You’ve spent the past year frequently attending networking events and reaching out to new and old contacts in person or over social media. Business networking has become one of your best practices. All your efforts have increased your professional contacts database, but may leave you wondering how to engage with them.
Time to Flip the Switch
Your network of people is essential for your professional and personal growth. Now, it’s time to activate this network for your business. The best part is that you can expand your community without investing more time and energy. You may be surprised with the interactions you receive and the returns could be tenfold.
Activating your network takes a little research on the front end. Discovering the strengths and weaknesses in your network can be beneficial when you’re in a pinch and really need someone’s advice or help.
There are several ways you can create value in your network:
1. Referrals
Ask yourself who are the people that could benefit most by getting together? Create a list of your professional relationships and match them up through industry and business needs. Connecting people through a referral is a great way to solidify new relationships and reconnect with old ones.
2. Sales Leads
Providing free leads to someone in your network saves them time and money. The benefits are greater than a referral, because the favor you provide might be quickly reciprocated.
3. Sharing Information
Your business perspective is unique, which gives you insight into business related issues that might be another person’s roadblock. This is a great way to engage with your network and show credibility. Being a resource for others extends your network. This also shows that you are open to receiving information from others that may benefit you and your business.
Typically, sharing general information on social medial sites, like LinkedIn and Facebook, is best. More targeted and in-depth information should be sent through email or set-up a casual meeting during lunch to explain it and answer any questions they may have.
4. Vendor Promotions
Reach out to your vendor network and learn about promotions and programs. Many times, programs and discounts go to high volume sellers. Learn how to become one and they may throw in some marketing and advertising tools to help you succeed. This will help you differentiate yourself among your competition, and that makes your vendors take notice. They benefit from your success, and will pay more attention to your needs to help you achieve your sales goals.
5. Think Local
Your neighbors are your best customers. They support your business through consistent sales and word-of-mouth reviews of your business. The Keep-It-Local movement, is a great way to embrace your neighbors, especially for small retail operators.
Thinking local also means being active in your local government. The local government and their decisions can affect your storefront, customer traffic, and customer experience. Being active in your local government will increase your knowledge of community development projects.
6. Be Open, Be Patient
Being open to your network is the first step in having a give-and-take relationship with it. Being open also allows you to be more active within your network. If you take the time and energy to connect and reconnect with people through some of the steps listed above, then these people become spheres of influence that contribute to your success. But, always remember that this won’t happen overnight, so you’ll need to be patient and thankful when your efforts are rewarded.