The Secret to Successful Networking

Let's face it: if you are in the marketing, advertising, sales, or business industry, or if you currently own your own business, then you've probably heard of networking. It is one of the most popular ways to generate both revenue and future customers in the business marketplace, and in some instances, it is widely understated. You can have one of the best products or services in the market today, but if you don't know any people, then you're probably going nowhere fast.

In its simplest form, networking is a fairly easy method to understand. It involves getting to know people who might be able to use your services, or who might know people who could use them. There is a long and complicated chain of people in the aforementioned industries who communicate with one another, and if they're already talking, shouldn't they be talking about your business?

Networking is about geting the word out, and about making sure people know you exist. Invite people to view your website, give them your business card, pass out brochures; any number of things can start the consumer mills churning, but you do have to know how to talk to people. And, more importantly, you have to know how to listen to people.

For the sake of this article, let's assume that you own your own business, and that you're trying to market your service to other businesses. This is called "Business to Business" marketing, and is one of the most difficult facets of marketing. You are trying to show another business owner why your service supercedes that of the competition. A daunting task, at best.

One of the best places to facilitate this type of conversations is at organizations meetings. Attend conferences where large groups of people in your target audience attend, and stretch out feelers to those who might be able to benefit from your services.

Of course, it is not that easy. Your competition is almost assuredly at these same conferences, and is doing his best to win clientele. You have to be better, faster, and more efficient than your competition, and you have to make sure that your potential clients know this as well. Effective methods of "B2B" marketing begins with your conversation skills, because before you can pitch these potential clients, you have to get to know them, and they have to get to know you. Most businesses won't even consider working with you if you don't seem to care about how you can benefit them.

So you're at one of the organizational conferences, and you meet up with a potential client. Let's say he is involved in real estate, and you wish to design his website. This is a service that can benefit him, and you want him to know what a great job you can do on his website. How do you let him know that?

It all starts with your conversation opener. No one wants to hear a commercial during your first meeting. Start by asking him about his business, or about how he got involved in real estate. Appear genuinely interested in him and his business, and everything else will fall into place. Here are a few conversation openers:

1) How did you get involved in real estate?

Stories are the spice of life, and the key to a person's character. It's fascinating to hear how people make their ways through careers - much more interesting, often, than a simple description of what they do every day. Dig in to the story!

2) So, where do you think the real estate industry is going? I don't know much about it, but what types of things are people buying these days?

Want to understand how you can help a real estate agent? Learn about his perspective on the current trends in the industry.

3) Where are you from?

This might sound cliche, but it can have its benefits. People love to talk about their past, for the most part, and you can gain maximum insight into a person's character and personality by hearing them talk about their home town. Find out how their formative years helped shape who they are today, as well as their career choice.

4) What's your favorite thing to do outside of work?

This has nothing to do with work, but it can lead to a more personal relationship that might translate into a business deal. When the real estate agent says, "Bicycling," don't say, "That's neat," and move on; ask specific questions. This gives both of you insight into each other's character, and leaves the floor open for future discussions (and future conversation openers: "Hey, how was your ride last night?")

Here's the bottom line, when it comes to networking: people do business with people they feel connected to. It's more important to make a true connection - by learning that, say, we both have sets of twins and love the opera - than to make a flimsy one, based on the fact that we're both in the printing business (and have absolutely no other shared interest or conversational 'spark'). Business, thank goodness, is populated by people. It's human connections that make things happen.

Practice asking questions and then practice something else: clapping your mouth shut and listening. For some of us, that's a new business skill. The benefit? Priceless.