Top 10 Tips on being a good business networker
Networking is a term that can strike fear in the hearts of many a business person. You may have experienced being sent ’to network’ as a junior member of staff and being mortified and sulky as you hovered around the coffee and biscuits (or was that just me?).If you have set up your own business and have never experienced networking, but everyone keeps telling you it is what you should be doing, the prospect of facing (and having to talk to) a room full of strangers can be equally daunting. And then there are the people who have tried it and fail to see how it can result in more business as all they seem to be left with is a pocket full of random business cards. But networking does work and is one of the best ways of growing your business, you just need to know what to expect and how to behave. Like all marketing, if you don’t understand the medium how can you be expected to make it work for you? So here are 10 tips on how to become a better networker.
Tip #1 – fakery will be instantly found out
Networking is all about building trust and a big part of that is being authentic and genuine - so don’t pretend to be something you are not.
Tip #2 – visit as many groups as possible to find the ones that fit
You will be surprised at the sheer number of networking events going on in your area. They all run slightly differently, are at different times and demand different obligations. Make sure you find the ones that fit your lifestyle and personality. Are you a morning person or a night owl? Can you commit to a weekly meeting or only monthly? You also need to make sure that you are comfortable with the atmosphere and the group of people. Are they friendly? Do they seem supportive of each other? Do the people organising it seem to know what they are doing?
Tip #3 – understand what each networking group is trying to achieve
If you don’t understand the purpose of the group, you can’t make an informed decision about whether it would be beneficial to you? Some groups, like BNI, are business referral groups who pass business referrals between members. Other groups may be more about shared learning or making contacts.
Tip #4 – ask open ended questions
It may sound obvious, but you need to be aware of asking open ended questions in order to get a good networking conversation going. Ask who, what, where or when as opposed to those questions that can be answered with a simple yes or no.
Tip #5 – net-working not net-selling
We’ve all been to networking events where we have been accosted by the network sharks. Those people who talk at you, selling their business and pressing their card into your hand (or worse, harvesting yours only to bombard you with sales calls for ever more). You should ask about others before talking about your business. If you are doing Tip #4 right this should come naturally as part of your discussion.
Tip #6 – become the ‘go to guy or gal’
If we take it as red that networking is actually about building trust and relationships rather than flogging your services to a room full of people, then having a strategy as being someone in the know, who has a strong network of contacts and isn’t shy of helping people out, can go along way to building this trust and making you someone that stands out.
Tip #7 – ask how you can help
What if rather than ask ‘what do you do?’ as your opening gambit, you ask a more unusual and helpful question? ‘What are you hoping to gain out of this meeting?’ ‘How can I help you?’ Not only will these type of questions make you stand out, you also have a chance to offer some genuine and tangible help. If they answer ‘ I’m hoping to make some contacts in the X trade’ how impressed will they be when you take them over and introduce them to a person in that trade, or if you follow them up later with a contact you may have in that sector.
Tip #8 – be specific about how others can help you
It’s not all altruistic fluff. It also works the other way. You need to be specific about what you are looking for too. If the meeting is about business referrals, then make sure you ask for specific referrals –‘ I’m looking to build relationships with accountants’ or ‘I would like an introduction to Jo Smith at Acme Haulage’. People can react to this. ‘Jo Smith is my next door neighbour, I’ll mention you to him’. But if you had said you are looking to expand your business into the logistics sector, they would have been unlikely to have made that connection.
Tip #9 – follow up
It can be tempting to have a great chat with someone at a networking event, promise to contact them to arrange to meet up, or send them that information, only to get sidetracked once back at work and totally forget about it. If you promise to follow up, make sure you do it. If you have been given a business lead or referral it is even more important as you are letting down the person who has referred you to one of their contacts and nothing will destroy trust quicker than that.
Tip #10 – believe in the karma
Networking is not a quick fix. It takes time and effort. You need to put in the effort to get to know your fellow networkers, to spend time helping them with the belief that your positive deeds will be repaid. Sounds a bit hippy dippy I know, but it does work. In effect you are building a sales team of fellow networkers who will sing your praises, recommend you and pass business to you – all without being paid, now that is what I call business karma!
If you would like to see what our Grimsby Business Exchange meetings are like, you are very welcome to visit – just call 0800 298 5927
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