Business Networking
Contacts and clients are the lifeblood of any business. Without them, securing new projects and contracts will be an uphill struggle. New entrepreneurs can leverage on their existing network of family, friends and contacts to build up their business networks. Often, word-of-mouth publicity attracts business leads with higher loyalty and the chances of closing the transaction are much higher. Although the prevailing trend leans towards electronic communication such as email and instant messaging, you will find that offline networking methods work quite well. Calling Contacts Commiting a fixed amount of time (1-3 hours suggested) each week calling to contacts and catching up with them can yield business leads. If worked on diligently, it will yield results. Community Activities Participating in community activities will help increase your personal brand and also establish rapport with your contacts. It will also shift the rapport building outside of a formal work environment where contacts are likely to be less formal. The ability to establish a personal relationship will help you better understand their thinking and behavior in a work context. Sometimes a contact might put you in touch with another contact and help to expand your business circle, leading to a "network multiplier" effect
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