Top Ways Your Networking Partners Can Promote Youstring(49) "Top Ways Your Networking Partners Can Promote You"

October 23, 2023
Author, Networking, Networking Tactics 3

Networking is not just about meeting new people. It is about building strong, mutually beneficial relationships. Whether you’re new to business networking or a seasoned pro, understanding how others can promote you and your business is essential.

Has a fellow member from your networking group ever said to you, “Let me know if there’s anything I can do to help you with your business.”?
If so, did you respond with, “Thank you. Now that you mention it, there are a few things I need.”?
Or maybe you said something like, “Well, thanks, I appreciate that. I’ll let you know.”

Most of us aren’t prepared to accept help at the time it’s offered, which means the opportunity may pass and we miss out. Before you can do so, you must make the connection between specific items, services, or connections you need and the people who can supply them. Systematic referral marketing helps you do that by determining, as precisely as possible, the types of help you want and need. Some are simple, cheap, and quick; others are complex, costly, and time-consuming.

Here are 15 ways others can promote you to help your business.

Display or Distribute Your Materials

Your networking partners can exhibit your marketing materials and products in their offices or homes. If these items are displayed well, such as on a counter or a bulletin board, visitors will ask questions about them. Promo­tional items can be shared in other places, leading to increased visibility and potential interest. For example, a dry cleaner can attach a neighboring hair salon’s coupon to the bags covering their customers’ clothes.

Make Announcements

When attending meetings or addressing groups, your network can boost your visibility by announc­ing an event or a sale your business is con­ducting. They can set up exhibits of your products or services. They can also invite you to make an announcement yourself, amplifying your reach.

Invite You to Events

Workshops and seminars are oppor­tunities to increase your skills, knowledge, visibility, and contacts. Members of personal or business groups that you don’t belong to can invite you to their events and programs. These opportunities provide a platform to meet prospective sources and cli­ents. Additionally, being invited to speak at such events can establish you as an expert in your field.

Endorse Your Products and Services

When your network sings your praises or endorses your products or services, it can significantly influence others’ decisions. Encourage them to share their positive experiences through informal conversations and with testimonials on social media or other platforms.

Nominate You for Recognition and Awards

Your referrals sources can nominate you for service awards, recognizing your contributions to your profession or your community. This not only enhances your visibility, it also positions you as a dedicated professional in the eyes of your peers and clients.

Make Initial Contact with Prospects and Referral Sources

Instead of merely sharing their contact information, a network member can introduce you to important prospects. This personal touch can build relationships faster and provide the prospect or potential referral source with insight into your business as well as shared interests they may have with you.

Arrange Meetings on Your Behalf

Your network can go a step further by coordinating meetings with key contacts. Ideally, they will set the date, time, and location, and they will attend the meeting with you, offering support and insights.

Publish Information for You

Leverage your network’s connections to have your business featured in publications they influence. For example, a referral source who belongs to an association that publishes a monthly newsletter can help you get an article or story published, boosting your visibility.

Form Strategic Alliances with You

Of all the kinds of support that a source can offer, this one has the greatest potential for long-term gain for both parties. These partnerships involve mutual referrals, creating a symbiotic connection that benefits both of you. Seek out businesses that complement your own and foster lasting gains by agreeing to refer business to each other whenever possible.

Connect with You Through Online Networks

Expand your online presence by connecting with your networking partners on social platforms. This opens the door to event notifications, project updates, and the exchange of business information. Recommendations and testimonials from these connections can further elevate your online profile.

Provide Referrals

Referrals are the lifeblood of business networking. Encourage your sources to refer specific individuals who require your services or products. As the number of referrals you receive increases, so does your potential for increasing the percentage of your business generated through referrals.

Introduce You to Prospects

Personal introductions are powerful. Your network can facilitate introductions with prospective customers, providing key information about you and the prospect, which can expedite the relationship building process.

Follow Up with Referrals

Your sources can follow up with prospects they referred to you to ensure a smooth transition and answer questions or concerns, enhancing trust. They can also give you valuable feedback about yourself and your products or service, which you might not have been able to get on your own.

Serve as a Sponsor

Some of your sources may be willing to fund or sponsor a program or event you are hosting. They may offer resources such as lending you equipment, or they might let you use a meeting room, or provide other support that can elevate your business activities.

Sell Your Products and Services

The most immediate way your network can positively impact your bottom line is by selling your products or services. A well-connected source can persuade a prospect to make a purchase, then have you deliver the product to your new client. If you do so swiftly and cordially, you may gain a lifelong customer.

