Business networking is a quick, valuable way of expanding the number of people you know, generating leads, and learning from others. If you have just moved to a new market and want to build connections there or want to tell more people about your business, business networking is a great way to do that. Here are some of the other benefits of networking:

1) Gain more leads. Business networking, when done right, gives you the ability to be in the same room as qualified leads. Talking to many high quality leads at one time allows you to increase the selling opportunities for your business.

2) Get advice and insight from knowledgeable people. You may be looking for some answers on how to handle a particular goal or problem with your business, and meeting other like-minded people through business networking gives you the ability to get such advice.

3) Build confidence. Like most things in life, the more you network the better and more confident you become at it. The first time I went to business networking groups, I was quite unsure of how to introduce myself. Over time I built up the confidence to introduce myself to large groups of people that I didn’t know. It teaches you the difference between small-talk and learning to have meaningful conversations and how to learn from people’s experiences.

4) Get collaborators, suppliers  and supporters on board. Sometimes you will meet prospects, other times you will meet people that you can collaborate with. That may be suppliers or people you can hire or who relationship you can leverage at a later stage.

Here are some things to keep in mind in order to get the most out of business networking:

1) What are your goals behind business networking? Who is it that you want to meet, and where can they be found?

2) Target the right networking groups. Make sure the people you want to meet are at the right business networking groups. Most business networking groups publish their members on their websites, sometimes with their contact details.

3) Do more listening than talking. Ask questions about people’s lives, careers, and aspirations. Ask them for suggestions to do with your goals and circumstances.

4) Offer something valuable. Try to make the connection as beneficial to the people you have met as possible. Send them some of your articles and information that you think will benefit them.

5) Follow up. Networking takes time and resources and should have clear desired outcomes for your business. Always go to a networking event with the mindset that you are using it to improve your business. Follow up immediately after each event. If you’re not following up, you are wasting your time.

6) Keep in touch. I keep a list of people I have met that I believe would be beneficial to keep in touch with. Every once in a while I drop them a line or send them some useful info that I believe would be helpful. That way when you actually need them it won’t be hard to ask.

 

*Ahmed al-Akber is the managing director of ACK Solutions, a firm that helps companies to improve their marketing and sales results by offering more effective ways attracting customers and significantly better products and services. Ahmed has worked internationally in marketing, sales, and strategic planning at companies such as the Coca-Cola Company, Philip Morris International and Dell. Questions or comments can be sent to Ahmed on [email protected]

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