One of the most difficult tasks for entrepreneurs is building business and customer contacts. You go to the prescribed events: conferences, mixers, networking meetings. And inevitably, while you’re there you find yourself confronted by the guy with one hand extended in greeting and a business card in the other. He’s got a ready smile and pitch he’s already used on the last ten people he’s cornered. You cringe, but listen, because that’s the reason you came, right? Isn’t this networking? No, there is a better way. Read on to find out more.

How to avoid traditional networking

No, it’s not.

When you are trying to grow your business you want to build productive networks and lasting relationships. In this article, we’re going to show you how to stop wasting your time and start building real networks.

The problem with the guy in our first example is that he’s not building a network, because there is no value for the person being approached. The value is only for the person approaching you, he’s trying to sell you something, not establish a mutually beneficial business relationship.

• The elite networks that everyone wants to belong to have their value because of their exclusivity.  The best contacts, the inside deals and the access to right people come from these networks.

You don’t just invite anyone to your dinner table, why would the elite allow just anyone into their trusted networks?  The network would be over-run by people seeking a one-sided relationship. The elite don’t use the sales model; they choose to deal with those who are in their inner circle, as an equal.  Your role is not to be a salesman; it is to establish a mutually beneficial relationship.

• You are to offer value and communicate what you are doing.  By being a part of the network, you will be offered opportunities naturally, without having to ask.

How do you join these networks? You need to identify the entry points.  You need to be prepared to establish your reputation first.  Entry points are professionals such as lawyers, accountants, and colleagues.  They know the elite, and can provide introductions.  They will do this for those who are valuable clients – who put cash down as a retainer and show themselves to be serious and have a trusted reputation.  If you are cheap, you won’t get access.

• Once you are introduced, join the network by demonstrating something valuable, not by immediately launching into the worn out sales paradigm.

For example, when you talk to someone, try to identify some information or a contact that can help them, so you pass on that help.  Is the motive to then close a sale?  No, you provide help because reciprocity is part of human relationships and because you want that relationship with them. By extending a helping hand first, you will be welcomed in as someone of use and value to the networking circle. This will in turn lead to opportunities for your own business.

• The elite want to deal with equals in their own networks, they already have employees. No one wants to say no to someone on the inside – it introduces uncomfortable feelings and puts you back on the outside – another person asking for access – rather than on the inside.

I hope that you now understand the difference between the blatant sales pitch and the more useful reciprocal networking relationship. Differentiating between the two, and choosing the later, will save you time and help you to build lasting relationships that will benefit your company enormously in the long run. You can play at a higher level by being introduced to valuable networks, and having something of value to offer yourself and maintaining relationships that are of mutual benefit – a far more sustainable (and profitable) approach.

Tags: business, networking

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