Mastering the Art of Networking: 10 tips to become a successful networker
Have you thought about where your small business would be in 2 years if you started networking locally today? I definitely thought about it when I started networking and I couldn't have imagined that it would be this successful. I also focus on social media marketing and have recently started other marketing strategies, but networking has been my biggest marketing strategy that has helped built my business from 1 to 3 employees and 7x the profits of my first year in business. The reason for this is that if I had put everything into say, email marketing, I may have gotten a lot of clients for my efforts with the same $$ investment, but with networking, I am promoting my business to and BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS with other business owners. Instead of trying to sell to them, I am gaining referral partners. If I sold to 20 people through email marketing, I could get 20 clients. If I sell THROUGH 20 networking partners, I could get 100 clients or 1,000. The sky is the limit!
Want to find out how to be a successful networker? Here are 10 things you should know to get going in your local networking circles to start seeing referrals and sales for your business!
1. Pick A Networking Group(s) That You Look Forward To Going To -
Visit several different groups and see which ones feel the best. Not every room of people feels welcoming. Not every group will fit your needs or your personality type. Find your people and then go to work getting to know everyone. Once you have found a happy place to network and you look forward to attending every week/month, make a commitment to attend every meeting. If you don't feel comfortable and don't look forward to going to the meetings and events, you won't go. And to make it worth your while, you need to be present to build those relationships.
2. Have Your Elevator Pitch Ready -
When it's time for you to share about your business at a networking meeting, you will get 30 seconds to 1 minute to talk. That is a very short amount of time to explain your whole business. Your elevator pitch needs to clearly explain what you do, what problem you solve, what makes you different and who you are looking to meet. During this time you could also briefly explain your business and then share a client testimonial or a specific win with a client or customer. I love when people tell a story during their elevator pitch. It makes it much easier to remember what they do and who they help. It also makes it easier for me to refer them to potential clients.
3. Be Prepared & Confident -
Are you confident in what you are selling? Do you have a full view of your services/products and who your target customer is? If you aren't prepared to promote your business and/or aren't confident in your skills/product, no one else will be confident in referring your business. If you own the room (in a humble way) and show that you are the expert in your field, it will be a no brainer for members to send you leads!
4. Dress For Success -
We all know about the importance of making a great first impression. That includes a positive visual impression. Think about what you are going to wear based on the event's nature and your profession. Most events can get away with business casual easily, but at the end of the day, you want to ensure professionalism and approachability through your appearance.
5. Listen More Than You Talk -
Don't be the person in the networking meeting who talks more than everyone else. There is nothing that screams "I think my business is more important than everyone else's" than to talk more about your business than everyone else. Instead, be an attentive listener and make eye contact with the speaker. Write down notes about each person's business needs and who they want to meet to make it easy to remember who to send referrals to.
6. Be Respectful and Supportive Of The Group -
We do business with people we know, like and trust. There is nothing that will turn off a potential referral partner more than a disrespectful person in the group. We need people to like us, so being respectful and supportive of every member of the group is very important. I have run into a handful of people while networking that are rude or disrespectful to other members at meetings, and you couldn't pay me to send them business.
7. Sell Through The Group, Not To The Group -
No one wants to be sold. That is a fact! Networking is a marketing strategy and is specifically for building relationships and creating brand ambassadors for your business. We don't want to make every networking meeting a sales pitch and miss the point. Instead you sell THROUGH the group. This means that you market your business to everyone in the group or at the meeting and they help by sending you leads and referrals that will in turn lead to sales. Making the group members brand ambassadors who promote your business is a much bigger pool of potential clients to pick from!
8. Bring Essential Marketing Materials -
It's important that you have the tools you need to help make the group successful brand ambassadors. First and foremost, having plenty of business cards is a non-negotiable. This helps new or visiting members remember you and helps the existing members have your contact info available to give out when they refer your business. It is also smart to have flyers, brochures, etc. to help when you have something specific to promote. It also doesn’t hurt to have other branded materials like pens, coozies, or other promotional items to hand out so you stay top of mine for them between meetings.
9. Set Up 1:1 Meetings Outside The Networking Meeting -
Make note of group members or guests that you want to build a relationship with during the meeting and try to set up a one on one meeting at a later date. This allows you to get to know more about their business and who they are personally. This is the very best way to start a relationship and is essential to being a successful networker. It is so impactful to spend an hour with someone so you can understand their business better but also so they can hear your why and be more likely to refer your business. Who should you set up one on one meetings with? First I would meet with anyone who could be a direct referral partner with you. Example: I do social media, websites, branding and email marketing. I love to make friends with other marketers because sometimes we overlap in some of our services, but we always have a couple services that don't overlap. We are great referral partners because I get asked about other kinds of marketing that I don't do and they can help. And it works both ways. After you have met with everyone who could be a direct referral partner, I would work your way through the rest of the group to build a relationship with every member!
10. Follow Up Effectively -
Having a system for following up after each networking meeting is essential! You will undoubtedly leave each meeting with new contacts or needing to send introduction emails to refer connections to your group members. I recommend setting aside an hour after each meeting to send an email to your new contacts and send text or email introductions that you promised the group. This is standard "do what you say you are going to do" etiquette. If you don't set aside the time or don't have a plan for when you are going to do this, it will get put off and possibly not done at all.
If you are ready to start your networking journey, finding networking opportunities will be your first step. You can search for events near you on Google or by searching local Chambers of Commerce. Also, if you have friends or colleagues that network, ask them to invite you to meetings they attend. Remember that networking is an investment in your business and will usually have a monthly cost associated. It is still a very cost effecting marketing strategy! Just keep in mind that if you want 10 new clients tomorrow, networking won't be able to do that for you. It's a long game and takes time. The good thing is that during your networking journey to build your business, you are also making relationships that can turn into friendships and lifelong supporters of your business, so make the most of this time!
Looking for great networking opportunities in the St. Louis area? I can help guide you in the right direction. Fill out our Contact Form and I’ll get back to you soon! And don’t forget to follow us on the social media channels below to get more tips on Networking.
