Pump Up Those Business Networking Genes to Increase Sales

Business networking is one of the most effective marketing strategies. The more people you meet the greater likelihood of increasing leads and putting them into your marketing funnel.

Since people buy from people they know and trust, business networking event provide opportunities for people to meet you , to begin to know you and hopefully start to trust you.

How good you are at business networking is a reflection of how well you unite your marketing skills, selling skills and self leadership skills. All of these skills are necessary when you are actively marketing yourself through networking event.

So the question is: How good are you at meet and greet? And, more importantly what are your results from these business events? Do you have stacks of business cards accumulating on or near your desk? What process do you have in place to start capturing some of the hidden wealth within these cards?

Networking as defined by Lillian Bjorseth in her book Breakthrough Networking: Building Relationships That Last is:

A mutually beneficial relationship

Unfortunately, many in business see networking as a one way relationship - What's in it for me? They forget to view people as people, because they are viewing them as objects. This perspective is well explored in the book by the Arbinger Institute Leadership and Self Deception.

When you meet and greet people with the attitude (habit of thought) that you are there to help them, you can begin to develop authentic relationships that will last. Then you will learn if they have a need for your products or services. The more they talk, the more you will discover and be able to overcome any future stalls and objections if and when you make that sales presentation.

One indicator of how much your networking gene is really pumped is when people start asking you about this person or that person. When you are authentically connected, people will know and you will not have to tell them.