I’m 4 months into my start-up business Viridi Connection and have reaffirmed to myself that the most successful way to generate new business is through word of mouth from my network of friends and acquaintances.
Thus far, all my lead generation has come from Word of Mouth, yet, I have also spent a lot of time, effort and budget through Social Media Channel which generates significant awareness but not much in the way of lead generation.
So, I’ve decided to rebalance my lead generation efforts towards Word of Mouth networking and learned some really useful tips from the Business Network International (BNI) training material I studied. Deep within this training material I uncovered the 10 Commandments of Business Networking which I thought I’d share with you but first there are two hygiene factors you must adhere to;
1. Arrive early to all meetings in order to devote time to networking.
2. You must be an active participant, its not Netsit, its not Neteat, its Network, so be active!
The 10 Commandments of networking are;
1. Have your networking tools with you at all times i.e Name badge, Business Cards and Pen.
2. Set a goal for the number of people you want to meet.
3. Act like a Host, not like a Guest at events.
4. Listen and ask the 5 “W” questions;
1) Who ? 2) What? 3) When? 4) Where? 5) Why?
5. Give a referral whenever possible – listen for a need and refer the person to someone in your network.
6. Describe your product or service.
7. Exchange business cards with the people you meet.
8. Spend 10 minutes or less with the people you meet at events and do not linger with friends and associates.
9. Write comments on the back of business cards you collect.
10. Follow up with the people you meet.
Commit to sticking to these 10 Commandments and you are certain to see your network grow !
In Summary;
- Networking helps you create visibility in the marketplace and connect with others who can add value to your business.
- Follow the 10 commandments of networking to maximise your networking opportunities at each meeting.
- Pay attention to body language cues when working a room and joining conversations.
I hope you gained something from this article and if you liked it please click “Like”.
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