Today, I was sharing my free weekly tip on my Facebook Page and I realized how large my networking pool is. So I chose to talk about Networking and what it means to you.
Networking is a group of like minded people that serve or create social activities or business opportunities that help one another.
When you start a business or manage a business, networking can be extremely important to help your business grow. There are several different ways to network. Some can be done completely online, some can be face to face, some can be at trade shows or other general business trainings, and some can be local, like your Chamber of Commerce.
Online networking can be done by Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Blogging, and etc. This opens up your networking circle to people outside your local area and can help you discover new ways to boost sales from tips and experiences. Things done online can often be limitless. This may open doors you never evened dreamed of. This can also be much like cold calling people to boost sales since it needs to be maintained regularly and takes time to build followers. Networking online can be very affordable but if you fall into schemes can end up being very expensive. Remember the best things in life are free, except sometimes you get what you pay for.
Face to Face networking can be very uplifting, energizing and can often have better quality relationships between businesses. You develop contacts that help discover ways to boost sales and overcome obstacles. You can also interact with people in your area that may be able to share the best contacts for your State or County regulations. F2F networking can be done anywhere. You can meet people at trainings, trade shows, meetings, and even your children's events. F2F networking often has hidden fees but can be very beneficial. Some fees include training costs, entry fees to shows, or membership dues. Please do your research before you join any of the above. Does it help you communicate with your target market? Nothing worse than attending a candy convention when you sell handcrafted jewelry. Weigh out the membership dues to what you expect to gain. Is it a profitable decision?
The best Networking is to balance both F2F and Online Networking. I strive to do this my self. I also have a great network outside my business. I have spent years building and maintaining it. I volunteer for several organizations each year and I am an active mother of my 4 girls and 2 grandchildren so I meet new people all the time and continue to grow my network. Sometimes my network is not business related but even some of those contacts have come in handy with an out of the ordinary business issues. Think about how many people you call for services each year. Now strive to have a resource for each one. Services may include, hair dresser, plumber, car salesman, pastor, travel agent, doctors, ITT technician and so much more. I have someone I could call outside of office hours in those categorises if I had a concern about something other than the direct issue. Most of these people are my family, friends, or someone I have met from my volunteer service. I would do anything I can to help them in return. Time, service, and trust are the best ways to build a great network and tell everyone what you do. You never know when you may meet the next person to help you with your next concern or accomplishment.
I want to close with this quote since I think it covers what networking means to me and the value of my network.
" The real measure of our wealth is how much we would be worth if we lost all our money." Benjamin Jowett.
My network is worth more than any amount of money and I think they would help me as much as they could if I lost all my money and that is priceless!!
No comments:
Post a Comment