Released on: September 29, 2008, 11:32 pm

Press Release Author: anderson gray

Industry: Marketing

Press Release Summary: Brenda is the CEO of Networking World, an online directory of
business networking resources for small business owners providing coaching and
training in business networking.


Press Release Body: The sales pitch mentality has given networking a bad reputation.
Nobody likes being on the receiving end of the hard sell and most small business
owners also dread selling their products or services. No one wants to be the
irritating person who won’t take no for an answer!

The fact is this hard sell mentality doesn’t work. If everybody is there to sell
and nobody is there to buy, the likelihood of achieving a win-win outcome is very
slim indeed. But there is a better way to network.

A Different Way to Approach Networking

Over the past year, I have run seminars and workshops and spoken at networking
groups, asking over 500 business owners whether they would prefer to:



1. meet a potential client; or
2. create a strategic alliance that could result in many new potential clients
for their business?

The answer should be obvious – every one of those 500 plus business owners also
chose the second option!

It’s called networking strategically. Big businesses have been using it for years
to create strategic alliances that generate new leads, lift sales and increase
profitability. And you should use it too.

How to Network Strategically

But you are only a small business - how you do you get started?

What if instead of looking for potential clients at networking events, you were to
seek out other business owners who might be interested in working with you on a
win-win referral program, joint venture or other strategic alliance?

To give you some ideas, you could contact businesses who:

* share your target market;
* are in your supply chain;
* provide a product or service of interest or value to your target market;
* provide information or resources of value to your target market;
* share your geographic location; or
* have common values or support the same cause (e.g. the environment or
children’s charities).

Even your competitors can make great alliance partners! The key is to think
creatively and be ready to ask:

“How can we work together to benefit both our businesses?”

You’ll find these conversations are very different - it’s a meeting of minds, rather
than an uncomfortable, unproductive sales spiel. Together you can identify potential
opportunities for your mutual benefit and begin to build a relationship. And that’s
what networking should really be about.

Web Site:
http://www.anderson-gray.com/brenda-thompson/52-brenda-thompson/137-networking-strategically-a-big-business-model-for-small-business-owners


Contact Details:
Melbourne
Victoria
Australia
3000

Phone : +61 3 9534 0992
Fax : +61 3 8256 0184