|
|
|
Network Your Way Out of the Recession
by Louise Yates
More Business Skills Articles
Published on this site: March 17th, 2009 - See
more articles from this month
With the current economic climate and the prospect of
challenging times ahead as a small business you may be looking
to answer the following questions:
- How are you going to bring in the business you are looking
for?
- What other opportunities should you be seeking out?
- How can you keep your profile raised so you win over your
competition?
- How should you spend your limited marketing budget?
You may already be out there promoting yourself and your
business and at times wondering whether you are still getting
the return you are looking for. One of your marketing activities
may be business networking and this may be one expenditure that
you are looking to cut, especially if the results are not
instantaneous. However do ask yourself the following question:
Can you afford not to network?
Well in short the answer is 'No'… now, more than ever, is the
time to get out and about in front of people and here are some
of the reasons why:
- Less business needs more marketing:
When business is hard to find unfortunately stopping marketing
your business is not the answer, leave this to your competition – you have to market yourself more to get the business you are
seeking.
- Your profile in the business community:
If you keep your profile raised even in quiet times, when the
going gets good again you will be there to hit the ground
running while your competitors wither away.
- Networking is a relatively cost effective way of marketing your
business:
You can easily spend hundreds of pounds on a single newspaper
ad which gleans little or no business…can you afford this? Or
you can spend a few pounds developing quality relationships with
a circle of business people who will help you achieve the
contacts you are looking for.
- Other business opportunities:
If the current climate is affecting your business you may need
to be creative about seizing other opportunities which will
supplement your current income streams. Attending networking
events are a great way to meet new people and discover new
opportunities.
- Support:
When times are tight for your business it can be really
beneficial to meet up with others who can provide you with a bit
of moral support and often some great advice to help you
through.
Top tips for networking your way through the recession:
- Carefully choose your networking activities to meet your
needs – think about what you want to achieve from networking,
who you want to network with and how best to achieve this.
- Raise your profile within business networking circles
further by getting actively involved – be proactive about making
business presentations, and volunteer to help run or market the
events.
- Use your quiet times to:
- Get to know other businesses, what they do and how you can
help them.
- Investigate new opportunities and develop new ideas for your
business.
- Improve your own personal networking skills – hone your
'elevator pitch' (i.e. what you say you do when people ask you),
your 60 seconds or your business presentations.
- Take a look at who you can form strategic alliances with –
teaming up with others may open up your markets and provide you
with new openings.
Louise Yates: Passionate networker Louise Yates shares
business networking tips and advice for word of mouth marketing,
referrals and sales leads at
http://www.business-networking-techniques.com, and executive
coaching for business performance, life and career development
at
http://www.clear-perspectives.co.uk.
|
|