The 5 C’s of Business NetworkingOur Swindon business advice column with Gail Gibson
The best results mostly come from face
to face business networking.
As an enthusiastic and very successful networking
expert, this form of marketing has been featured in various articles I have
written on the B2B section.
However within networking, like all parts of
business, changes happen and you can always learn new ways to become more and
more effective in how you deliver your message.
So to
honour my favourite form of marketing, here are the 5 C’s of networking to
help you achieve greater success:
C is for Create
Create opportunities. How? Think
about how you start a conversation with a new connection at an event. What do
you usually ask: “What do you do?” Are you not totally bored with this overly
used networking chat up line?
Next time you engage with a new business owner at
an event, why not open up the conversation with this: “Tell me about your
business…” or “What challenges are you facing right now?", “What recent success
stories can you share?”
These exchanges create opportunities to explore in
greater depth, giving you the chance to find out more about how you can
position your business solution.
C is for Consistency
The saying, “out of sight, out of
mind” rings very true when it comes to networking. People who turn up once or
only occasionally run the risk of being forgotten quickly and/or can be seen as
not serious networkers.
Admittedly not every style of networking meets with an
individual’s personal choice. However successful networking is built upon
reliable, strong relationships, which equals consistency.
Good relationships
take time and effort to develop and grow. Attend once and expect instant
results? You’ve got to be kidding!
C is for Collaboration
Two heads are often better than
one, so they say. Once you’ve established yourself in one or more networking
groups that meet your objectives, it is a positive step to explore potential collaborative
partnerships.
Consider linking with others who do what you do, with a different
slant/experience perhaps. Collaborations are ideal to expand thinking, to
bolster support and motivation, and to enhance prospective work opportunities.
C is for Choice
One of my favourite things about
being a self employed networker is the fact that it is my choice with whom I
connect and work with, and it is my choice as to the frequency of where and
when I network.
Choice allows you to be selective and it gives you a freedom
that an employed networking professional typically doesn’t have.
C is for Connector
With networking as my primary
focus to market my services, one thing I have learnt is to see networking as an
opportunity to connect others. Rather than adopting a “selfish” attitude,
however do have a strategy for what you want to achieve, think broadly when you
speak with people and consider how you can connect them to other business
owners you know.
When you become known as a successful connector, people will
flock to you for your knowledge, support and expertise.
|
 |
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
||||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
||||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
||||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
||||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
||||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
||||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
||||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
||||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
||||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
||||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
||||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
||||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
||||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
||||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
||||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
||||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
||||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
||||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
||||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
||||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
||||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
||||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
||||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
||||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
||||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
||||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
||||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
||||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
||||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
||||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
||||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
||||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
||||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
||||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
||||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
||||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
||||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
||||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
||||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
||||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
||||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
||||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
||||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
||||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
||||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
||||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
||||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
||||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
||||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
||||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
||||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
||||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
||||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
||||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
||||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
||||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
||||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
||||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
||||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
||||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
||||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
||||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
||||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
||||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
||||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
||||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
||||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
||||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
||||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
||||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
||||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
||||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
||||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
||||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
||||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
||||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
||||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
||||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
||||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
||||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
||||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
||||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
||||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
||||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
||||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
||||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
||||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
||||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
||||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
||||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
||||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
||||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
||||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
||||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
||||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
||||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
||||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
||||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
||||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
||||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
||||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
||||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
||||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
||||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
||||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
||||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
||||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
||||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
||||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
||||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
||||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
||||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
||||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
||||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
||||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
