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

Networking for Business - Part 5

Suppliers

Again I didn't envisage that there would be suppliers I'd use in the room when I started networking. After all, why would there be? I wasn't there to buy! I was there to market my business and products and services!

But I quickly realised that there were potential suppliers for my business in the room. For example I’m now using a call answering service called answer.co.uk . I’d never thought about a call answer service before. I’ve been in business for 28 years and you’d think I should know better but we were missing calls. So on the recommendation from Mr Kim Hambley and the lovely Katie Millman I tried the service. Now our calls are taken by a professional call answering team and our customers have been very impressed. So think about your own business. If you're a one-man or one-woman band who answers your call when you aren't able to? It sounds far more professional to have your calls answered in your company name. It can also make your business seem bigger than it really is and gives your customers and potential new customers a good first impression.

I got my business cards printed by a guy I met through networking. The coffee mug I take with me and I take to most meetings was supplied by a fellow networker. And all of this was a surprise to me. I went along looking to sell my business and services and tell people about what I did but I suddenly realised there were potential suppliers in the room. I used to get all my stationary from a stationary retail outlet in an industrial estate near my office – I don’t anymore. I use KN Office supplies because I like Nick Elston, their sales guy who I met through networking, and their service is excellent. All my websites are done and looked after by Jamie Forster the owner of www.motley.co.uk. When I meet anyone who needs help with their website design I always recommend Jamie - he's absolutely brilliant. I've now got my own "Cloud"! An intranet system supplied by Andrew Twigg from TWG Systems. It's great, I can connect anytime, from anywhere and have access to my important documents, contacts and so much more.

So I’ve been giving business to others and I will continue to do so. So think about suppliers which you might need. Do you need business cards, do you need help in your business, do you need graphic design, do you need web site design, do you need stationary, what do you need? Also think about others who you know who might need the products or services of the businesses of those people in the room. It's always a great feeling to refer business to your fellow networkers. So just be aware of this during the 40 seconds / 1 minute section and listen out for any potential suppliers that might be in the room.

My next post is all about the motivation and confidence you can get from business networking. 

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

Networking for Business - Part 4

Friends

This was a huge bonus for me. I didn't see the whole friend factor at all. I came along like most people do at the start and I came along to sell; to market my business and products and services.

Business still happens

But that’s not what happens. Yes, of course it does happen. I’ve done a lot of business through networking.  We do Twitter for Business workshops and Blogging workshops all under the umbrella of our brand www.learnsocialmedia.co.uk  and we haven’t done any advertising. It’s all been promoted via email marketing and networking. The last event we ran last a couple of weeks ago was a sell out and all as a direct result of networking. I've had 43 new customers as direct result of networking and I now look after all their domain name requirements via www.freeparking.co.uk. One of those is a business coach and they have transferred in 5 domain names but they have also bought 11 new domain names for their business.

Know - Like - Friends!

So networking can be incredibly powerful for your business. But it’s the whole friendship thing which I hadn’t imagined and because you are seeing the same people each time its natural that over time, you will get to know them and like them. And that's when the business starts to happen. As I say, I've had quite a few customers transfer their domain names over to us from our compettiors and all because they know they have a hot line into me! A face they know; like and trust. Much more preferable than doing busines with a faceless organisation where they don't know anyone personally.

Coffee Mornings!

I love the 21^st century! I now do coffee mornings!!

Normally the domain of women, us men – well me anyway! – are now doing coffee mornings too! I meet people regularly for coffee and this has really helped cement friendships and of course, over time business happens too.

So don’t just think of networking as a business tool. There will be new friends of yours in the room at the next meeting you attend! And that was a great added bonus for me.

In my next blog post we talk about another unseen gem - suppliers.

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 Get More Done - Concentrate!

I was driving back to the office the other day and noticed a general trend in people's driving habits which got me thinking about business.

I was driving along a dual carriageway approaching a set of traffic lights. Both lanes went straight on. The traffic in the left hand lane was backed up with about 12 cars sat in a line but the right hand lane was empty. So I moved into the right hand lane and instead of having to queue up behind the others, when the lights went green, I sailed on effortlessly.

This got me thinking, why do so many drivers just "happily" sit in queues instead of going in the other lane and making effortless progess. I thought at first that perhaps it was a British thing. We're well known as a nation who "like" to queue for everything!

But as I continued my journey I noticed other drivers dithering and not making progress; being slow to react to traffic lights changing and sitting behind slow vehicles like lorries and buses. Now please don't get me wrong; this isn't about speed or getting from A to B in record time. But it's about people being focused on the job in hand and doing it well. I realised that many of the drivers I journeyed with that morning were not at all focused on the job in hand. They weren't concentrating on driving. They were oblivious to the traffic. They seemed to be in their own little worlds.

And I think this is something we all do from time to time when we're driving. Overtime, driving becomes second nature. (If you're a learner driver, then I do feel your pain! I promise you it does get easier wth practice!) So we don't concentrate on driving as much as we should. Instead we sit in traffic thinking about our lives; the work we have to do; the problems we're currently having; dreaming about that special person we just met etc..

Get in the game!
Which is why we end up sitting behind the slow vehicles and sitting in a long line of other cars. It's not that we really like queuing! I just think we're "not in the game", as Billy Cox would say. We need to get in the game! We need to really focus on the job in hand. We need to concentrate! Can you imagine what better drivers we would be if we concentrated. If we lived and breathed everything about the car, the noise of the engine, all our surroundings, the traffic lights, the speed, the steering wheel, changing gear at the right time and if we remembered our Highway Code. "Mirror, signal, manoeuvre". How many times have you seen someone start to pull out into your lane before they have indicated? It happens all the time.

