One of the most effective marketing methods often overlooked by many business owners is personal networking. Your local chamber or referral group (such as BNI) can be a huge source of new business. Here are some tips to help you network effectively:
Don't just pass out as many business cards as possible. What do you think of someone who just puts his business card in your face and quickly moves onto the next person? Don't be that guy. Two or three meaningful conversations are worth more than hundreds of cards passed out.
Join both your local chamber and a referral group. These two organizations are beneficial in different ways. The chamber offers some great "schmoozing"- type of networking events, often attended by 100 people or more, and a referral group offers quality over quantity. There's usually only one person representing each industry, and you get to build relationships with a solid group of 20 - 50 people. Both types of organizations offer great opportunities.
Join a committee. Make the most of a chamber or referral group by joining a committee. This enables you to get to know people and build trust and rapport, and we all know that people do business or refer others to people they know, trust, and like.
Don't go just once. If you think you can show up to one event and get your phone to ring, think again. Networking takes patience, and offers delayed gratification. People need to get to know you, so that means that you need to keep coming back to these groups. It can be months before you start getting business, but when you do, it's guaranteed to be quality.
So get out there and network!
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