This is a good mantra for pretty much any area of business, but today let’s focus on networking, shall we? Here are a few tips to help you feel confident about your business-to-business networking, and make it a profitable investment of your time.
- Be there to listen. People are more attracted to people who are interested, rather than ones who try to be interesting.
- For every networking meeting you schedule, block out time the same day or the following day to do your follow up. This way, it gets done!
- Successful networking is about farming rather than hunting. Ever meet someone at an event who was a hunter? A hunter is the person who is trying to sell you their product or service before they find out whether you even need it. Don’t be that guy.
- If someone is in the market for your service, don’t hesitate to transition into sales mode. I’ve watched business people who were so afraid of being perceived as pushy, they literally walked away from people who were ready to pull out their wallet and buy.
- Have a long-term follow up system (e-newsletters are great for this!) so prospects and referral partners won’t forget about you!
- Be yourself. If you like to reconnect with people you know, do that. If you like to meet new people, do that. Stay authentic and you’ll attract the best fit for what you have to offer!
All of this adds up to make for a much calmer, more fun experience – and one that will yield results in the long term!
Amazing sales strategy! Thank Mary for sharing these tips. They are really helpful and I guess effective in any way. More power! 🙂