Do you use networking as part of your marketing strategy to grow your business? If you don’t, then you should!
Networking to grow your business
When I began Direct Marketing Solutions in 2010, I attended a few Gold Coast networking events to help market my business. Through these events, I not only expanded my contact base, made friends and grew my business, but I also learnt so much. The groups I attended were targeted to smaller business owners and were very educational, so from that perspective, I did exceptionally well.
Forward on three years, and in 2013, I became a member of a local Gold Coast group that met once a fortnight for breakfast. The format was structured, as any well-planned marketing effort should be! I really enjoyed being a part of that group and met some great people through those breakfasts. The group taught me a lot about what to do well, but also what not to do, which is equally as important. It also gave me a great opportunity to practice my presentation skills in a different outlet.
Joining a networking group
I invested a lot of time in that particular group and got to know members who were also on the same page. The members I managed to connect with and refer business to have go on to become clients and strategic alliance partners, which has hugely benefited my business and theirs
Networking is something that is very personal, and you have to be in the right group in order to meet your objectives. To begin with, I thought networking was all about grabbing as many business cards as possible and trying to get business from those people. I know better now. There are far more productive ways to approach networking, and it will depend on the type of individual you are.
Last week I attended my first networking event on the Gold Coast since September 2014 – School Hours Business Mums. Before going, I was nervous and wasn’t sure what to say or who to say it to!! It just goes to show that even if you figure out how to do something correctly, if you don’t practice, you will lose those skills. The event was well run by Helen from Invisible Business Solutions, and I met some lovely ladies there who I have since connected with.
It made me realise,
I had been out of the networking game for too long, and it’s time to take action again.
Thankfully last Friday, I attended a Networking with Confidence workshop with my client, and friend Janet Culpitt. Janet is THE networking queen, and there is nothing she doesn’t know about building your business through networking.
Her and husband run a successful Financial Planning business on the Gold Coast and have built this up through leads and referrals gained through Janet’s networking. If you ever have the chance to attend an event with Janet, then I would highly recommend that you do.
I left Janet’s event feeling ready to tackle the world of networking, so I’ll be out there socialising this week. If you see me, please say hi and if you’re shy please just smile. It can make the world of difference to these events!