once a month. And keep that up.

Customers will only buy from you a) when they trust you and b) when they need your service or product. That could be next week, next month or next year. That is why networking is a long-term process. In the meantime however, having built up the trust, the people in your network will be speaking to family, friends and colleagues and may tell them about you. So you may find business that way.

By the way, always ask a new customer how they found you. It will help refine your marketing strategy and, if the customer was referred to you by someone in your network, make sure you thank them. Some businesses even pay a small referral fee as an incentive.

Effective networking can be achieved in many ways but the principles described above always apply. Make a good first impression and follow up on a regular basis.

As well as at formal networking events, remember that people you meet out of work and the people in their networks are also potential customers. That could be people at the gym, at the bus stop, wherever. Customers can come from places you least expect but if you don’t speak to them you will never know.

These days you don’t even need leave the house to do networking. You have Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn etc, which cost nothing apart from a few minutes of your time.

So what are you waiting for? – Get networking!

If you would like more information, help with networking, or any other coaching advice just get in touch at contact@chriswilkie.co.uk

 

 

 

Hi Chris, great article, I have been networking for five years and have some fantasic connections and great support network. It takes time, but worth the time you put in. We are ment to be social people and meet people in the flesh. Kelly:)

Masters of Networking by UIvan Misner is a book I use as foundation reading for clients who want to improve their networking skills. It's a great resource. Pete

Excellent article Chris and a fine analogy Des. I'm in the majority of business people who really haven't given networking the time which it should warrant. I've attended events held by most of the sector leaders but not regularly. I get some business from LinkedIn but this article has confirmed that I need to network more in person. Thank you!

Great article Chris. I think a commonly used analogy is that networking is like farming not hunting. You have to invest time and effort in your 'seedling' relationship before you can hope to reap anything. And in the spirit of following up - 'How are you?' :-) Are you going to the next Euston event?