Successful entrepreneurs tend to fall into three categories, the first have no redeeming social qualities but have a product or service customers are desperate to buy or they have the chameleon like quality that lets them sell ice to Eskimos.

The third category is those that fall somewhere in between and this accounts for most of us.

For many there appears to be a chasm that miraculously appears between our social contacts who may be potential customers and also those who socially appear unapproachable but in fact are already users of our products and services to begin with.

Well this just goes to show that appearances are deceiving. The simple truth is that this “chasm” is nothing more than a trick of the mind and one to be dispensed with at the earliest opportunity.

Your own attitude determines how successful your business will be before anything else. If you want proof of this assertion just consider the simple fact that to be successful in business you must first be in business. If you haven’t the courage of your own conviction you wouldn’t be in business right now.

Building a social network to benefit your business is not something that happens by accident, it requires planning and selective consideration. The adage “if you are hunting lions go to Africa” applies so consider where a prospective circle of contacts that may help your business will be.

Starting points for networking include your local trade and business organizations such as the Chamber of Commerce and Small Business Federation. These tend to operate as business organizations providing a wide range of business advisory services and act as portals for marketing, lower cost business insurance, various business consultancy services, legal and tax information. The cost of membership tends to be fairly nominal and regular meetings and networking functions are held.

You’ll also find these organizations produce newsletters promoting business seminars and meetings being held by other local businesses, particularly lawyers and accountants, usually offering a seminar on some range of business topics that they are directly involved in. These meetings almost invariably include an opening coffee and donuts session with a follow up session at the end so the holders can circulate among the audience. That of course does not preclude you from doing the same and attending several regularly you’ll find the same faces popping up again and again making it easier to bond and get to know each other.

Following on from these quasi-public organizations you will find a number of commercially run networking organizations that hold regular meetings whose sole purpose is to pass business referrals within the membership. BNI is one of the largest who hold weekly breakfast meetings with a formalized agenda and who exist solely to pass business to each other. Online referral networks operate along the same lines in a virtual community with providers such as Ecademy, simply put “business networking” in your search engine to find more.

Outside of the formal business networking activities you will find you can widen your immediate circle of business contacts by holding regular activities such as a fundraising event or sponsoring a challenge cup at a local sports club or school. The key to turning social and business networking is to play a long game and not be brazenly self-promotional; the art of crossing the divide from socializing to business dealing is to be as visible as possible without being pushy.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Entrepreneur and outdoor photography adventurer Caroline Melberg is President and CEO of Small Business Mavericks, a division of Melberg Marketing. She has over 20 years of experience creating marketing communications materials and writing copy for some of the largest and most successful companies in the world. Her small business columns are syndicated online, and she publishes the popular e-Zine “Maverick Internet Marketing Secrets.” Learn insider Maverick Marketing secrets you can use immediately to find new customers and increase your sales. Get your FREE subscription at www.SmallBusinessMavericks.com today!

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