The Benefits of Networking
With the holiday season well and truly over, and it is time to get back to business.
Word of mouth is still one of the most popular and cost effective ways to promote your business, and what better to do this than to mix with other business people at networking events.
I can thing of 4 reasons why you should invest the time into networking:
- Increase in business – This is probably the most obvious benefit and the reason most business owners decide to participate in networking activities and join networking groups.
The great news is that the referrals that you get through networking are normally high quality and most of the time are even pre-qualified for you. You can then follow up on these referrals/leads and turn them into clients. So you are getting much higher quality leads from networking than other forms of marketing.
- Sharing knowledge – Networking is great for sharing ideas and knowledge. The people in your network will come from a wide variety of backgrounds offering a broad range of perspectives and wisdom. Asking for feedback or discussing your point of view will help you expand your knowledge and allow you to see things from another perspective.
- Builds relationships – The more contacts you make and the more relationships you build, the more people you’ll know, and the better your chance of knowing the right person. You never know what “right” person you may need in the future. In the beginning, just make as many connections as you can. Stay in contact with them, and it will give you a good group of people to draw from for future needs.
- Friendships – Lastly, this one is more personal related rather than business related, but is a big benefit none-the-less. Many friendships form as a result of networking because (mostly) you are all like-minded business owners that want to grow your businesses, and you meet and help each other regularly, so naturally strong friendships tend to form. Some of my strongest friendships have been started from networking.
One area that Coffs Harbour does well is providing opportunities for businesses to be able to get together and network. The Chamber of Commerce holds breakfast meeting each month which is a wonderful way to meet other business men and women and promote you business.
Get set for some Networking on the Golf Course!
This month the Chamber will be hosting the Coffs Harbour Chamber of Commerce Mbt Lawyers Annual Corporate Golf Day which is another great way to network with other business and enjoy a round at Bonville. So place the 17th March in your diary and get a team together and joins us for a great day. For further details contact the Chamber office on 6651 4101 or go to events.