Networking for Business - Part 6

Motivation & Confidence

One of the huge benefits of networking is the extra motivation and confidence you get.

Those people who know me, know that I don’t lack motivation. I’m quite an extrovert, I love life, I jump out of bed every morning with a smile on my face. One of my favourite sayings is "Life's too short not to live it up a little!"

Helps you Grow as a Person

But networking has given me even more motivation and it can for you too. Because I work from home a lot of the time, it was fantastic for me to be able to get out of the home office and actually start networking with people and again many who know me found it hard to believe that I was really scared of speaking in public. Having to do the 40 seconds or 1 minute rounds when I had to stand up and introduce myself and my business was terrifying at first. But having done so on a regular basis over the last year and a half I actually look forward to it and I now give regular talks to different groups and within 4Networking I am doing 4Sights all over the South West of England.

Help & Support

So the motivation and confidence I’ve got from networking has been great and part of that comes from all the help and support you get from the other members. Many of the people who come to these networking meetings have a lifetime of experience in business and so it’s a great place to come and get help and advice and to share and to learn from other business owners who have been in your situation. It’s also a great place to get support at times of trouble. I was feeling very down recently and I was amazed at how many new friends from networking called me up and made me feel so much better. I've also been for coffee with a couple of people who approached me asking for help on their business. I'm no expert, but they wanted someone to talk things through with and I was so pleased to be able to help.

If you've got a business issue or problem which you need help with, think about those who you know in your network and go to them. Ask them if they'll spare you some time. You'll be amazed at how happy most people will be to help. The "Can you help?" section on the 4Networking forum is a brilliant place to go to get help, advice and guidance. It's also a great place for you to offer your help to others who need it.

Testimonials

The other area where you can get renewed motivation is from doing a good job for a customer and getting a wonderful testimonial. This always sets me up for a great week. Remember this and please do give testimonials to anyone you do business with within your business network. It will absolutely make their week!

LinkedIn

Many of your contacts will be on LinkedIn so do ask any of them who you've done work for to give you a testimonial on LinkedIn. Once you've got some good ones, add them to your website too.

My next blog post will discuss one of THE most important aspects of networking - Follow Up!

Related posts:
In case you missed any of the other articles in the series just click the relevant link below:

Networking for Busines - Introduction
Networking for Busines - Part 1
Networking for Busines - Part 2
Networking for Busines - Part 3
Networking for Busines - Part 4
Networking for Busines - Part 5
Networking for Busines - Part 6
Networking for Busines - Part 7
How to Use LinkedIn Effectively for Your Business