Selling Through Your Network

Networking is essential for entrepreneurs. Through your network, you meet mentors, suppliers, customers, business partners, etc. How can you create & expand your network?

Building Your Network

Being known of something good in your network can be invaluable. Often, someone in your network will think of you and mentions your company, product or service as a success story. Sometimes they will mention when they hear of someone in need. After years in business, many entrepreneurs benefit from positive word of mouth where customers contact them based on referrals.

When selling through your network, you will often find it to be the easiest, cheapest, and most genuine way of selling. Positive word of mouth builds credibility more so than any branding or marketing efforts.

Where to Network

When it comes to networking, you need to get out of the office and get online. There are a variety of types of networking opportunities:

Trade organizations
Conferences
Events
Networking groups
Existing clients
Online network

Existing customers are one of the best ways to grow your network.

Maintaining Your Network

Focus on Others

Shifting the focus from yourself to others will make you more comfortable and help you get the most out of your network. Remember “what goes around comes around.”

To discover how you can help others, ask:

What are you working on?
What is a good referral for you?

Keep the questions easy to answer yet interesting and relevant to increase the value of your communication.

Maintain Relationships

Showing up repeatedly and developing relationships helps build trust. Trust helps someone be confident in their recommendations. It is essential to maintain your network. After meeting someone, send a follow up message or connect on LinkedIn. If you have a resource, event, or group that may be beneficial to them, make sure to share. Also, if you know two people who could benefit from knowing each other, make an introduction.

Getting Started with GrowthWheel

If you need help preparing, the first step is connecting with a GrowthWheel Advisor. Mark Johnson, the Executive Director of the Technology Innovation Center, is a Certified GrowthWheel® Business Advisor.

Once you have connected with an advisor, he/she will send you a 360 screening. After completing the screening, your GrowthWheel Advisor will recommend decision sheets to help guide decision making and create a 30-60-90 action plan that outlines the decisions and timeline.

Send us a message today to get started!