Networking Strategy

It's January 2017. You've set your goals at the beginning of this New Year and you've written them down so you could see them. Did you remember to mark your wall/desk planner with the dates you started your goals, and an attainable end date? This will assist you to remember you have set goals, and what you're working toward.

Another important strategy you have been working on is your networking commitment for 2017. January sees a surge in attendance at networking events, people are enthused about connecting with new people. Then they get busy with marketing, sales, social media, life in general and they are not consistent with their networking needs.

If you are not yet convinced that networking is the way to that 6 figure income think again, because even the biggest brands, such as TELUS and many others, know the many benefits associated with face-to-face networking and of course, online networking.

A couple of things to think about when considering your networking strategy are some of the reasons you should take networking seriously:

  1. Accepting that your brand has to be visible and become memorable. When networking you are being noticed, consistent networking leads to your brand being memorable.
  2. Connecting to people, who may be your target market, your community partners, your brand ambassadors, and so on, leads to strong, trusted relationships. Face-to-face networking might take a bit longer, but the long term benefits are many.
  3. Staying in touch with your local or global community means you are more knowledgeable, and people see you as the go to person for many reasons.

Networking is not all about attending events or connecting online. With any business task there are a couple of more steps to take to ensure you did not waste your time when networking.

  1. Follow up is crucial, and be the person who follows up first. Don’t wait for someone to contact you. People lose business cards, get busy, or just don’t think about following up.
  2. Don’t follow up to try to sell your products and services to someone. Find out what solution they are looking for, and this can be done by chatting to your new connections over the phone, email or face-to-face.

It’s a New Year, and your success depends on you. Building and operating a business is a work in progress, you are always looking for new clients, new marketing tools, and networking is the open door to your continued success.