Effective Business Networking

If you think that business networking is all about getting referrals then you are probably not doing it right (and probably not getting that many referrals either!).

Networking is about making connections with people first and foremost; referrals generally only happen when people like and trust you, which usually takes more than five minutes to establish! If you meet people who you think it would be worth getting to know better then it’s good to arrange to meet up again, maybe outside of a networking event, to spend some quality time in getting to know each other.

How do we define ‘worth getting to know’?

their business is complementary to yours (you could cross refer / joint venture)

you each have a network of contacts in an area where you’d both like to get to know some more people as they form part of your target market

you each have business knowledge and skills that may be helpful to each other

you like each other and want to get to ‘know, like and trust’ each other so that you can refer each other

Need I go on – I’m sure you get the general idea? It is no coincidence that the above list is all about reciprocity and that’s what building a relationship through networking is all about.

But don’t necessarily write off contacts if they don’t fit with the above list or your list of wants; you never know who they may know that you may want to know. And, without networking with them, how else would you find that out?

What other reasons do you have that make people ‘worth getting to know’ for you and your business?