Guest blog post by Marissa Perez at businesspop.net
Networking is an incredibly important element of business ownership, especially for those in service-based businesses. Tweak Your Biz notes that networking is the single best way to land new clients. Not only that, but networking can also help you find new employees, learn from other business owners, and identify best practices and industry benchmarks that you can incorporate into your business. Whatever the type of business you run, networking should be one of your top priorities! Here’s how to get started, presented below by Artemiste.
Join a Professional Association
Joining a professional association or attending industry events are great ways to connect with other professionals and find out about local events that you can attend. From conferences to regional meetings, professional associations like these are an excellent resource for networking opportunities.
Connect with People Online
Another option is to connect with professionals online. For example, if you’re beginning to scale your business and feeling overwhelmed by the decisions ahead, you can bring on a business consultant who can lend you their expertise. Through online job platforms, you can compare different types of business consultants, from marketing experts to IT professionals, based on cost, delivery time, and skillset.
You can also find networking opportunities on social media. My Life, I Guess recommends using social media to follow leaders and influencers in your industry so you can participate in discussions, attend webinars, and get involved in online conferences. You may be surprised who you come across on social media, contacts that may turn out a valuable resource. These may include friends or old classmates you’ve lost contact with, and who have risen in their own professional roles.
Get Your Customers Involved
One excellent way to stay connected with the community and your customers is to offer incentives for using your products or services on a regular basis. For example, discount and reward programs give your customers and clients a reason to return to your business. You can even use these programs at networking events to promote your company to would-be customers. These connections will help ensure you get plenty of repeat business.
Take it one step further and get your employees involved in customer-oriented programs. You can invite workers to networking events as official “ambassadors” for your brand, which can be an excellent way to make more connections. Additionally, use your ambassadors to work with other businesses to create synergy among local entrepreneurs.
Keep in Touch
After all of the work you put into networking, don’t fall out of touch with your professional contacts. Maintaining a connection will make it easier to approach a contact with a request or proposal while remaining authentic. At the same time, you don’t want to strain your relationship with frequent communication. Aim to build a casual relationship through occasional interactions.
Social media makes it easy to stay on your contacts’ radar without annoying them. Beyond commenting on posts, try to make a point of checking in with them occasionally in a casual and friendly way. You could even use a contact management app like Covve or Top Contacts to keep track of people in your network, store discussion notes, and set reminders to reach out once in a while.
As an entrepreneur, business owner, or manager, you can’t afford to overlook the importance of networking. Good networking skills will help you get ahead of your competitors and stay relevant. Make networking a part of your work routine and you’ll thrive in your entrepreneurial role!
Artemiste helps companies build an exceptional employee experience; from onboarding to exit, with training, performance management and learning and development we help you create a work experience that will retain your talented team and propel your business growth. Connect with us today to find out more!
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