Being a business owner is tough. However, more business owners make it tougher than it needs to be by trying to be an island. No man, and no business, was intended to be an island. Successful entrepreneurs know that one of the main keys to success is the creation of a solid business network.
But, who has time to build a business network? It’s a question that gets asked by business owners everywhere as they try juggling all of the different tasks they have to in order to keep their companies moving forward one day at a time. Building a network takes effort. But in today’s business environment, the better question is who can afford not to build a network?
Taking the time to build and nurture your business network will provide your business with a number of benefits. Some of these benefits include:
Shared Knowledge
If the business world has taught us anything, it’s the value of collaboration. You’ve been hearing that working in teams is better than going it solo since you were in elementary school. But nowhere has this been more evident than within the business community. Seeing your business from another perspective is a great way to see things not evident in the past as well as finding better solutions to age old problems. Take, for example, marketing your business. There are tons of ways to market your business and land new customers. However, there is rarely enough money to try them all. However, sharing information with others in your community and industry will help you choose the solutions that have the potential to net you the best return. Steve Olenski does a great job of helping businesses understand the mechanics of marketing and how to make their businesses stand out in his Forbes article found here: http://forbes.com/sites/steveolenski/2014/08/19/4-ways-to-make-sure-your-marketing-makes-a-killer-first-impression.
2. Opportunities
Opportunities for businesses to collaborate naturally lead to other opportunities such as partnerships, referrals, and other events. By consistently networking with other business owners, opportunities that will help you further your reach and your product/service offerings will materialize, giving you new options for the direction you want to take your business in. And having options is the key to success.
3. Connections
Word of mouth advertising is just one of the ways that businesses bring in new leads. However, it’s not just customer to customer referrals. By nurturing a solid network, you can make and receive referrals for other businesses, increasing the quality leads you get.
4. Increased confidence
Getting you out of your business and into the real world by interacting with other business owners will help you become more confident in yourself and your business. And confidence by you translates into confidence in your customers, which elevates your position within your community and your industy, leading to higher profits.
5. Raising your profile
Networking leads to greater visibility. Greater visibility leads to more sales. This means that networking can be one of the most powerful marketing tools you have. And it doesn’t cost you a dime.
If you are ready to get starting building your business network, take the first step and subscribe to a networking service such as Bristol who’s who. They can help guide your networking efforts in a way that will net you the best results the fastest.
Bristol who’s who helps businesses connect with one another for the betterment of both entitities. Build your business network with Bristol Who’s Who today.