A Clever Networking Secret
If you have a small business online or offline you are well aware that networking is essential. However many folks are not aware of a clever little secret.
It is important to associate or familiarize yourself in a group or market that will appeal to your product or services. It is also very important to remember that networking takes time. Individuals must not only know of you but also feel that they can communicate with you, hence build a relationship. All too often when we network we are busy telling others about ourselves and what we have to offer.
How often do you come across an individual and ask them what they do. No, really, how often? We are sometimes so caught up in what we do and what we have to offer that we neglect the biggest secret of all. When we ask an individual ‘what do you do?’ we can learn an immense amount of information from those four little words.
We not only become aware of what the individual does for a living, but we can determine if they may fit our target market. By asking those four very important words you can determine several things:
- determine how to approach the individual with your service or product
- determine his/her way of speaking and enhance your ‘speech’ so it will attract them
- determine if they will be a consumer or simply one that will refer to you
- can also determine if they are the right person for your product or service or just one you will network with
Of course by asking ‘what do you do?’ and then listening intently will show how empathetic you are and how concerned you are with others interests. Not to mention that you can easily share what you do and what you provide after you’ve allowed them to share their interests and services. The other party will listen more intently because you have shown your sympathetic side a wonderful little secret that I share with you that will surely work.
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I think you have a great point at the end. It’s important to listen first, just as we do in social media. Then, we will know how to talk in a way that is best suited for the person, to figure out if they can use what we have to offer, and how we can best serve them in return.