Networking Opportunities

Identify the Networking Opportunities To Reach Your Target Marketstring(65) "Identify the Networking Opportunities To Reach Your Target Market"

September 10, 2020
, , Networking, opportunity 1

Successful networkers identify the types of business people who make up their target market and participate in the different types of networking opportunities to reach those prospects. However, successful networking does not mean running all over town connecting with anyone who happens to be in the room. I would not recommend mass networking as it is an exhausting way to acquire new customers.

Identify the strengths you have as a business professional

Building your business is more about leveraging your strengths to meet your prospects’ needs and then networking with as many of those people as you can. What are the strengths and skills that you offer as a business professional for your target market?

  • Are you a “people person”?
  • Do you enjoy public speaking?
  • What did you do professionally before starting your business?
  • How long have you lived in the area where you do business?
  • What skills do you possess beyond your business expertise, such as managing time well, staying organized, and keeping clients focused?

Identify Your Target Market

If you do not know who is your target market, how can you effectively hit your mark? Focus on who you want to be connected to and why. That might mean seeking connections from your friends and family members. It might also mean attending online networking opportunities within a 50-mile radius of your office.

Identify The Networking Opportunities To Reach Your Target Market

If you are an extroverted consultant who worked for a big insurance company before starting your own business, then insurance firms and their agents could be a logical target market. They would value your expertise and experience, and you would be able to talk in a language they understood. Furthermore, you will probably have great success in closing the deal with these prospects. Therefore, a good place to network with them would be through an insurance trade association that meets in your area. Your target audience would likely show up there in force.

If you are a people person who dabbles in public speaking. Your networking strategy should include delivering presentations at your local chamber of commerce. That is a great way to promote yourself and meet a lot of small-business owners at once.

christmas

How to Make the Most of Holiday Season Networking Opportunitiesstring(63) "How to Make the Most of Holiday Season Networking Opportunities"

November 15, 2013
, , Building Relationships, Connections, Giving, Goals, Ivan Misner, Networking, Networking Prep, Networking Tactics, Referral Institute, Referrals, Relationships, Video Blog, Word of Mouth 4

With the holidays quickly approaching, I asked my friend and partner in the Referral Institute, Dawn Lyons, to share her thoughts on the unique networking opportunities which she feels go hand-in-hand with the coming of the holiday season.

From intimate family dinners, to office parties, to festive social gatherings, the holidays tend to bring people together more than any other time of year.  In this video, Dawn explains how to make the most of the networking opportunities which come along with people gathering together to celebrate during this time of year.

Watch the video now for great tips on how to maximize your networking effectiveness during the upcoming season by asking specific questions and finding powerful ways to give to others.

Do you have a particularly effective holiday networking tactic or strategy?  Do you often give a certain seasonal gift to your business associates that really goes over well, or a certain way of investing in and strengthening your relationship with friends and family members who you haven’t seen in a while?  If so, please share it in the comment forum below.  I’d love to hear your thoughts on this–thanks!

Get to Know a Knowledge Networkstring(31) "Get to Know a Knowledge Network"

April 19, 2010
, , , Connections, Networking, Word of Mouth 1

Professional associations, or knowledge networks, have been around longer than almost any other kind of group, from the medieval guilds to crafts associations to today’s professional groups and industry associations.  The primary purpose is for the exchange of information and ideas, whether intraindustry or interindustry.

Some of these groups limit membership to their own industry, but quite a few groups that represent industries other than your own will allow you to join as an associate member (as opposed to a full member). This can put you in contact with a concentrated target market, including many top-quality potential contacts.  Many of your best current clients, looking for their own competitive edge, may be members of industry associations.  Ask them which open-membership groups they belong to, and try to join a few of them.  This can give you an opportunity to meet prospects of the same quality as your clients.

The other part of your knowledge network should be groups in your own industry. Yes, you’ll be rubbing elbows with competitors, but there are advantages.  You’ll stay abreast of developments in your industry, find out what your competitors are up to, study the competition’s brochures and presentations, and discover opportunities to collaborate with competitors whose specialties are different from yours or who need help on a big project.

Knowledge networks present great networking opportunities. So if you’re looking to build more relationships and increase your word of mouth, start investigating local professional associations today, and find out which ones you might be able to join.