DON'T FORGET TO NETWORK!

Guest post by: Karen McNulty
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Measuring your Marketing - Which bits work? - By Karen McNulty

Quite often the end of your marketing plan incorporates a timetable of events and activities that will occur over the year. By giving some thought to these events you can identify those that might make good networking opportunities and build them into your strategy. Talk to your team if you have one and select different target networks for each of you to maximise opportunities.

Many people find networking a challenge, but it has its place in your plan as an effective way of making those business connections. If it is an activity that doesn't come naturally to you then a few of these tips and hints might keep you on the right track:

Try to join as many local networking groups as possible and attend as many events as you can. (The Business Link or Council in your area may be able to provide details of regular business meetings). If your business is not just local, consider wider networks that may be of benefit.

When you pass over your business card, consider giving your contact more than one. That way they can pass on your details to somebody else and you've twice as much chance of doing business!

It doesn't have to be too stressful - set yourself a target of speaking to just one new person at each event and you'll be amazed at how quickly your relationships spread.

Don't stick your business card under everyone's nose. Talk with your contact first; they may not be a target customer but rather a useful person to know. Avoid giving the sales pitch unless absolutely appropriate.

Remember that people buy from people. Treat everyone that you meet as you would like to be treated yourself. You are far more likely to do business this way and even be recommended.

Make sure that you listen to the person you're talking to. Not doing so may mean that miss a golden opportunity to do business or learn something useful.

See if you can find something useful to do for the person that you have met. You may have a contact that you can pass on which will be useful or perhaps a good supplier that they could use. People will remember you then as helpful and worth keeping in touch with.

You shouldn't expect that you'll come away from any networking event with a new client. Building relationships takes time and patience.

If you have found a good contact, make sure that you follow up after the event with an e-mail or phone call.

Make sure that you see the event as fun and as an opportunity to meet people like yourself.

By including a section on networking in your marketing plan, you can prompt yourself with target dates for particular events that may be useful and which may also fit in with other marketing activity. Networking doesn't only happen at "networking" events - people that you meet on a daily basis (often outside of your business day) often become good contacts. If you attend exhibitions or other business meetings, remember to keep on networking!

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Measuring your Marketing - Which bits work? - By Karen McNulty

About the Author: Karen McNulty

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Karen is a Chartered Marketer and has been a full member of the Chartered Institute of Marketing since 2001 (MCIM). She also has a Diploma in Marketing (DipM). She majored in marketing for her degree and has worked in marketing in one way or another ever since, practising her marketing in a wide range of companies, from Hewlett-Packard to a small internet cafe. Karen currently has her own marketing business, Marketing Picture, which provides marketing strategy, copywriting, PR and design for SMEs. She has further built up her knowledge of small businesses over the last 10 years, working with an Enterprise Agency as a business adviser and as a Marketing Manager for them. Karen is impassioned about all aspects of marketing and a great practitioner of what she preaches, currently also using her expertise to help small businesses via www.MarketingPlanWiz.co.uk
Click here to visit Karen's website.

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