http://blog.thepronetworker.com/2007/08/09/tell-me-your-thoughts-on-networking/ We inspire people to develop strangers into their most valuable lifetime resource through the art of Boomerang Business Development and the servant mentality. Fri, 21 Nov 2008 03:13:50 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.2.1 http://blog.thepronetworker.com/2007/08/09/tell-me-your-thoughts-on-networking/#comment-10 Jason Jacobsohn Sat, 11 Aug 2007 12:37:37 +0000 http://blog.thepronetworker.com/2007/08/09/tell-me-your-thoughts-on-networking/#comment-10 Sharan, great follow up to the comment made by Alex. I agree that without good relationship building skills a sales person will not be successful. With that said, many sales people are not good at this. How many times do you attend a networking event where someone tries to sell you something almost immediately at the beginning of your conversation? This is a turn off for me, and I don't care to further my conversation with this person. Of course, I wait for the appropriate time to exit without being rude. These are the types of people who give networking a bad name. If you are in sales, you need to be patient and build a relationship with someone before you try to sell to them. I can guarantee you that you will be more successful in the long run if you approach your networking this way. Sharan, great follow up to the comment made by Alex. I agree that without good relationship building skills a sales person will not be successful. With that said, many sales people are not good at this. How many times do you attend a networking event where someone tries to sell you something almost immediately at the beginning of your conversation? This is a turn off for me, and I don’t care to further my conversation with this person. Of course, I wait for the appropriate time to exit without being rude. These are the types of people who give networking a bad name. If you are in sales, you need to be patient and build a relationship with someone before you try to sell to them. I can guarantee you that you will be more successful in the long run if you approach your networking this way.

]]> http://blog.thepronetworker.com/2007/08/09/tell-me-your-thoughts-on-networking/#comment-9 Sharan Thu, 09 Aug 2007 15:09:52 +0000 http://blog.thepronetworker.com/2007/08/09/tell-me-your-thoughts-on-networking/#comment-9 Thank you Alex for the comment. I was just reading a blog entry this morning that hit the point very well. http://www.beneaththecover.com/2007/08/08/5-ways-to-encourage-employees-to-network/ What gets me sometimes is that people think networking and sales are not related. You can take all the sales courses in the world, but if you do not know how to build the relationships, to listen, ask pertinent questions and give unconditionally, all the sales training in the world is not going to increase your bottom line. Everyone in your company needs to be making connections. Thank you for the comment. Thank you Alex for the comment. I was just reading a blog entry this morning that hit the point very well. http://www.beneaththecover.com/2007/08/08/5-ways-to-encourage-employees-to-network/
What gets me sometimes is that people think networking and sales are not related. You can take all the sales courses in the world, but if you do not know how to build the relationships, to listen, ask pertinent questions and give unconditionally, all the sales training in the world is not going to increase your bottom line. Everyone in your company needs to be making connections.
Thank you for the comment.

]]> http://blog.thepronetworker.com/2007/08/09/tell-me-your-thoughts-on-networking/#comment-8 Alex Goldie Thu, 09 Aug 2007 14:46:56 +0000 http://blog.thepronetworker.com/2007/08/09/tell-me-your-thoughts-on-networking/#comment-8 I feel quite strongly that networking is increasingly among the best ways to spread word of your business. As our economy becomes more of a service economy, and big businesses dominate big media markets more and more, as small business owners or salespeople, we need to be effective at communicating our message and building social networks that leverage our single greatest advantage. We are experts at whatever it is we do, and we're people that fellow networkers can (hopefully) trust and rely upon to get whatever service we offer done right. If you aren't networking, you're sales force is only you. if you're networking, it can be hundreds and thousands of people who've had your seed planted. I feel quite strongly that networking is increasingly among the best ways to spread word of your business. As our economy becomes more of a service economy, and big businesses dominate big media markets more and more, as small business owners or salespeople, we need to be effective at communicating our message and building social networks that leverage our single greatest advantage. We are experts at whatever it is we do, and we’re people that fellow networkers can (hopefully) trust and rely upon to get whatever service we offer done right. If you aren’t networking, you’re sales force is only you. if you’re networking, it can be hundreds and thousands of people who’ve had your seed planted.

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