Sales & Marketing Authority, Bestselling Author & Business Motivational Speaker

Where to Network for the Best Results

Once you’ve become familiar with offline networking by attending a few small gatherings, you’ll want to get down to serious business. I already know that you want to become well known, make sales, meet prospects, and build effective business relationships.

In order to network effectively you’ll need to have a few things:

• A prepared statement you can make about what you do and why it would benefit the person you are speaking to; a commercial, of sorts.
• Dedication to yourself and your business.
• A detailed networking plan.

Your plan will, of course, include details as to when and where you want to market your business. I have found that there are hundreds of opportunities to network on a regular basis, but only a few are absolutely guaranteed to produce results each and every time.

Networking clubs and business organisations. There are plenty of clubs and organisations dedicated solely to allowing business owners to mingle with each other. Many of these clubs will only allow one member per profession. This prevents competition amongst members and allows individuals to network with people who have different skills and services to offer.

Chamber of Commerce business events. Your local Chamber of Commerce is likely to host a number of after-hours networking events throughout the year. These events are usually open to the public and allow both members and non-members to mingle and network.

Get a table at a trade show. Find a general or niche specific trade show or convention. Think out of the box. You will want to find trade shows that specifically target your niche group, but you’ll also want to consider trade shows where those from other walks of life may discover they can use your product or services as well.

Network in restaurants. In a previous post I mentioned being a loyal customer. You should also invite your potential clients to restaurants you frequent regularly. If you know someone who could potentially use the services your client has to offer, invite him as well. This will create a relaxed atmosphere where everyone feels as though he is benefiting from the meeting. As chance has it, one of you will bump into someone else you know, thus extending your networking web even further.

Attend events held by business journals. Business journals love to hold networking events. You may find yourself invited to an exclusive lunch, special happy hour event, or even a seminar. Network not only with other attendees, but with the business journal hosts as well. People who work for business journals have an extensive list of contacts – they have a very broad range of contacts and tend to know everything about everything going on in the marketplace.

My personal experiences have proven these to be some of the most effective networking events you can attend. I do not discount the effectiveness of any other events, but I have found that the above are consistently productive. I’ve made many great business contacts at these events – and a few wonderful friends, too.

Happy Marketing!

Sean

Sean McPheat

Marketing Consultant - Internet Marketing Consultant - Sales Expert