Start focusing
It's the same in business. We are not concentrating. We are getting distracted. We don't focus intently on each task as we set about them. We let other things get in the way and disturb us. It's understandable really. With so many applications open at one time on a PC or Mac how can expect not to be disturbed?! An email drops into your in box; a new tweet arrives in Tweetdeck; a phone call.

Wouldn't it be much better if we set out with the right intention? Close all the applications on your computer and just leave open the one you are using for that 20 - 30 minutes. If you are working on your next email marketing campaign and you're writing the content for one of the follow up emails. I would write it in Word first. Close all the other programs down and just leave Word open. Close all your browsers, close Outlook or whichever email client you use. Switch off your mobile phone and divert your phone. And then just focus - concentrate - on the task at hand.

You'll be amazed at how much more effective you will be. You might even stop sitting in traffic and start to pick the empty lanes at traffic lights! Please try it and let me know how you get on.

Networking for Business - Part 3

People Buy People

And over time as you get to know other people in the network business begins to happen because people buy people. It's the whole Know - Like - Trust.

The same people
One of the great things about networking is you get to know lots of people and it’s only over a period of time that you get to know each other. So you go along to these regular lunchtime meetings and the same people appear – now a lot of people moan and say oh it’s going to be all the same faces – but I think that’s BRILLIANT! I want to see the same faces because it’s only over the 3^rd or 4^th cup of coffee with someone that you actually start to strike a bond and start to create some rapport. You suddenly find that we’re both into motor racing, or we’re both into fishing or wow we both like knitting! Well, perhaps not knitting but you get my point!

Acquaintances
So it’s really important that you make those acquaintances over a regular period of time. If there’s 30 people at the event you won't get to meet them all properly. You'll get to chat with a few but there's never enough time to meet everyone. So you'll  want to go again and meet the others next time and get to know their businesses because you won't have spoken yet and chances are you won't fully know what they do.

Speaker Slot
I highly recommend putting yourself forward for one of the speaking slots. All networks usually offer a 10 minute section where one of the members can present to the group – everybody gets to know slightly better and that’s why I’d urge you to put yourself forward for the members’ section. Absolutely vital because then everybody in the room gets to know you and your business a little bit better. Not only do you get to tell your story in the 40 seconds or 1 minute round but you get an extra 10 minutes when people can listen to you and get more of a feel for what you’re like as a person. That would be good wouldn’t it?

People buy people so you’ve got to get to know each other. And there will be some people in the room that you won’t particularly get on with and that’s fine. But there will be some people that you really warm to and not only will you really warm to them, they’ll actually become friends.

And it's the whole freind factor I'm going to discuss in my next blog.

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

Networking for Business - Part 2

What's Your Story?

Last time I suggested that you should change your approach to networking and instead of going along to sell your products or your services you should go along to share your story. 

Is Your Story Clear?

And in order to share your story you need to know what your story is. So what is your story? Have you got your story clear? Most networking events give you between 40 seconds and 1 minute to stand up and tell people about you and your business. But in the past have you got your story clear? Was there something you meant to say but forget in the nervousness of it all! Of course some of us get nervous during the 40seconds / 1 minute round. It’s nerve racking standing up in front of other people.

Practice Your Story

Which is why you need to make sure you have your story completely clear and you must practice it prior to the meeting. If you practice it then when it comes to your turn, you can absolutely nail it, so that you let people know exactly what you do, so that they understand what it is you do what; what special offer you’re running; what event you’ve got coming up, when and where and what sort of referrals you’re looking for.

Make it Memorable

So make sure you spend some time getting your story right and try to make it memorable and exciting so that people want to know more about it. There's a guy called Jay Blake from Ichthus Video who does a brilliant 40 seconds. He holds up a tiny funnel and explains that this is what most small businesses are using as their sales funnel and then produces a huge blue funnel and asks if you want to know how to get a huge sales funnel full of leads have a chat with him. Jay runs a video business and helps companies film and add video content to their websites to help them generate a huge improvement in interest and therefore leads. The fact I'm writing about Jay here shows that it was memorable!

If people understand what it is that you do and what sort of customers you’re looking for, then if they know people who need the services or products which you sell, they will think of you rather than anyone else. And of course as you get to know each other more business starts to happen because people buy people.

My next blog post is all about how people have to get to know each other before the magic of business can happen.

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

Networking for Business - Part 1

Your Attitude & Your Approach

Your attitude and your approach both set you up for success in networking. Just think about it for a second. Why do you go networking? The reason we all go networking is to promote and market our business, our products and our services to other business people in our local area.

But nobody is there to buy anything. Let me repeat that – nobody is there to buy anything. You don’t go networking to buy anything do you? No! We all network for the same reasons – those same reasons all wrap up into one main reason – We all go networking to market our businesses, to let other people know about our business, to let people know about our products and services in the hope that they might buy from us. But nobody goes networking to buy from us! We’re there to let other people know about our businesses.

So approach networking with the right attitude and go along to listen and to find out about other people’s business. If people are only there to tell you about their business, their products and services; then go along and in a completely counter-intuitive way turn up to listen and find out more about the other people in the room. Don’t be the kind of person who comes along and just tells people all about what they do and how wonderful their business is. Don’t be one of those people who just hands out business cards to everyone. People aren’t interested! Stop selling because nobody's buying!

Listen to what other people do and think about how you might be able to help them; who you might be able to put them in touch with. And by being that kind of person, I promise you, you’ll be staggered at the serendipitous things that can happen.

That’s my word of the year by the way – Serendipity! I’ve had so many serendipitous moments on the back of networking – it’s been incredible.

So approach networking with the right attitude and don’t go along to sell anything. In my next blog post I'll be explaining about how and why you should share your story.

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