Having a good network of contacts is essential for companies and professionals who want to prosper and maximize opportunities through their relationships. However, it is common for many entrepreneurs to neglect the habit of networking. If you still don’t know what networking is or don’t understand the importance of building a solid professional network of contacts, you’re in the right place. Follow today’s post and understand why and how to create connections to leverage new business and boost your company!
What is Networking?
Networking – or contact networking – is nothing more than the habit of cultivating professional relationships and, whenever necessary, using this network for a specific purpose. In companies, it is common for networking to be used to strengthen commercial relationships and foster new business. Having a solid and extensive network of contacts, however, can go far beyond commercial transactions.
It is through networking that any entrepreneur can exchange information and experiences with other managers, discover new opportunities for growth and even find good employees for their team. Therefore, anyone who owns a business or is thinking about opening a company needs to always be aware of their network of contacts. After all, building these connections will always be a good alternative – regardless of the company’s area of activity.
Why is Networking Important?
As you can see, networking helps professionals get closer – allowing them to exchange experiences and opening doors to new partnerships and business. More than just maintaining good relationships, however, networking allows you to get closer to people who can contribute a lot with their contacts, whether professional or personal. An entrepreneur who is taking the first steps in his own business, for example, can find consistent support in networking when looking for new business partners.
This network of contacts can also be very useful in strengthening the professional image of the administrator and boosting the name of his company. After all, if you have already established some type of partnership with some of your contacts and were successful in this endeavor, they will certainly have positive feedback to share with others – which can strengthen your name and guarantee you a few more new partnerships.
How to create connections to leverage new business?
It may seem simple, but creating connections to leverage new business requires any entrepreneur to pay attention and make an effort to identify the relationships that actually make sense to maintain. For example, there is no point in cultivating a network with companies and people who are not aligned with the philosophy and objectives of your business. To be efficient, a network of contacts needs to be well structured – always seeking to maintain professionals and companies that can add value to your business in a variety of ways.
The key to successful networking is to always pay attention to how you relate to your network of contacts. Staying close to your contacts so that they are remembered at the right time, for example, is essential to obtaining tangible results from your networking. On the other hand, it is also important that you are always helpful and make yourself available to your network of contacts. This way, you increase your chances of maintaining a solid relationship with other companies and professionals and, consequently, of fostering new business.
5 practical tips for creating (and maintaining) good networking
Check out 5 practical tips below that can help you build and maintain a good network for your company:
01) Prepare small meetings
A good tip for creating and maintaining a good network is to organize small meetings to interact with your contacts. Consider organizing breakfasts or lunches and take advantage of these opportunities to connect with each of the guests. Remember that face-to-face interaction is essential to increase the chances of doing new business and bringing partnerships to your company.
02) Share your reading tips
Sharing an interesting article, news story or even a video with your network of contacts is another practice that should be maintained by those who want to maintain a solid network. To do this, it is worth using social networks such as LinkedIn or Facebook and even WhatsApp. Just remember to be reasonable and avoid excessive messages and sharing.
03) Be available
Being available and helpful when a member of your network reaches out to you is another important tip for building and maintaining a good network. This type of behavior can be very useful for deepening relationships and making new business.
04) Participate in events
A person who is stuck in the office every day will have a hard time making new contacts. So, don’t forget to attend events and meetings where you can meet new people and improve your networking. List events that interest you that could be strategic for new connections and make sure you attend them. It’s also worth finding out who will be at the event and checking the possibility of strengthening relationships with specific people who could contribute to your business in some way.
05) Be authentic
Being an authentic person who knows how to express themselves and who offers an interesting and fluid conversation is essential to creating connections that will boost new business and partnerships. Authenticity is highly appreciated by any company or professional and can count in your favor when it comes to closing partnerships or expanding your network. Therefore, always try to be honest with your contacts, show genuine interest in them and their difficulties, and avoid giving the impression of being something you are not.
This will make it much easier to create a solid network of contacts and do good business for your company. Now that you know the importance of good networking and creating connections to boost new business, how about putting the tips in this post into practice to help your company grow? Start creating (or increasing) your network right now and see the benefits that this habit can bring to your business!