A Couple Pointers on Building Your Network

Okay team so here is another blog full of great advice for other entrepreneurs and emerging business people. This may seem pretty elementary to some because it’s so simple, but too often we get so caught up in growing our business through business channels that we end up ignoring opportunities that can be established through our existing personal channels.

Chances are your business isn’t your only interest, and you may have an interest in soccer, cycling, fashion, computers, hockey, cars, anything really. Make sure that people you have relationships with in those communities know what you do, whether they’re your team, on an online forum, facebook, whatever. If they ever need services in line with what you do, they’ll be more inclined to go with somebody that they have something in common with and at least sort of know, than with a stranger from the yellow pages. Moreover, those people will often refer you to other people if they need something (because everyone loves having “connections”). I’m not saying force your key selling points down people’s throats, I’m saying if you’re comfortable with it don’t be shy about sharing your business with people that don’t necessarily know the entrepreneur side of you.

This next tip is a bit more on the B2B side, but worth knowing anyways…

If you’re in tune with the small business community, or have a large social circle, or are just a super friendly person you likely find yourself in a lot of conversations where you have the opportunity to talk to others about your business. And in a city like Calgary you no doubt find yourself talking to other people with their own businesses. But key to the art of schmoozing isn’t telling other people about what you do, its learning more about what they do. Developing a genuine interest and asking a lot of questions about what other people do immediately establishes a strong rapport will identify you as someone easy to work with. Not only this, but it will help you identify whether or how you can find new clients or create partnerships with other businesses.

The last thing is, have a business card at the ready at all times, and make it a good one that fits your personality and business. This is really important because when the other person walks away from the conversation, that’s what they have to remember you by. And I really don’t mean to knock anybody who has business cards with perforations around the side that you can print on your own printer, but spending the extra $50 on printing at a print shop will show clients that you are committed to your businesses and want to relay a sharp, professional image.
By the way, sorry if this post seems a little disjointed, I’m a little hungry right now and ended up rambling and changing the topic of this post a few times. If you’ve read this far you deserve a gold star!