networking is an important part of my business there can't be many businesses who wouldn't want
a steady stream of referrals that business networking provides
nothing beats face-to-face discussions and personal recommendations from people that other
people trust but how do you network efficiently what do you do what do you say at a networking
event now in this video i'll give you some simple tips to make your networking more successful
so there are various kinds of networking events some are regular with the same group of people
each time and some are one-off and all are welcome to attend one of the more popular networking
events is the breakfast meeting now obviously this is held first thing in the morning and a breakfast
is served you can then be back to your place of business with qualified leads without taking a
huge chunk of time out of the day these breakfast meeting networking events are great for business
but they're not so good for the waistline now i've been to a lot of networking events over the
years and i've learned a heap about the process and how to capitalize on it now these would be
the simple lessons i have learned and how to be more effective at networking events
now when i first started going to breakfast meetings i gained kilos in weight as a result
of eating large cooked breakfasts every time now remember your waistline and eat accordingly
if you are able to obtain early information on who will be attending spend
some time studying each individual or person or company and determine who you need to talk to how
you will approach them and what you're going to say if you're going to a regular networking group
you'll be able to search their website for members lists and that'll have name company details
etc prioritize who you will speak with and who would be the best fit for you and your business
when you are talking to people don't babble on uncontrollably about what you do instead
ask plenty of questions about them you're trying to get to the bottom of what their problems are
in the areas where you can assist now when you continuously talk about what you do and try to
sell them your product or service all you do is turn them off however by asking a series of
simple questions you will give them the impression that you are genuinely concerned
about their difficulties now once you've figured out what their top priority is you can promote
yourself as the solution to that problem here are five key questions that i will regularly ask
at networking events so question one what is your top priority when choosing someone to
and then ask a relevant question about the business i'd ask about business value
or how they choose a business broker or what's important to them in business question two why
did you choose that as a priority question three why is that important to you and question four
what are the consequences of not being able to find and you put in there whatever the answer
to questions two and three and fifth and final question why would that worry you now these are
magic questions and must be asked in the order stated above it'll generate a great conversation
and you will find out the motivating factors as to why they would want your product or your service
now you may be required to provide an elevator pitch to advertise your service at
some point during the meeting and make that pitch appealing professional and memorable unless you
regularly have blinding flashes of inspiration don't just wing it remember be prepared make sure
that you know what you're going to say you're an expert in your field and the others in the meeting
are wanting to hear what you say during your pitch so now is not the time to be modest you're likely
to have 45 to 60 seconds so preparation is the key to ensure you cover the points you feel are
most important an excellent strategy which i use regularly is to include a free offer so i might
offer a free one-to-one session with any business owner and provide that business with an appraisal
maybe tips on how to prepare a business for sale and how to get the best price at sale time now i
will often get a referral from someone who is in the early stages of planning and are keen to talk
to me i can then build that relationship over time develop a series of themed pictures especially
if you attend the same networking gathering every week so people aren't bored listening
to you they're more likely to listen to you if they know you'll say something fresh each week
never under estimate the importance of knowing someone who can help you reach out to your target market
now i was able to refer someone to a finance broker who was successful in
providing bank funding for them after they had recently been denied by the banks now as
a result that client became one of my most ardent supporters the ability to recognize
these relationships can be quite beneficial to you in the long run
say what you do and then do what you say if you say you'll follow up
be sure you follow up never ever promise to do anything that you don't intend to accomplish
people will not deal with or refer others to people that behave in this manner it's impolite
unprofessional and a waste of everyone's time including yours now i'm currently
networking with a great group of people if your business could benefit from referrals
and there can't be many out there who wouldn't want a steady stream of referrals contact me to
ask about coming along as my guest for a regular weekly brekkie meeting if you want to know more
watch this hit that subscribe button thanks again for watching till next time see you then