Why
Do You Network?
by
Biba F. Pedron
After
spending the last four years organizing business networking
events, I still don’t have the answer to why some people
go to them.
The
only goal for most people who attend networking events seems
to be to collect business cards. They have the feeling of
a great event if they come back home with 30 or more business
cards.
How
many of you follow up with everybody after each event?
How many people who you met follow up with you?
When
I train people on networking, either one-on-one or in a group
and ask those two questions, I usually have the same answer.
“Oh
yes I follow-up, I send an email the next day”. My next
question is, “What do you do after this email?”
and the usual answer is, “Well, nothing, because I don’t
know what to do next”.
So
what is the purpose of spending two to three hours at a networking
event and pay $20 to $50 each time, if it is just to go and
say hello to some people who you will never contact again.
Repeat the process two to three times a week, and this is
a big waste of time AND money.
I
recently attended a business expo, and, of course I met a
number of people. I didn’t take everybody’s’
business cards, only the ones I had an interest in. I also
spoke with the owners of two different booths, because they
had a product I was interested in purchasing. I asked all
of my questions, explained why I needed the product, gave
them my card, and asked them to contact me to close the sale
after the expo. This was a very easy sell for them, but guest
what? None of them followed up with me or even returned my
e-mails. Well, they both lost a sale, because I didn’t
find them to be very professional.
I
guess that if they didn’t follow-up with me, chances
are that they didn’t follow-up with other people either.
So what was the purpose of having a table at this expo?
What
is your goal when you attend a networking event?
Are you trying to get new contacts to buy your product or
service, or do you give the opportunity for people to get
to know you, as the first step of your networking system?
People
are always surprised in my training when I say that I never
try to sell anything during an event. One of my secrets is
that my business card mentions, “The Connection Queen”,
which usually gets me lots of comments and questions:
“How
do you speak with strangers?”,
“How do you introduce yourself without being pitchy?”
“How to you leave people if you are not interested in
what they are doing?”, and so on.
My
only purpose is to listen to people, see how I can give them
a contact, a resource, or some advice. It shows them my expertise
without selling anything, but offering them to participate
in my free e-course, “15 Ways to Maximize Your Networking
Results”, to get the answer to all of their questions.
Offering them my free e-course is a way to get them to sign-up
for my weekly newsletter and get a chance to know me, trust
me, and later, buy my product or service when they are ready.
I
attend networking events to build a long-term relationship
with people, not to collect business cards or to sell anything.
So why do you network?
Try
to think of your strategy for a moment. Test different approaches;
stop selling and start implementing a follow-up system. You
will get much more results and will attract your ideal clients,
and only your ideal clients, the ones who really appreciate
your services. Clients who like and trust you, clients who
respect your knowledge and experience, and, very importantly,
clients who will work with you in the long term, will refer
you to people like them. This means more ideal clients.
Still
struggling to develop your follow-up system? Check
out my program, “Power
of Networking Secrets” where I reveal my
proven Seven-Step Follow-Up system.
www.powerofnetworkingsecrets.com
About the author
Biba
F. Pédron, also known as The Connection
Queen, is a marketing consultant, founder of Biba4Network,
that specializes in networking for small business owners in
the greater New York area an in France. Biba helps entrepreneurs
to maximize their networking results so that they can grow
their businesses faster.
Biba
is the author of “Start Your Dream Business Today! The
Proven 11 Steps to Start and Grow Your Own Business”.
www.startyourdreambusinesstoday.com
For
more information or to receive free tips like this one, please
visit
www.theconnectionqueen.com
NOTE:
You’re welcome to “reprint” this article
online as long as it remains complete and unaltered (including
the “about the author” info at the end), and you
send a copy of your reprint Biba
F. Pedron
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