Small Business Marketing and Networking

Variety is the Spice of Business Networking

“It’s who you know.” This is a phrase most people have heard. In the business world knowing a lot of people in many different capacities is crucial to the success of any business. As a business owner don’t make the mistake of focusing your networking campaign just on those people who are in an industry related to your own. Contacts like these should comprise a large part of your network, but you also need to make an effort to include a wide variety of businesses and individuals for your network to be truly effective.

The fact of the matter is that everyone you meet could potentially know someone who could benefit from the products and services provided by your business. That person may or may not work in a similar industry to your own but that really doesn’t matter as long as they know people to whom they can recommend your business. Business associates, other business owners, your family doctor, your son’s teacher, you next door neighbor; all of these individuals could be an asset to your network.

Building a network of people and businesses to provide referrals for your business is an ongoing project, not a one-time effort. You must continuously work to expand your contact list while maintaining contact with your existing network. It’s important to realize that each and every person in your network could potentially bring a new client or several new clients to your business. For this reason you want to focus on variety and potential when establishing a contact list. Too many people in the same industry or with similar connections won’t have the same benefit as a wide variety of people in several different segments of your targeted market.

Having too many people in your network with similar contacts can create problems. If everyone is connecting to people in a similar industry, you may soon find that you are running through a stagnant list of people and contacts. You need to add some new spices to the mix. Connect with people outside your usual group of connections. In doing so you are likely to add new prospects and new people who can bring potential clients to your business.

If you do not expand and constantly work to add new dimensions to your network, your network can and most likely will fail you. Consider how many people, organizations and businesses that you can do business with. In your particular target market, there could very easily be thousands of potential clients. Networking is not an area where you should limit yourself. All of the people in your network have business associates, their own contacts, family and friends. They may know one or more people who they can refer to your business. These are all customers or potential customers that you would miss out on if you had a narrow view of who you should include in your network.

If you do not diversify, and you only network with people in a business segment much like your own, you may be missing out on an assortment of other prospective clients. When everyone in a network connects with similar contacts and businesses, no one will have their own highly creative and diverse network. This is not something you want to happen. The more people you can include in your network from various walks of life and industries, the more likely you are to increase your client base in the long run.