“It’s not what you know, it’s who you know.”
Networking through CBRG allows you access to opportunities you might not find on your own. CBRG network has the potential to provide you with insight into different fields, information on what potential customers look for, and advice on how you can improve professionally.
Networking Assists in Identifying Opportunities
Business networking is an effective low-cost marketing method for developing sales opportunities and contacts, based on referrals and introductions – either face-to-face at meetings and gatherings, or by other contact methods such as phone, email, and increasingly social and business networking websites.
Networking gives us a pool of experts that range from competitors to clients, and allows us to offer something to them; hopefully in exchange for their services, advice, knowledge, or contacts. Learning from other’s experiences before investing time and money in a particular venture is always invaluable.
Skills Needed in Business Networking
Business networking gives business people the ability to collaborate with other experts to help them grow their businesses or improve their professional lives.
The most important skill for effective business networking is listening; focusing on how you can help the person you are listening to rather than on how they can help you is the first step to establishing a mutually beneficial relationship. Be sure to exchange business cards, and follow up later discussing points or topics brought up in conversations.
Networking assists in identifying opportunities for partnerships, joint ventures, or new areas of expansion for business. Taking advantage of the experiences of others before investing time and money in a particular venture is always invaluable.
Much of local business is still done on a handshake basis, and the best way to network with other local business owners and entrepreneurs is through face-to-face meetings and local business groups.
Networking is ideal for expanding knowledge base by taking advantage of viewpoints and prior experience of others. For instance, if you are thinking of exporting your products or services, you may get some valuable advice from someone else who has done similar business internationally. Networking builds confidence, that your business and the methods you have employed to run and manage it are competitive and comparable to similar businesses.
A business network of contacts is both a route to market for you and a marketing method. Business networking offers a way to reach decision-makers which might otherwise be very difficult to engage with using conventional advertising methods. Business networking creates awareness of or keeps abreast of the latest trends or technology in the industry. Networking can also provide professional mentors or contacts who are able to assist with problems you might need help.
Business networking is a way for you to make the maxim. The principles and techniques of business networking are mostly common sense. Many of the behavioral principles apply also to business and relationships generally, and specifically to selling, managing, coaching, facilitating, etc. If you are willing to form and maintain the relationship, a single contact could get you into meetings with several companies without you having to work to form connections at each one.
