Business Networking Events
Business Networking Events should be about Networking, not Net Socialising.
Why do many Small Business Owners want to attend Business Networking Events? ‘Yes,’ many other Small Businesses also attend these events. Yet, that does not necessarily mean you should be attending Business Networking as well.
There is one question that has to be asked. “Will you do your utmost, before, during and after the Business Networking, to maximise the business opportunities? Perhaps, you initially might be using it more for your social interaction needs, rather than to generate more business. In reality, it is probably a combination of the two, hopefully with a stronger focus on developing more business.
We have been attending and running Business Networking Events now since 2001. We have been to most of the main Business Networking Groups that are out there internationally. We have found that most Business Networking can actually work and can be a very profitable strategy. You just have to treat the Business Networking Events more as a Business Strategy and not just a ‘Socialising’ opportunity.
Making Business Networking Events A Viable Business Strategy.
The key to making Business Networking Events a viable and profitable business strategy is to make sure that you are actually doing business networking. This means that you are developing relationships with people to generate leads. It doesn’t really matter which Business Networking Events you attend, there appears to be one common way to best develop relationships.
We have found over the years, the best way to develop relationships with other attendees is by doing 1-2-1 meetings. It is vital to get to know and understand the other members business services and needs.
Follow Up Everyone, Not Just Once, At Least Three Times!
Follow Up everyone, not just once, at least three times. Automate this as much as possible, yet at some stage we do need to speak with our contacts.
The key to success in Business Networking is to establish further contact with everyone, you meet at a Business Networking event. We are all looking for leads, yet we need support services as well.
We have been amazed to discover who knows whom and the referrals or introductions we have been given. So never assume any particular type of business is not in your target market or cant refer business to you. So follow up everyone, at least three times.
How Do You Place A Value On Business Networking Events
We have met and contracted many other businesses at Business Networking Events. Many of these businesses can service our own business needs. Some of these include Accounting, Bookkeeping, Printing, Website development, Car Leasing, Insurance needs etc.
How do you value the services of other suppliers you have met and contracted their services through your Business Networking. There is definitely a value to that too. Having the right and reliable support for your own business is critical. Most of the businesses we tend to use we have met through Business Networking.
So how do you make your Business Networking Events a viable business strategy? Well, there is a number of different ways to do this. Your approach will depend on your desired outcomes.
You can use values based on Monetary, social, educational and service needs. To get a monetary return, we need to consider the cost in money and time to conduct the Business Networking. We can then divide this cost, by the value of the associated business generated from the leads.
You may also want to put a value on the Social and Educational aspect of your Business Networking Events. Many Business Networking Events have some form of business educational material. This material normally discusses how to run your business better also has a value to you. You just need to put a value to it. “If you think education is expensive, consider the cost of being ignorant?’
Business Networking Events at Physical Premises or Online.
Most people when they think of Business Networking Events, think of physically attending a venue where that event is held. However, with the advancement of the digital age, there are more and more Business Networking opportunities online.
LinkedIn is one of the most common online Business Networking opportunities, followed by Facebook. Both LinkedIn and Facebook offer Businesses the opportunity to conduct Networking with other customers, Suppliers, and prospects. This can be done through their own personal pages and business pages.
Both platforms also allow you to set up ‘Groups’ on them, which you can then use for further Networking online. LinkedIn, in particular, has an extra resource called Sales Navigator, that allows you to actually network and sell more to your target markets and leads.
Business Educational Networking Online
Most Business Networking Events available to businesses primarily focus on generating leads. Over the years we have found that for most Business Owners, simply generating more leads through these events, is not enough to help you sustain your business long-term.
‘Yes’ we all want to generate leads from the Business Networking Events we attend, but we actually need more than that. We need to be educated on the latest developments in a vast array of business sectors. Website development, SEO, Social Media, Accounting developments, Business automation opportunities, HR policies, Health and Safety and so much more.
Because we need to be kept up-to-date with the latest developments, there is a real opportunity for Business Networking Events to help us become better business owners; thereby being more effective with generating and servicing the leads we do get.
Here at LibAbun, we are a Business Coaching and Training company. We have identified and recognised this need for Business Owners to improve their knowledge and skills through Business Networking Events. That is why we have set up Business Networking Events that are conducted online or at real premises. We have set up LibAbunBEN (BEN) being an acronym for Business Educational Networking
We provide a Business Networking Milton Keynes event, which runs every Wednesday morning at a physical premises. Find out more about our Business Networking Events through the link above or the button below..