A DEFINITION OF NETWORKING FOR BUSINESS:
Creating a group of connections with the ultimate purpose of mutual benefit, with whom you maintain regular contact to enable a thorough understanding of each other's business, the establishment and maintenance of a positive relationship and trust to facilitate recommendations based on honesty and integrity. Networking for business is based on "who canI help?" and not "what can I get?".
Well, first of all, let’s sort out what networking for business is not. Networking for business is not an opportunity to hard sell. If you approach networking with the intent to do nothing more than sell to the people in the room you will most likely go away very disappointed and have earned a poor reputation with the other business networking people who attend.
Business networking is about the long-term - and anyone who tells you otherwise is being very optimistic. Yes, sometimes, you do meet someone who happens to be looking for exactly what you can supply and you get very quick business as a result. But most of the time networking for business is about developing relationships and trust. In establishing that relationship other people get to know and understand what you do and the services or products that you offer. When they feel that they know you and can trust you then, and only then, will they refer you to others.
It should be paramount in your mind that when a referral is made it is done so on the reputation of the referrer, not the referee. Think about it this way, would you stake your reputation on someone you really don’t know? That is why the development of a relationship and trust is so important. The only way that will happen is by getting to know and meeting someone on a regular basis. If someone gives you a referral then please do follow it up and value the opportunity they have given you.
The old adage that “what goes around comes around” is very true in terms of networking for business. If you approach networking with the perspective that you will network to see who you can help in the room then the help you give will come back to you. Referrals are the golden nuggets, but you can give tips and leads to people and you can connect others where there could be benefit for both parties. Some food for thought; if someone helps you are you not honour bound to try to find an opportunity to help them in return?
The other great opportunity you have is not to see someone in the same line of business as a competitor but as someone with whom you can form a strategic alliance, whether that is to gain assistance through high volume workload or to give you the opportunity not to turn a client away when they are looking for specific expertise from someone in your line of work that you have elected not to supply.
At AQ Networking for business we uphold all the true values of networking and we give you the chance to meet people from a very diverse business base. At some point there will be an instance when you can all help one another, provided you build on the contacts you make here.