Resumo de Networking

The goal of networking is always essentially the same: Reach as many people as possible, and make every connection count. It's a necessary tool for every homebased-business owner who wants to increase sales and visibility efficiently and inexpensively. One way to begin networking is to join at least two organizations: one related to your peer group and another related to the target market of your business. The target market group allows you to meet people, exchange ideas and possibly expand your client base, while the peer group promotes the sharing of knowledge and referrals with others in your field.
Networking is building up a stable of friends who can help you and your business. To find associations in your field, Waymon suggests asking colleagues and searching The Encyclopedia of Associations (a reference book published by Gale Research and available at most public libraries). Finding an appropriate peer group can be as simple as examining what you already do on a daily basis. "Everyone is a potential member of a group in about six different arenas-family, a church or religious organization, an alumni association, a trade or industry group, a hobby group, a sports team or a children's organization," Waymon says. Waymon believes there are three key moments in typical patterns of human interaction when you can take greatest advantage of networking; she calls them the "million-dollar moments" of networking. "These three key moments happen over and over in every relationship," she says. "If you can get good at them, then you have a network." These are the three million-dollar networking moments when you can make an impression: exchanging names, presenting your job title and making small talk. When exchanging names. This is your chance to teach another person your name and make sure you remember his or hers. Waymon recommends saying your name twice, slowly. This way, she says, you give people two chances to remember your name. And giving the other person a trick or tip to remember your name further cements it in his or her mind. When making small talk. Don't pass up the opportunity to make the most of mundane questions. Waymon, who has studied networking in social settings since 1987, says such questions can actually offer opportunities for exchange. "Create an agenda of topics you can discuss -- something that you know, care about or are looking for," she says. "Choose an item from your personal agenda and one from your business agenda." For example, when someone asks Waymon "What's new?" she answers, "I just went to gospel singing camp." A business-related response might be, "I'm learning a new software program." Networking is a Two-Way Street
"Before you go to a meeting, spend two to three minutes thinking about what you have to offer, what you need to get from the networking opportunity and ways you can sell yourself," advises Beverley Williams, president of the American Association of Home-Based Businesses. "If you make contact by asking for help, people feel less threatened, because it isn't as if you're asking them to buy something. It helps to join groups that give you an opportunity to get to know people on occasions that aren't selling situations."
Brennan has discovered that everyone counts in networking. "Everybody you meet matters -- not just those in your field," Brennan says. "You can discover new contacts and ideas from the person you sit next to at the church picnic or in your child's dentist's office, someone sitting across from you at the bank or your wife's business associate. What matters is being interested and sharing your ideas -- what you like, do, or are interested in. Don't worry about trying to sell yourself. If you are genuinely interested and share your thoughts with people, new ideas and contacts will naturally emerge. Networking generates the unpredictable."

Set Goals
Before attending a meeting, consider what you hope to give and receive. Plan ahead to present this in a way that will make your business memorable. Williams believes you will be most successful if you're able to say, "I do this, and if you need this, call me." Williams recently did this at a Chamber of Commerce meeting she attended. There were many desktop publishers at the meeting and she knew she would have to say something unique about her business in order to stand out. She had recently found a printer who offered recycled paper at the same price as regular paper, so she stood and said, "As a desktop publisher, I've always wanted to be environmentally safe. I am now able to offer affordable recycled paper in my business." At the end of the meeting, at least three people were ready to place orders with her.
However you choose to go about it, networking offers opportunities to build your business by discovering new resources and building your client base. By planning ahead, joining groups and actively sharing your ideas on a daily basis, you will continue to make contacts who will add ideas -- and customers -- to your business.

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