Networking, creating win-win relationships
Feb 17, 2020
If we ask different people what networking (social networks) is, we will find many different answers, and these will depend on how much they use this important personal and professional activity.
In any industry or professional level, networks help you make connections in a personal way and to build relationships of support and respect in order to discover and create mutual benefits. This is an important point, to make business connections not only for your benefit, but also to share and mutually help each other to reach your goals. The main objective is to meet people, form a trusting relationship, get involved, and provide support. Perhaps sometimes you will realize that the products or services do not necessarily have anything to do with yours, but maybe you know someone who could benefit.
Imagine attending those events with the mentality to help and collaborate with other people or companies, the amount of satisfaction and knowledge you will get goes beyond just numbers, in addition, you will probably meet a contact that could benefit from the services that you offer.
One Association that is based on this principle is BNI (Business Networking International) where members are committed to help each other out.
On the other hand, the Chambers of Commerce or Industries in your area are another source of help and growth, I suggest you look into the associations that exist in your area, you will be surprised about everything they do and what they contribute to your sector.
Another benefit of networking is the generating of new ideas, the exchange of information about the challenges, problems and possible solutions could generate that idea you were searching for.
During many events they tend to do what they call work round tables, where they present a subject to discuss and many times you can learn something new. Exchanging ideas with other people in your field or with people with different levels of experience can help you get information and open your eyes to new opportunities, you can even meet someone who has already gone through the situations you are currently facing and they may share with you how they resolved their problem.
Take into account that networking can also be used to ask opinions about a specific subject that could help you see the problem from a different perspective and like we said, even find the solution you were looking for. In other words, establishing business networks helps you grow your vision and also your experience. The simple fact of generating new ideas gives you a new perspective, solutions, or methods that will change your vision of the businesses.
As you can see, the benefits of networking are many, you can get to know potential clients or suppliers, increase the visibility of your company, many times even get agreements, commitments to participate and/or invest, or simply meet people that you can help as well and give references.
Some tips for good networking:
To obtain good results in a networking event, it’s necessary to go with an open mind, recognizing your abilities but also all of your weak points. Here we give you some tips to help you break the ice and create connections that will allow you to grow your business.
- Be proactive. Don’t wait until people come up to you, initiate a conversation. At the beginning it will seem intimidating but little by little you will get used to it and do it naturally.
- Practice come questions to break the ice. For example: Hello good morning/evening, very nice to meet you, my name is xxx, yours? Tell me about your company? How did you learn about this event? The other person will probably be thankful that you initiated the conversation and will ask you the same questions, this way you will discover points in common. Remember to show interest in the other person more than in yourself, the fact that you ask about their company first will not only open the door for him or her to ask you questions about yours, the other person will realize that you have a genuine interest in helping and thus be more open to listen to you.
- Prepare your presentation (Pitch). When it’s your turn it’s important to have “the pitch” prepared, that is, a brief presentation about the benefits of your product or service, what’s important is that you peak their interest so that they ask you to explain further. For example: “At Aldin we are experts in helping you free up time in your schedule so that you can achieve your goals and reduce your level of stress”.
- Be brief. Remember that in these events it’s not about monopolizing or selling your products or services, but rather about creating contacts that will later turn into win-win relationships.
- Follow up immediately, within 24 hours at the latest. This is a very important point, it’s not about collecting business cards, but about following up on the conversations you had in order to know more about the products and services that each participant offers and thus establish win-win agreements where possible.
Remember that business is not done company to company, but person to person and always looking for a win-win mentality.
© 2020, All Rights Reserved, Aldin Consulting Group, LLC.
Alicia Díaz-Blevins
[email protected]
www.aldingroup.com
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