How to Harness the Power of Networking
Networking is a powerful tool for helping you grow your business. It doesn’t matter what your profession is – writing, illustrating, photography, musician, artist, clown, whatever – networking is one of the best ways there is for you to find new customers/clients. This can be done online with social networking, of course, but it pales in comparison with actually networking with people in person.
When you go to a networking event, you get the chance to actually talk face to face with other people and promote yourself and your business. Talking with them one on one also lets you get a feel for the other person, to learn their likes and needs, so you can better sell yourself to them and renew that connection later on. And remember, even if someone doesn’t need your services right away, they’ll remember you later when they do, or they may know someone who can use your services and they can refer you to them. So either way, it’s a win.
But that’s not all networking can do for you.
Networking can also present you with new opportunities. You could wind up with leads to new joint ventures, business partnerships, opportunities for speaking and writing, maybe even business asset sales. The list goes on for what you might wind up with a chance to do just by meeting the right person.
You can also get some good advice from talking with people in the know about different things. Perhaps you might meet someone in the same field as you who could offer you advice on how to do something better or expand your business. Or you could even get some advice on a particular aspect of your personal life from someone with similar experience and help you get a better work-life balance.
Meeting and networking with people can also raise your profile as well as be a positive influence on you and help you increase your confidence. You can even wind up making new friends by going to a networking event. And if you like helping people, this also gives you a chance to do that if you are able to help them with a problem they have or give them good advice.
That’s the power of networking! It’s not just about creating business contacts and leads, but helping you find new opportunities, helping you build yourself up, and creating new and lasting relationships.
People Per Hour will be having a birthday party to celebrate its 9th year, and we are inviting all London-based freelancers, business owners, entrepreneurs, and friends to join our party and do some networking of your own. So be sure to bring your business cards and see what new opportunities you can find!
