Networking

1.   Referrals = Increased business

When others know what you do and what you have to offer, they are much more confident in referring a friend or customer to you.  When you contact a customer due to a referral you already have a common knowledge which encourages a positive first meeting.  The increase in business from networking is the major advantage, but there are many others as well.

2.   Connections to people with similar interests
“It’s not WHAT you know, but WHO you know”. This is so true in business. If you want a really successful business, then you need to have a great source of relevant connections in your network that you can call on when you need them.  Because sometimes its WHO THEY know that makes a difference in the success of your business.

3.   Opportunities to try new ideas
With a motivated group of business owners comes an abundance of opportunities! There are always lots of opportunities that come from networking and, in fact, this is where the benefits of business networking are huge!  Just make sure you are jumping on board with the right opportunities and don’t go jumping into every opportunity that comes your way. The opportunities that you get involved in should align with your business goals/vision, otherwise you might find that you are spinning your wheels chasing after opportunities and getting nowhere.

4.   Advice from those in the know
Having like-minded business owners to talk to also gives you the opportunity to get advice from them on all sorts of things related to your business or even your personal life and obtaining that important work-life balance.  Networking is a great way to tap into advice and expertise that you wouldn’t otherwise be able to get. Just make sure you are getting solid advice from the right person – someone that actually knows about what you need to know and is not just giving you their opinion on something in which they have no or very little experience.

5.   Raise your profile to be noticed
Being visible and getting noticed is a big benefit of networking. Make sure you regularly attend business and social events that will help to get your face known. You can then help to build your reputation as a knowledgeable, reliable and supportive person and your business as dependable, trustworthy and valuable. You are also more likely to get more leads and referrals because they know you and what you have to offer.

6.   Positive Influence on yourself and others
The people that you hang around with and talk to do influence who you are and what you do.  It is important to be surrounding yourself with positive, uplifting people that help you to grow and thrive as a business owner. Networking is great for this, since business owners that are using networking are usually people that are really interested in improving their business and their community.

7.   Increased confidence
By regularly networking and pushing yourself to talk to people you don’t know will increase your confidence. This is really important as a business owner, because your business growth is very dependent on talking to people and making connections.  Networking is great for people that lack confidence as it really pushes them to grow and learn how to be involved in conversations and lasting connections with people they don’t know.

8.   Friendship
Many friendships form as a result of networking because most of you are all like-minded business owners that want to grow your businesses. You meet and help each other regularly, so naturally strong friendships tend to form.  When you become an integral part of a growing and prosperous business community, camaraderie happens.  We are all in this together…we help each other…we all benefit… and we enjoy doing it…together.  Sounds like friendship!