In these times, business owners need all they can have in order to become competitive, much less stay afloat. One of the things that you can expend your energies on is networking. After all, you never know what benefits you can reap from your business network. Here are some tips to help you create a business network successfully.
Be real
Networking has gotten so much flak because of one reason: people tend to put their best foot forward and forget about being genuine. In order to build a really successful network for your business, remember that being real is the key. You want to build genuine relationships and not presenting your true colors will not only prove to be unsuccessful in the long run, but even disastrous.
Volunteer when you can
This works two ways. One, you can gain and retain a visible position within a group. This is always good for networking. Two, you can give back to the group from which you are benefitting. Call it a symbiotic relationship if you will.
Don’t be afraid to ask questions
And when you do, try to keep them as open ended as possible. In this manner, you will be able to gather as much information as you can, which is always useful in networking. This could prove to be a task for some, especially if they are used to asking closed ended questions but it will work out in the end. In relation to this, do not hesitate to provide information and answers if you have them. This will not only help you gain more visibility but also show others that you are not slow to help out.
Originally posted on December 10, 2010 @ 4:19 pm