Networking is a dynamic and multifaceted endeavor. Put your networking circle to work for you with these strategies to harness the power of your network and promote your business effectively. When others offer their support in promoting your business, seize the opportunity and deploy these strategies for success. By cultivating these mutually beneficial relationships, you can supercharge your business’s growth and impact.

additional ways others can promote

Additional Ways Others Can Promote Youstring(38) "Additional Ways Others Can Promote You"

September 19, 2019
, , Author, Networking, Networking Tactics, Referrals 1

Put your networking circle to work for you with these five additional suggestions you can use to promote others to generate new business for them. When other people offer to help you spread the word about your business, have these ideas ready to go. Here are the final five examples of additional ways others can promote you and your business from my book Networking Like a Pro.

Provide you with referrals.

The kind of support you’d most like to get from your sources is, of course, referrals–names and contact information for specific individuals who need your products and services. Sources can also help by giving prospects your name and number. As the number of referrals you receive increases, so does your potential for increasing the percentage of your business generated through referrals.

Introduce you to prospects.

Your source can help you build new relationships faster by introducing you in person. She can provide you with key information about the prospect. She can also tell the prospect a few things about you, your business, how the two of you met, some of the things you and the prospect have in common, and the value of your products and services.

Follow up with referrals they have given you.

Your sources can contact prospects they referred to you to see how things went after your first meeting, answer their questions or concerns, and reassure them that you can be trusted. They can also give you valuable feedback about yourself and your products or service, information that you might not have been able to get on your own.

Serve as a sponsor.

Some of your sources may be willing to fund or sponsor a program or event you are hosting. They might let you use a meeting room, lend you equipment, authorize you to use their organization’s name, or donate money or other resources.

Sell your products and services.

Of all the kinds of support that a source can offer, the one that has the greatest immediate impact on your bottom line is selling your product or service for you. Your network member could persuade a prospect to write a check for your product, then have you mail or deliver the product to your new customer. If you do so swiftly and cordially, you may gain a new lifelong customer.

Suppose a customer you know well tells you a friend of his wants to buy your product. How should you respond? While your interest is still hot, let your friend, the customer, take your product and sell it to his friend, the prospect (if he plans to see his friend in the near future, of course).

This set of five finishes the series of 15 ways others can promote you and your business. Last week I shared the second part of this series with, “Five More Ways Others Can Promote You”. Put your networking circle to work for you with these fifteen total ways others can promote you to generate new business.

 Five More Ways Others Can Promote
 Five More Ways Others Can Promote Youstring(37) "Five More Ways Others Can Promote You" 
 September 12, 2019
 
 ,  Networking, Networking Tactics
If you’re like most people, you aren’t prepared to accept help at the moment it’s offered. You let an opportunity slip by because you haven’t given enough thought to the kinds of help you need. When help is offered, it’s to your advantage to be prepared and to respond by stating a specific need. Don’t let the next opportunity for others to help slip through your fingers! Being prepared with some simple examples of five more ways others can promote you and your business from my book Networking Like a Pro that can make a real difference in the success of your business.
Make initial contact with prospects and referral sources.
Instead of just giving you the phone number and address of an important prospect, a network member can phone, email or meet the prospect first and tell them about you. When you make contact with the prospect, he will be expecting to hear from you and will know something about you. Better yet, your source can help you build new relationships faster through a personal introduction to that person. Ideally, they would pro­vide you with key information about the prospect while also telling the prospect a few things about you, your business and some of the things you and the prospect have in common.
Arrange a meeting on your behalf.
When one of your sources tells you about a person you should meet or someone you consider a key contact, they can help you immensely by coordinating a meeting. Ideally, they’ll not only call the contact and set a specific date, time and location for the meeting, but they’ll also attend the meeting with you.
Publish information for you.
Network members may be able to get information about you and your business printed in publications they subscribe to and in which they have some input or influence. For example, a referral source who belongs to an association that publishes a newsletter might help you get an article published or persuade the editor to run a story about you. Many companies showcase topic-specific experts in their newsletters; you could become the expert in your field for some of these.
Form strategic alliances with you.
Of all the kinds of support that a source can offer, this one has the greatest potential for long-term gain for both parties. When you engage in a strategic alliance, you’re developing a formal relationship with another business owner that says you’ll refer him busi­ness whenever possible and they’ll do the same. This works best in businesses that are complementary.
For example, a handyman would find advantages in forming an alliance with a real estate agent, because they continually encounter people who need home repair work done. Conversely, a handyman probably deals with homeowners who are considering selling their homes after the handyman is finished making repairs. Such strategic alliances can work with a number of other businesses (CPAs and financial advisors, mortgage brokers and real estate agents, hotel salespeople and event planners and so on). The key is to find the person with the right complementary busi­ness and then make it work for both of you.
Connect with you through online networks.
When people connect with you online, you can notify them about your events or projects and you can receive the same kind of information from them. They can see your business profile and biographical data and can refer you to people in their networks. Once con­nected, they can provide recommendations and testimonials for the rest of your network to view.
Last week I shared the first part of this series with, “Five Ways Others Can Promote You”. Put your networking circle to work for you with these additional ways others can promote you to generate new business. When other people offer to help you spread the word about your business, have these ten ideas ready to go.