Internet Marketing Affiliate Programs Blog

Are you starting a new business? Or maybe you already have a
small business? Whichever is the case you will no doubt have
made business plan and started, planned your cash flow and
probably frightened yourself as to where all your money has
gone.

In order to generate new business it's essential to market your
business and certainly this can be a very costly business.
Advertising is seriously expensive and in my mind it works best
for those already with an established brand because it's about
recognition and repetition, so unless you're already in the
league of Coca Cola it's probably not a good solution.

Business networking is not about a closed shop where everyone
gives each other work it's much more powerful than that. It's
fundamentally about the act referring business to people that
you have grown to know, like and trust, and for them to do the
same for you. Understanding how to give a quality referral is an
art itself and something that I cannot cover today so for the
time being let's just consider the benefits of business
networking.

It is not a well known fact but 70% of new business that your
company gets is through word of mouth. Networking allows you to
formally explain what your business is about and as fellow
networkers get to know you so you will naturally start to win
new sales leads because people like to pass business to people
that they know.

Simply the act of attending a networking event will raise your
profile especially if you network on a regular basis. Remember
what I said about advertising – recognition and repetition,
attending a regular networking event achieves this.

Not only do you have the opportunity to present your business,
you also get to meet with a lot of business people from other
walks of life that will inevitably be able to help solve some of
your problems. And you will be able to do the same – it's all
part of the relationship building process and at the end of the
day it's this relationship that counts when recommending
someone's services.

You'll also get to know an awful lot of people that will be
able to help you when you have a problem. Have you ever picked
up the yellow pages and looked for a particular service? How do
you choose? It really is hit and miss. By getting to know
reliable contacts who can provide you with what you want and who
can be trusted is worth so much in terms of your time and money.

Likewise, if there's no one in your network who can help, the
chances are that someone knows someone who can and will
recommend them. Suddenly you find that your business is moving
forward at a much more rapid pace. Your confidence will soar!

Sharing experiences is also part of the game. Just talking to
people about their experiences, their goals and their problems
will stimulate lots of new ideas and open your mind to new
opportunities. All of a sudden you have a completely new
approach to doing something or even a new business venture that
you may never have otherwise thought of.

Last but not least it's amazing how much satisfaction we all
get from helping others.

There are many business networking techniques to learn in order
to make the most of this style of marketing but once you've
understood the basics, give it a little time and I'm sure that
you'll soon understand the true power and benefits of
networking.

About The Author: Louise Yates shares business networking tips
and advice for word of mouth marketing, generating referrals and
free sales leads at
http://www.business-networking-techniques.com and executive
coaching for your business performance, life and career
development at http://www.clear-perspectives.co.uk

RECOMMENDED: