Networking 101 - Take your time

Networking 101 - Take your time

By Nikki Viljoen of N Viljoen Consulting (Pty) Ltd

On the table today is simplifying the components of your business.  Remember that people who go to networking meetings are going to be listening to a great number of people, all in the space of a minimum of time.  It’s natural to want to tell everybody who attends, all 300 things that you do in your business.  It’s just too much information – so please do your best to resist the urge!

Even if you attend one meeting a week, that’s 52 times you will be given the opportunity to tell people who you are and the wonderful bouquet of products or services that you have.  At any given meeting though, try and limit your product or services to just one.

Take the time to explain in detail, educate your networking partners – create visual posters or images in their minds.  Let them ‘feel’ and see and smell and touch your products or service.  Demonstrate your product or tell them stories about the value of your service.  Explain in detail the value add properties and the consequences of what can/will/might go wrong if people don’t use your product or service or what it is that they might be missing out on.

Each week, talk about a different product or a different aspect of your business.  Each week get detailed and ‘up close and personal’.  Make your stories and tales really interesting and full of useful information, so that they cannot wait for the next meeting or encounter with you.

Make them want to know more about what it is that you do.

Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za