How To Ensure You Get What You Need When Networking
Posted by the Networking Goddess in General, Networking Groups and Functions, Networking Tips, Online Networking
Email the link for this page to a friend!
How To Ensure You Get What You Need When Networking Online.
The online business environment offers the small business professional different challenges than ones presented in a live networking forum. Without voice inflection, eye contact and body language to aid in the relationship-building process, it may seem like the time spent online is unproductive. If you have been actively participating online, and not getting the results you expected, here are some pointers that help determine “WHY?”.
1. Are you networking in the right places? By “right places”, I mean, is your client base there and is the forum designed for networking.
2. Have you established credibility? This takes TIME. In my experience, two years is not unheard of for establishing credibility.
3. Are you saying the right things about what you want and need? In other words, do people understand what you are looking for?
4. Do you understand how to be “mutually-beneficial” in the relationships you form online?
5. Are you using all the avenues available to you for networking online, or are you working in one forum with one group of people? Do you have a good signature file, are you using autoresponders, and have you considered writing for or starting your own, ezine?
6. Have you got an “online” plan for securing business? This may be totally different than what you use offline. In fact, it will probably be more effective if it is.
7. Are your offline activities referring people to your online efforts?
All of these points, done properly, will increase the amount of business you get online. Any items above that aren’t currently part of your online networking strategies can be added for increased success.
Nancy
Your Networking Goddess
