Business Networking is important because people are important. It’s that simple.
People do business with people they know, like, and trust. Companies don’t make decisions, people do. Your professional network can open doors for you and provide you with opportunities you never thought imaginable.
In life – now, past or future, it’s not just what you know or your own capabilities, but it’s who you know. That’s important for both career advancement and business development. You can learn a tremendous amount from people in your network who have experience and expertise.
Yes, networking can be a difficult and awkward process for some people, but there are always more ways to gain when you try rather than lose from not trying. The more effort you put in the better you get at networking and perhaps along the way achieve some of your business objectives. So, it is practice, practice, and more practice.
In the world of professional networking, people prefer to build business relationships with people they see as being valuable. By building a reputation as someone who is talented, helpful, and valuable, people will be more motivated to meet you and stay in touch with you. And you’ll end up building a master network. Let people know what you’re accomplishing and learn through blogging, emails, and conversations.
So, in a nutshell Business Networking is basically a process of creating mutually beneficial relationships with potential clients or other business professionals. The main aim of establishing this relationship is to get some intangible or tangible benefits by connecting with professionals in the same industry or new sectors. Wondering, how to do it effectively?
Often, business networking is done to get some potential benefits and the sharing of knowledge is the most important reason to undertake networking activities. To gain some real advantages of Business Networking, it is essential to know how it can help your business to boost sales and build some awareness of your brand.
One of the very basic ingredients is to have a positive personality that can attract other people, so that they would like to connect with you. Are you an introvert and not able to connect with strangers easily? No worries, this eBook is for you and everyone else. We have shared some amazing tips on how you can connect with strangers at business events and how you can project yourself for maximum impact.
One of the social trends in the business world is Sustainability and people are becoming open to Digital Business Cards. Also, in Virtual Business Networking, how to share your contact details on-line. This is where Digital Business Cards are a handy tool.
Online Networking
There are people out there who are just too introverted or do not like the notion of any kind of physical face-to -face networking. So, we need to devote some words on this subject as with Covid-19 lockdowns, this form of virtual networking has become part of accepted business culture.
Social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook allow you to interact with different types of potential customers. Network platforms like LinkedIn, let you engage with other business professionals. To leverage your social network into a business network, join different groups and stay active on the message boards.
LinkedIn lets you network in a smaller platform, and you can employ a variety of networking techniques. You might not want to post your short company presentation in a forum, but LinkedIn is a good platform for sharing industry knowledge and finding events at which you can network in person. So that once you have met people virtually than it gets easier to meet them in person.
Posting regularly in a LinkedIn group and interacting with selected group members can help you become a top participant, which makes it easier for other group members to find and follow you. Make sure that your posts are high quality and helpful to build a good reputation that can be leveraged effectively.
With Covid-19 pandemic virtual networking events have become very popular. Virtual events appeal to business professionals because they are easier to attend, and you don’t have to travel and so saving time as well. So virtual events, offer ways to network successfully with others -it’s better than not networking at all. How effective they are compared to face-to-face business networking is hard to say.
Conclusion
Business Networking plays a huge role in our business and private lives to bring our emotional and knowledge growth to the next level as part of being and becoming a good person. Your personal character should be open and honest so that you can connect with strangers easily and build a professional master network for yourself. The more transparent you come across, the more effective you will be in your Networking endeavours.
You will meet many professionals at business events that you would like them to be part of your network. Some of these professionals are cool and convey a natural superiority about them. Don’t be discouraged by this, just remember all these professionals also started at the bottom and have acquired the desired skills for networking by attending many events. So, it is down to practice, practice, and more practice. The more effort you put in the better you will get at it.
One of the side benefits of business networking is for you to be able to “calibrate” your business skills and knowledge against your equal peers.