Get More Business From Your Next Networking Event

At networking events, many entrepreneurs stand in the middle of the crowd not recognizing that there is a great deal of business waiting for them…if they only knew how to get it.

The skills necessary for getting appointments and business from networking events are learnable…it doesn’t matter if you’re shy or unsure, you can learn how to make networking events work for you.

One of the key purposes of my Free “Let’s Get Connected” networking events is to provide a networking environment that has been staged to give you a practice field that is fertile, safe and fun. Many people use the Mr. Bob’s “Let’s Get Connected” events to practice and hone their networking skills and I devote a good deal of my time there to help people get connected and get more business.

The next “Let’s Get Connected” event is September 14 at the South Shore Community Centre in Barrie. I challenge everyone to make it a goal to go to this networking event with the conscious decision that they will practice their networking skills and get appointments from the event. I will be there to do whatever I can to help you succeed with networking.

As you plan on going to a networking event, you may be asking yourself “What do I need to do to get ready and get more business from it?”

The best thing you can do is PREPARE! You want to go to the networking event with the mindset of someone out to find new business.

Here are some suggestions to help you go to the event prepared to get more business:

(1) Set an objective: This not an event, it is beginning of a process.

For example my goal is to find businesses: that are looking to grow, want new sales, find effective ways to promote their business, and pay less for advertising.

So, my objective is to set up 10 appointments.

(2) Go Ready. What do I bring to the event? I am shocked about how many business owners tell me they forgot their cards and brochures. This is what I bring: Business cards, my appointment calendar and fliers for the free networking table.

(3) Be Approachable. While you’re at the event, I am wandering around. I find that being easily identified makes me like a sign. Other attendees come up and speak to me because they now know who I am. That I am approachable and I can connect them with what they need.

In advance of your next networking event, I’d be happy to mentor you on going ready and with a “Get More Business” mindset. The people I’ve worked with on their networking skills find that not only do their apprehensions about networking fade away, but that they get more business!

40% Growth in New Referrals

J.C. Mitchell Insurance experienced just that: a 40% growth in new referrals... largely attributed to listening carefully to their customers.

Mitchell worked with The Cassels Corporation to develop a customer survey that not only developed a better understanding of client needs, but also played a role in developing the company’s future direction. The follow-up utilizing a call centre (Simcoe Message Centre) allowed customers to express more and resulting in a growth in new referrals.

“Customers are made to feel wanted. In the fast-paced world of financial services, if you’re not taking the step of linking with your clients, you’re missing the boat, “ says Mitchell in an interview in the June 2000 edition of Huronia Business Times.

“Companies lose customers in 68 per cent of cases due to an attitude indifference”, says Bob Cassels, President of The Cassels Corporation. “If a customer really knows what you do, they can tell other people. People buy from people, not because of product. The majority of people deal with someone they like” (Relationship Marketing).

Besides getting feedback from customers, an independent Cassels Corporation Customer Survey is an opportunity to share information about other services and products that the business can provide.

BONUS: 35% growth in additional sales comes from better-informed customers buying more and 40% increase new clients through referrals.

Customers are fighting back. They are demanding better service, and if you don’t provide it, your competition will.