Thursday 5 June 2008

Networking - Offline vs Online - Part IV

Once again, I found an article from a back-issue of my Ezine to include on this topic.

If you network regularly and visit the same groups, you’ll probably see the same people quite often. Not only is this a good opportunity to build on relationships, but you can expand on your original introduction. Talking about success stories or projects you’re currently involved in may bring to mind people they know who could be facing similar challenges.

If you go to ‘Speed Networking’ events, you often get 2 or 3 minutes to talk about your business, so it’s worth having a few case studies to reinforce your message.

But, as I’ve said many times, these conversations aren’t just about you. Encourage the people you speak with to tell you more about what they do. Have some questions prepared – ask them how they’ve been getting on since you last met and think about who you know who may be a good contact for them.

While it’s nice to speak to people you’ve met before, don’t forget to make time to introduce yourself to new contacts too!

Networking online involves joining groups too and, because of common interests, you get to know the members quite well. I do enjoy being able to meet so many new people, with such diverse talents, although I've been quite taken aback by the amount of blatant advertising in posts by people I've only just met!

There are many similarities for both online and offline networking here.

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