A Guide To Successful Networking

Building Relationships

NIKKI PEPPER is the owner of small business, Nikki’s Eco Products. She is also the District Leader for Link4Growth Cambridgeshire where she organises a range of events including free community networking events, business luncheon events and half day skills workshops. According to Nikki the key to networking is to focus on building relationships…

The way that people engage with the world has been changing and the way that people network has moved on…Ever wondered why some people appear to be more successful than others in business and in life? Ever wondered what made them great connectors or communicators? Well, regardless of the product, service or concept that people may be ‘selling’, a great way to start would be to consider ‘brand you’. That is, so often, it is ‘people that buy people’.

Until 12 months ago, due to family commitments, all my networking had been online. I inadvertently connected with influential people through conversation and engagement, listening and learning and I was driven mainly by the fact that it was pleasurable. When you do take time to get to know the person first, you build up trust and understanding and you learn how the other person might like to be spoken to because seriously, does anyone like to have a business card shoved into their hand and a sales pitch thrown at them? A sure way not to make friends and influence people!

My contacts are plentiful locally and I have a great network of warm contacts all around the UK. It was an eye opener to be honest, to finally go to a networking event where there were ‘real’ people. I didn’t really know what to say at first, so I got to know the person I was talking to first, rather than the business they were trying to promote.

Be careful of asking too many probing questions… Of course we want to know about the other person, know what it is that they do, however, I’m sure we have all been on the receiving end of questions which cause us to feel guarded and raises our defences. So, just pay attention to the body language of the other person, trust your instinct on how well the conversation is going. When you build rapport with someone and they trust you, you know you are more likely to do business with that person or get referrals. It is also so much more fun getting to know who the other person is as opposed to just ‘what they do’.

https://link4growth.biz/l4g/l4g- peterborough