<p>Many people perceive networking to be an intensely scheduled 7 am meeting, where everyone gives a pitch about who they are and what they do. That's one way to network, but it's not the only way.</p>
<p>Have you ever met somebody in a social situation, and later you developed a business relationship? It happens all the time. And for good salespeople, they <em>make sure</em> it happens all the time. Master networkers continually put themselves in social situations that can turn into business.</p>
<p>WARNING: Don't go into a party with a stack full of business cards, just repeating your elevator pitch to everyone you meet. That's not genuine, and people will smell it.</p>
<p>If you truly want to harness the power of networking, <em>make friends.</em></p>
<p>The rules have not changed since you were a kid. </p>
<ol>
<li>Be nice. </li>
<li>Ask questions. </li>
<li>Act interested. </li>
<li>Find some common ground. </li>
<li>And then, when you have established a <em>genuine</em> connection, hand over your card, and describe what you do.</li>
</ol>
<p>Don't close your new friend. Don't even pitch your new friend. Instead, develop your friendship. Invite your new friend to an event they would like, or introduce them to someone in their own line of work. (Better yet, introduce them to a prospective customer!)</p>
<p>Where, you may ask, does one find a new friend? This is where it gets easy: what do you like to do? What have you always wanted to learn? Where can you find a group of people who can talk for hours with you about a subject you find interesting?</p>
<p><a href="http://www.meetup.com">Meetup.com</a> is a great resource for finding stuff to do in your neighborhood. Whether you want to brush up on your Spanish skills, watch a 1960s horror movie, or talk about the latest Eckhart Tolle book, there is a Meetup near you, this month, that you would enjoy. Go and have fun, and be sure and pass out your card before you leave.</p>
<p>You can also take a class at a community college. Over ten weeks, you naturally develop friendships with your classmates, and it is natural for those friendships to develop into business relationships, so long as you remember to keep mentioning what you do. If your new friend does not need your services, they may know someone who does.</p>
<p>If there is a cause you feel strongly about, volunteer! Take a few hours every month to do some good in the world, and the people you meet in the course of your volunteer work will automatically think well of you just for showing up.</p>
<p>If you are hesitant about selling yourself, here is an easy pitch: Hand your card over, and say, "The way I grow my business is through referrals. If you know anyone who can use my services, please pass my name along." Give this pitch to fifty new friends this year, and you will definitely have referrals coming your way.</p>
<p>Best of all, this prospecting takes place while you are doing something you like to do anyway. Suddenly, your hobbies become tax-deductible. How cool is that?</p>
<p>There's another Jeffrey Gitomer quote I like: "All things <em>not</em> being equal, people <em>still</em> want to do business with their friends." You can make a very good career, even if you are not the best at what you do, just by being friendly.</p>
2009-02-03T20:51:25Z
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build-your-business-by-making-friends
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2009-02-03T22:22:23Z
2009-02-03T22:22:23Z
Jeffrey Gitomer said it best: "All things being equal, people want to do business with their friends."
If you want to grow your business, go make friends!
Build your Business by Making Friends
0
2009-02-24T09:49:04Z