Make the most of it.
The relevance of face-to-face time with prospective clients cannot be understated. A strong relationship with clients and prospects does many things:
- It helps to solidify your brand presence in the marketplace with positive word-of-mouth.
- It increases client retention.
- It encourages referrals.
The question is, how do we create trusting, long-term relationships that are authentic, and that have a chance of converting prospects into loyal clients who champion your cause?
Relationships are built on trust, and trust isn’t something that happens as soon as you meet someone. Think of one of your stronger personal friendships. Chances are that most of your strong friendships were not built overnight. Time and energy were spent in getting to know one another, identifying similarities in your lives, and building up a level of confidence in one another that eventually led to a strong, trusting friendship.
The same goes for business relationships. Building an army of committed clients is an on-going process that both starts- and ends- with trust. Time must be spent interacting with people, both on a business and (if appropriate) a personal level. Where do we find the time in our already crowded schedules? This is where networking comes into play…
Networking is essential for most business people, but especially for small business and entrepreneurs. Over time, the relationships that are formed through networking can lead to sales and referrals that help propel your business to success. Here are a few guidelines to consider for successful networking:
Don’t be shy. Remember that at business networking events, everyone is there for the same reason. People expect to be approached. It’s also OK in most cases to join in on a conversation in progress – just wait for the opportunity and jump in. Introductions should quickly follow…
It’s not about you. There’s nothing worse than being trapped by someone who hammers you with the features and benefits of their product or service. Instead of talking about yourself, try asking questions that demonstrate a genuine interest in the other person. A great rule of thumb is the 80/20 rule – let the person you are speaking with do 80% of the talking!
It’s good to help others. If you’ve just met someone, introduce them to others in the room. A quick introduction to the right person could have a huge impact on their business and they won’t quickly forget you for this. If there’s another way you can help out, do it – and do so without an expectation of anything in return. A true measure of a person’s character is how they treat someone when the other person has nothing to offer them.
Follow up, follow up, follow up! A quick phone call, email or hand-written note a day or two after meeting will set you apart from the crowd. Better yet, invite the person out to coffee in order to get to know them better (not to sell them on anything).
Never stop networking. Many business owners make the mistake of ceasing their networking activities once their business has taken off. Sometime down the road, during the next economic crunch or stale business cycle, they decide to take it up again in order to boost sales. But by then they may have lost most, if not all, of the strong connections they had made when they first started out. They are, in effect, starting over in rebuilding those essential relationships that brought them their previous successes.
Networking can be fun, profitable and a great way to meet people and gain new friends! Try out one of these local networking events or groups. Both you and your business will be glad you did…
Submitted by Derek Kaye, Director of Operations at Apeeling Orange.
Find him at derek@apeelingorange.com www.apeelingorange.com
