Networking is important for business

The provision of ample networking time and space is a key factor for most clients organising big events these days. And it is easy to see why. Love it or hate it, networking is essential for business because it expands networks providing valuable access to opportunities and resources.

Gene Hammet, Strategic Business Coach and Mentor, and contributor at entrepreneur.com notes:

‘I have seen that those that take building their business seriously tend to go to events and interact with others face-to-face. They invest their money on tickets, hotels, flights and other expenses related to hitting the road. They travel across the country to interact with other business owners, partners, and hopefully new prospects.’

Hammet says that not attending events means you’ll eventually get left behind, and that there are 3 key events that every business owner should attend. We think they apply to all business people, so we are sharing them here, along with the reasons you might want to consider them.

  1. Industry events – these are attended mostly by peers. They are good for identifying possible joint ventures and for finding strategic partners. They also allow you to discover what’s new in your professional area.
  2. Ideal client events – here you’ll find your target clients, and a chance to gain more insight into their struggles and pain points. Conversations can be used to test and refine the way you talk about what you do, which could pave the way for the next step, an invitation to connect outside the event.
  3. Learning events – learn what other professionals are doing and implement ideas and innovations that improve what you do and how you do it. Investing in learning is akin to investing in your competitive advantage, provided that you apply all those good ideas when you get back to the office…

Attending events accelerates the K-L-T factor (know, like, trust). And according to Hammet, that’s good for business.

We also like the advice from TED speaker Susan Cain in her post on LinkedIn ‘Learn to love networking.’ Her advice is to collect kindred spirits and focus on being sincere. Networking is about finding people to connect with based on a genuine interest, value or a common ground. Think about what you are doing and why. Don’t aim to collect a quota of business cards to throw in a draw for tomorrow. Connect with real people and explore where ideas and plans meet. People easily pick up on how sincere you are.

After all, people buy you before they buy your service or product.