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Fabric Newsletter

Front Page | From the Desk of Marty Lott | Build Your Network, Build Your Business | Marketing Tools Spotlight
Fabric: The Essence of Business and Apparel

 

Build Your Network, Build Your Business

The holidays hold great potential to grow your business by expanding your network of contacts or by reconnecting with people you’ve lost touch with. While networking shouldn’t be the only reason you attend holiday activities or go to other gatherings, you do want to be prepared to meet people that could help your business grow. Here are 15 tips you can use to effectively network during the holidays—or any time.

 

Holiday Networking Tips

1. Send holiday cards early. Your cards should arrive the first week of December. Being early has three advantages: your card will be among the first to arrive; it will reach its recipient before most travel begins, and it will be displayed for a longer time for maximum exposure.


2. Write a note in each card. Don’t just sign your name and mail the card. Personalize it by expressing your thanks or by giving a sincere wish. Include your business card.


3. Send a gift to current clients and staff. For ideas, see the 2008 Holiday Gift Guide.


4. Use the holidays to reconnect. Call or email past business associates and use the holidays as the reason to initiate the contact.

Year-Round Networking Tips

5. Plan ahead. Before attending a networking event, politely ask the organizer what individuals or company’s representatives are on the guest list. Then do some research so you can have informed discussions during the event.


6. Have a goal. Do you want to meet a particular person? Get further involved with the organization? Having a clear reason for attending an event will help you better gauge your networking success.


7. Focus on quality, not quantity. Meeting one person who turns out to be a great prospect is more productive than collecting a bunch of random business cards.

 

8. Be prepared. If you’re at a formal networking event, have plenty of business cards and catalogs ready to give to prospective business contacts. If you’re at the grocery store or your child’s soccer game, carry a small notebook and pen to jot down contact information.


9. Listen more than you talk. People love to talk about themselves and they’ll give you clues to problems that your business could help possibly solve. Have several open-ended questions prepared beyond “How are you?”.


10. Stay upbeat and friendly. Keep your conversation light and limit business deals for business hours. Your primary goal during networking is to introduce yourself and your business. People don’t want to hear a canned presentation.


11. Monitor yourself. Stay in control of your behavior and limit alcohol intake. You don’t want to leave a poor impression of you or your business.


12. Join. Don’t limit yourself to professional organizations. Get involved in charities, volunteer groups or your church. (See sidebar for additional networking location ideas.)


13. Team up. If you’re shy or hesitant to approach people, have the host or a friend introduce you around. You can reciprocate by doing the same for him or her.


14. Take classes. Improve your speaking and body language skills by taking free or low-cost adult education courses.


15. Follow up. Formally keep track of your contacts. Develop a database to record pertinent details about each person and follow up with them periodically.

Studies show that it takes someone anywhere from six to nine exposures to remember, trust and want to do business with you. Get the ball rolling by networking with professionalism and style.