One of the primary reasons to invest time and effort into business networking is to get more business. Yet, for many the outcome of greater business remains elusive.

Business Networking – How To Get More Business

As a personal business coach one of the first things I ask a potential client, whether it be a self – employed small business owner or a corporate manager or executive, is if they are doing any business networking. Most of them will tell me that they do some business networking.

The main reason they do business networking is to get more business. When I ask how successful it has been the answers range from very successful to virtually no success at all.

How come one person has great success and another doesn’t. Is one’s product or service in greater demand? Possibly, but very often it has nothing to do with that.

Business Networking – Success Is About How You Fish

For a moment visualize a business networking event as a big pond with many fish. You have come together with a group of other people and all of you are fishing in the same pond. Some of you will catch fish, prospects, referrals and customers. And most of you will put your bait on a hook and come up with nothing.

What’s causing the difference in results? It could be the pond you are in. Maybe the fish you are swimming with aren’t ideal for you or your business. But, more often than not it is not the fish in the pond that is the problem.

The problem is how you are choosing to fish in that pond. Especially for small business owners seeking more small business growth and success how you fish is a critical determinant in your results.

Running a small business is a big enough challenge to your time and energy without engaging in business networking that is not producing positive results. So if the pond of your business networking is not yielding the results you desire, yet appears to be a good pond, then you must change the way you fish in the pond.

Business Networking – It’s About The Human Being And Not The Human Doing

How do you catch a fish? It’s easy. You give him some bait where he wants to bite on your hook. The best hook you have is you. It’s not your business. It’s not your service. It is who you are. Most people when you engage them do not need your product or service.

The key is that they certainly may need it at some point in time in the future. The goal is to start building a relationship with them based on who you are, not what you do. In the end they will do business with someone they know, like and trust.

The key to successful business networking is to get beyond the human doing, your business, and let others get to know the human being. Focus on learning about who someone else is. Reveal to them more about yourself. It will give you and them many more reasons to build a solid relationship.

Focus on the human being, not getting business. And, the last part is the most important. If you have business networking functions every month attend them regularly. Even if business is good and you feel too busy attend them regularly.

Great relationships aren’t built with intensity but with regular contact over a period of time. Be consistent in showing up and persistent in building your relationships. When you approach business networking as an essential marketing activity focusing on human beings instead of human doings you will start catching a lot more fish in your pond and even greater small business, large business and personal success.

When I use the term successful business owner I mean the person who is not only financially capable, they are all round content with their lives.

If you looking to start your own business the most important factor is not how much money you will make, it is how much will you love running the business. Whether it is an offline or online business it needs to be something you are passionate about, something you get excited about doing daily.

Doing something purely for financial gain the best way to fail, either due to the business folding or you not having the enthusiasm to give it your best. The amount of passion you have will determine the amount of action you take to make your business successful.

What Makes Successful Business Owners Different?

The real successful business owners of the world love what they do because they had a vision before they started the business. This vision is very important, without it you are just trying something out rather then making a success of it. When your just trying things out you will notice the most important thing on your mind will be how much money you can make.

While these times of trying things out can be beneficial in the sense that you learn what isn’t working for you, they will also set your further back from what you are really passionate about. There is always a learning phase we all go through and if you firstly study a few successful business owners who love what they do it will be more beneficial to you in the long run.

Using this learning phrase rather than your need for money you will certainly be armed with the necessary ammunition to start making profits. I guess what I am saying is to be patient in your learning time and do it right from the start by surrounding yourself with people who have been there and already achieved what you want to achieve.

The initial first stage of success does not have dollars signs on it, it has a lot of hard work and passion that gives you the drive to make the money you desire. Without the passion to drive you it will not last, money will only keep you motivated to succeed for a short time.

If your wanting to be a successful business owner start with a vision of you doing what you love and doing it well. This is the first step in the right direction. Always keep it in mind that successful business owners love what they do.

Wishing you much success.

Tips for a successful business can help all business owners, whether you are just starting out or if you have been in business for a lengthy amount of time. Just because you believe that you have a product to sell that you feel will be a huge success, doesn’t necessarily mean that your business will be wildly successful. You must properly manage the business utilizing proper techniques to operate the business on a daily basis.

If you are just starting out, the business plan that you write should include how you intend to market your product and what you feel is the edge over the competition. This set of plans will help your business have the positive outcomes that will net a profit. Strategic goals will help the entrepreneur focus and edge out the competition. Start the business on a small enough level so that it is easily managed and learning from mistakes is not as costly. If overhead is low then the company will be more flexible as market demand changes. If possible, use savings to launch the business rather than taking out loans from a bank.

Tips for a successful business must include planned outlines for daily operations. There will be rental agreements, equipment purchase and lease agreements, and the purchase of materials to create product, or product for resale. These agreements will help curtail price increases that could harm a developing business. Staffing the business will require a large investment of time in training and retention. Labor costs are usually the greatest expense of any business and as an owner you will need to wait to hire until you are turning a profit. The wages must be high enough to attract quality personnel, but low enough that the business can still turn a profit. Employee turnover is a huge cost to each business owner. If possible, try to offer earnings based on commission which will help foster incentives and loyalty.

A business owner may have the greatest business plan ever conceived, but without a positive ‘can do’ attitude, the business may fail. An owner who blames the employees for negative outcomes and refuses to take responsibility will find that he cannot make the changes that will be necessary to survive in the business world. An owner who is passionate about his business and its success is more likely to achieve that success than one who is not as motivated.

One of the most important tips for a successful business operator is that self discipline is very important. The entrepreneur must be willing to invest the time and patience that it will take to make the business succeed. This will often require that the business owner will work the greater amount of time than anyone in order to see the outcome desired. If the business is going badly don’t automatically assume failure. Rather, be willing to network with colleagues or do research to find strategic changes that will ensure success of the business.

If you bring experience to the table when you start your business you will have a greater chance at success. If you have worked with the product or performed the service for an employer, your experience will help when you open your own business. If you are selling a product that you feel that already exists but that you have improved on, you may find the niche and outpace the competition. As an owner you must constantly survey the market looking for opportunities on which to capitalize and looking at market trends in order to guide your business. Acting immediately, without over analyzing, will sometimes be the way to edge out the competition. Tips for a successful business can best be learned from other entrepreneurs who are willing to mentor you.