As an entrepreneur or small business owner, you are your best salesperson. If you develop a networking plan and invest the time to get out there and build those key relationships, it will pay great dividends over time. Networking is not a quick-fix — it’s a long-term process. Develop your plan, then exercise patience and discipline by giving it time to work.
How to get a in-person referral group to WORK for you
A referral group can be one of your best resources for developing new business. The steps are simple; however, the execution requires an investment of time from you.
Networking as a Contribution – Re-post of 2004 article by Martin Brossman
The real mission
It’s been refreshing to see the field of sales evolve beyond the pushy stereotype of “yes at any cost” to today’s intelligent vendor-client relationships that thrive long-term. It seems to me that networking, a necessary component of the business scene, has been experiencing a similar transformation of mission. What percent of us, I wonder, conscientiously attending networking breakfasts, luncheons, after-hours and the like, or courageously handing out cards and brochures to anyone within arms length, are catching the new unwritten dynamic which makes networking an expressway to success for some, and a rough path to nowhere for others. As a Life and Business Coach, I admit I’ve had the advantage of knowing how to meet and get to know potential clients, yet even so, it took time for me to appreciate the complex choreography of human relationship that happens at every networking event, from one-on-one for coffee to the city-wide Expo. What I began to see was that networkers with a “what’s in it for me” mindset were failing, and those with a generous “I’m here to help” approach were succeeding. This simple analysis brought me to a definitive “aha” and I’m bursting to share with you what real networking is (and what it’s not).
– Martin Brossman