Social networking that grows your business If you’re looking to increase your client base, always search for networking events that your potential clients could be attending. A glance at the event description will help you gauge the likelihood that your potential client will be there. If you’re not sure, then ask yourself what your potential client is looking for and whether this event could be the answer to their search. When you are at the event, interact with as many people as possible. These opportunities are like mini job interviews. Introduce yourself and keep the conversation light with social or general work topics that avoid debate and hostility. For example, sports, current events, and the weather are fairly neutral. You may even talk about your background and your work. When you are asked a question, try to keep your answers less than a minute long to avoid babbling. Show that you’re interested in the other person by using your active listening skills. Nod and acknowledge points that he or she is making. Use appropriate body language, such as maintaining eye contact and facing the person you are speaking to. If the person you are talking to is a little on the quiet side, guide the conversation with open-ended questions such as, “How long have you been in business?” instead of closed questions (that request yes/no answers) such as, “Have you been to this event before?” Instead of expecting to get something out of the meeting right away, give value first. Instead of just looking for potential clients, and abruptly ending the conversation when you realize this person will never do business with you, find out what you can do to give them value. Ask what brings her to the networking event to see what she is looking for. Maybe she wants a specific type of business connection. Ask someone to tell you more about his business and compliment him on an aspect that you like. This attitude of giving value will make you instantly likable. As you continue to network, your new business acquaintance might introduce you to others at the event. Having someone introduce you to a stranger makes it much easier to connect with others than by starting a conversation from the cold. Similarly, introduce people you’ve just met to others. At the end of the event, you may find yourself with a whole deck of business cards and possibilities. In summary: connect by talking about social topics, practice active listening, add value to others, and introduce new connections to your network.
Follow up with new connections as soon as possible When you return to your office after a networking event, it’s easy to get caught up with all the tasks that you missed during your absence, and to fall back into your usual routine. Set some time aside to follow up with the new connections you made at the event. If you can, send them an email within 24 hours. Keep your new collection of business cards organized. I sometimes write a quick note on each one to remind me where I met each person. If you’re more ambitious, enter each new connection into a database. This way, if someone asks you if you know an event photographer, you have people you can recommend. As I go through the list of new connections, I also note who I said I would follow up with. Following up on promises is crucial when you have your own businesses. People get a sense of how trustworthy and reliable you are right from the start of your new connection. If you said you would shoot them an email to set up a meeting time, send that email to mention where you connected and remind them of the purpose of your meeting. If you said you were going to introduce someone to your network, email them to make the introduction. It’s possible a quick email to refer Pam, who you met at the networking event, to Steven, who you know is great at marketing, will start a series of opportunities. You never know. For example, Steven may thank you by sending you some real estate business from his network. Or Pam might send you useful links to websites that give you some good business leads. The possibilities from a single networking event can be very far-reaching. In summary, follow up with connections as soon as possible, whether it is to set up a time for another meeting, or to introduce people to each other from your network.
Check that your information is up to date and easily available New connections will want to know more about you. First, if they met many people at the event, they might not remember details about you right away. Have some keywords on your business card that jog their memory. “Realtor.” “I help you with your marketing needs.” “Business consultant.” If your business card doesn’t have your photo, make sure your LinkedIn profile has one. They may look you up on LinkedIn to remind them who they were talking with about X business opportunity! Your profile may also have details about skills that interest them, even if it didn’t come up in conversation. For example, a woman I met was looking for someone with publishing experience, but we had only talked about marketing. When she saw publishing in my profile, she inquired about it. Your website is also an excellent source of information about you and your company. A new contact can find testimonials vouching for your great service. It is also where they can subscribe to your blog and continue to get information about your business niche. I started a partnership when a new contact suggested posting a referral to his company on my website. The benefit was my clients could enjoy a discount for his services, and he would pay me an amount for the referral. It’s not the same as an affiliate program, but it’s a similar idea. In summary, your LinkedIn profile and your website are ways to help increase your business. When someone refers leads to you, promote them back by sending business their way. You can also work out a type of partnership that is mutually beneficial.
Pay it forward The overall idea for successfully increasing your client base is to pay it forward. When you meet someone new at a networking event, or even online through a LinkedIn group, add value to them first. Always add value first. Even if it’s just to compliment them if you can’t think of a way to help out their business. When you meet someone for the first time, listen intently and show interest in what they do. It will make a favorable initial impression. You want people to see how much you want to help others, and how much other people matter to you. Think of ways to help people without considering how you can get money back for your time. Entrepreneurs aren’t paid by the hour or by salary. They don’t necessarily get rewarded every two weeks for their hard work with a paycheque. Sometimes they send out all these good vibes, follow up on leads, and build new bridges… and don’t reap the reward until weeks or months later when a referral turns into a paid project or a lucrative partnership. Sometimes a promising lead turns into nothing. However, if you focus on paying it forward, if you work on helping others first, eventually, you start to get results! If you enjoyed this article, subscribe to make sure you don’t miss the next post!
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