Building Relationships = Building Business

by Elizabeth Hale

Congratulations! You're in business. Now what?

One of the keys to building your business lies in building relationships. Forget about cold calls, forget about knocking on doors! It's all about networking.

Start Building Relationships

In order to build awareness, other people need to know of the products or services you offer.

I can appreciate how nervous you are. Self-doubt and lack of confidence are your worst enemy. You need to stay focused on your passion and the "why" that drives you. Don't let a poor self image get in your way...your biggest battle may be with yourself but it can be overcome.

Spread the Word

Start sharing your business with friends and family. They are already a source of support. As you express the passion you have for your product or service, they are going to learn something more about you (developing your existing relationship). This is also good practice for introducing your business to strangers.

Let them know what you are offering, why you have chosen this path and don't be afraid to ask for help in spreading the word.

If you don't have a website you should seriously think of having one made professionally. Mine was designed by www.polardata.com. Connect with Paul Young and tell him I sent you. (It pays to have connections!)

Meeting New People

The next step is to get out and meet new people. I know, I know, this can be scary for some people. But that may be the wicked self-doubt kicking in. Lock that badboy up and throw away the key.

Are you nervous about meeting others for the purpose of building your business? Maybe you feel you have to sell your product or service to everyone you meet. That's not it at all. You want to get to know people (what makes THEM tick, what interests THEM, what THEY do, what groups do THEY belong to, etc.). Do you see the pattern?

Building Relationships

It's incredible how quickly a relationship can blossom once you find a common interest. Small story to share with you: I belong to an amazing networking group. One afternoon we had a new member join us. She mentioned that she loved to ride her motorcycle. I couldn't contain my enthusiasm and high-fived her as a fellow biker babe. (OK...maybe "babe" is taking advantage of my creative license).  Anyway, the point is that we clicked instantly because we had a common denominator...motorcycles. See. It's easy. Just be yourself.

Don't be your business...be yourself. Make connections with people. Don't be that saleperson we all dislike. You know the kind of person I'm talking about. You meet them for the first time and they are trying to sell to you before they even know your name. Turn-off!

Meeting People

Where can you go to meet people? Good question! I'm glad you asked.

network / noun & verb / a group of people who exchange information, contacts and experience for professional or social purposes,
The Canadian Oxford Dictionary 1998

First ask the people you already know. As you will come to appreciate, a referral is better than going in blind. If a friend or colleague attends a certain networking activity, ask if you can attend as his or her guest. Get your feet wet. Get out of your comfort bubble. The best way to find out what you can do is to try something new. You'll be surprised at what you learn about yourself.

Search Online for Networking Events

I did a Google search of "networking events".

I selected Canadian webpages (because I'm located in Ottawa Ontario). Here are a few of the first few selections:

An article written by Scott Scratten about networking events.

http://www.lastminutetraining.ca/articles.php/Marketing-Articles/Why-Networking-Events-Stink 

 
A table of various "networking organizations in Canada"
http://businesspartnerships.ca/canadian_business_networking_groups.phtml?PHPSESSID=2e254f84dcb463971b3705f1e82e99ae
* I like this one and have bookmarked it for myself. You'll notice that many networking organizations charge a membership fee and are highly structured.

An online resouce where you search for "groups" in your neighbourhood.

www.meetup.com

BNI (Business Network International) - I'm the Education Coordinator at the Lunch Connexion in Ottawa Ontario.

www.bnieast.com

www.bnicanada.com

www.bni.com

Online Networks

If you are already spending time online,  can check out www.twitter.com (you'll find me at @bizimpressions) and www.linkedin.com. 

Maintaining Relationships

As a side note, I'm a big fan of www.sendoutcards.com/elizabethhale for not only staying in touch with family and friends, but for staying top of mind of people I meet (and have started to build a relationship with). It's also an amazing tool for developing customer relations.

So there you have it folks. Meeting others, learning about them and they in turn about you is a key ingredient to a successful business. I hope you found this helpful. I'm always interested in hearing your comments.

Elizabeth Hale
Business Impressions