1. Be Specific
When you ask for a referral, avoid being vague. Instead of saying, “I’m looking for anyone who needs my service,” try something like:
“I’d love to connect with small business owners in retail who might be struggling to get their website found on Google.”
This level of specificity helps the person you’re speaking to picture someone in their network who fits the description.

2. Make it Relevant
Think about the person you’re asking and tailor your request to their network. For example, if they work with local tradespeople, you might say:
“Do you know any electricians or plumbers who’d like to generate more leads online?”
By aligning your ask with their network, you’re making it easier for them to help you.

3. Share a Story
People remember stories more than facts. Share a short success story to give them confidence in referring you. For instance:
“I recently helped a café in Exeter increase their foot traffic by 30% through SEO. If you know of any cafés or small businesses needing similar results, I’d love an introduction.”

4. Make it Easy
End by offering to help them make the introduction. For example, say:
“If you think of someone, feel free to introduce us over email or share my details – I’ll take it from there.”

To recap: Be specific, make it relevant, share a story, and make it easy. By following these steps, you’ll not only build confidence in asking for referrals but also increase your chances of getting quality connections.

Thank you, and I look forward to hearing about the referrals we all generate!

The post How to Ask for a Referral at a Business Networking Meeting appeared first on G12 Business Networking.

1. Expand Your Horizons:
Spring is the perfect time to break out of your comfort zone and connect with like-minded professionals from diverse industries. Business networking events offer a platform to meet new people, exchange ideas, and gain fresh perspectives that can spark innovation and propel your business forward.

2. Cultivate New Relationships:
They say that your network is your net worth, and there’s no better time than spring to cultivate meaningful connections. Whether you’re a seasoned entrepreneur or just starting out, building strong relationships with fellow professionals can open doors to new opportunities, partnerships, and collaborations.

3. Stay Ahead of the Curve:
In today’s fast-paced business landscape, staying ahead of the curve is essential for success. Attending business networking events allows you to stay informed about the latest industry trends, emerging technologies, and best practices, keeping you one step ahead of the competition.

4. Showcase Your Brand:
Spring is a time of growth and renewal, making it the perfect opportunity to showcase your brand to a wider audience. Business networking events provide a platform to share your expertise, promote your products or services, and establish yourself as a thought leader in your field.

5. Energize Your Business:
Just as spring brings new life to the natural world, attending business networking events can breathe new life into your business. The energy and enthusiasm of networking events can reinvigorate your passion for what you do, inspiring you to set ambitious goals and pursue them with renewed vigor.

6. Learn and Grow:
No matter how experienced you are, there’s always something new to learn. Business networking events often feature expert speakers, workshops, and panel discussions where you can gain valuable insights, learn new skills, and acquire knowledge that can drive your business forward.

7. Seize the Season of Opportunity:
Spring is a season of growth, opportunity, and transformation. By embracing the spirit of spring and actively participating in business networking events, you can position yourself for success and lay the groundwork for a prosperous future.

This spring, don’t miss out on the chance to spring into success with business networking. Whether it’s attending events, joining online communities, or simply reaching out to fellow professionals, take advantage of the season of opportunity and watch your business thrive.

See you at our next networking event!

The post Spring into Success: Why Business Networking is Your Key to Growth appeared first on G12 Business Networking.

Well, I’ve been attending networking events for years and also I’ve run my own business networking events in Devon for many years and these are my top ten reasons why you should get out and go networking.

1. increase profile
   Who knows about you, what you are, who you represent, and what you stand for? If you regularly attend networking events far more people will get to know more about you, you will by default increase your profile, people will get to know you more and that has to be a good thing doesn’t it?
2. deepen business connections
   The thing with networking is the more people you meet the more you’ll get to widen and deepen those business connections, instead of being just a business card someone has collected, we’ve all got lots of these haven’t we? If you’re a regular networker you’ll make yourself something more, people will learn more about you and that makes it easier for anyone to refer future opportunities to you.

1. increase your confidence
   I have spoken to so many nervous networkers who are unsure as to whether they should attend events I run, they contact me for almost a pre-brief as to what happens and what’s expected of them. So what do I do, well I try and reassure them that it’ll be fine and we’ll support them, you have no need to be nervous. The one thing I know is that attending networking helps everyone I’ve met increase their confidence.
2. develop you as a person
   You never know who you will meet when you’re networking, I personally have met the widest variety of people you can possibly imagine, and therefore similar to point 3 you will improve as a person in more ways than you can imagine, things like your presentation skills, verbal skills, and sales skills will all benefit.
3. learn more, increase your knowledge
   At lots of networking events, you quite often have a speaker or someone giving some kind of talk about their business or specialty so you’re bound to learn more about them and their business which in turn, of course, helps you learn more.
4. build your confidence
   If this is your first event you’re bound to be nervous, it’s only natural. Make no doubt after you’ve been to 2 or 3 events you’ll be recognized and welcomed like a long last friend (at least you should be) and that will seriously help build your confidence.
5. gain mentoring
   People often overlook this, but I think it’s one of the most important. So say you attend a regular monthly event, you’ve got a question in one meeting I guarantee that next month you’ll be asked about the answers you were given, ‘how did that work out for you it’s mentoring where you are supported in the group and by the group. It can even be as straightforward as being asked how your month has been, highs lows, etc, this all rolls into supporting you and your confidence.
6. get answers and help
   I’ve seen this quite a few times when someone attends a networking event with a question or in need of help, the best way to think about this is it is like crowd sourcing an answer. I know that asking the audience may get a few different answers but you’ll get answers and the same goes for help, if you’ve built your profile and worked to deepen those connections then you’ll also find networking as a great environment to get help.
7. develop new business relationships
   In a similar way to point 2 where you develop new personal relationships, this is where you develop new business relationships, maybe meeting a new supplier or a business who is in need of what you’re offering or knows someone that needs your help — focus on the business and those relationships will develop.
8. look at things in a different way
   The great thing about meeting different people who work in and run different businesses is that we all look at things differently and given time you’ll being to see that as well.

Ten reasons why you need to go networking, hopefully, compelling enough for you to make that first attempt if you haven’t already and go networking. If you’re based in or near Devon then do check my business networking group out, you’d be most welcome to attend.

The post 10 reasons why you should go networking appeared first on G12 Business Networking.

Consequently, during the lockdown, I spoke to the widest variety of people possible, through the networking group I’ve made time to contact every member and I’ve also tried to contact all past attendees where I can, just to touch base with them. These calls have had no agenda, they’ve simply been about making contact and keeping that relationship we had when we could meet face to face alive as well as we can in the unknown Covid times we found ourselves in.

So how do I plan this you may ask? Well, I keep a schedule in an online calendar that blocks out time for me every week — clear time when I can make that effort to call a group of people one after the other. This way I know that I have time in my day blocked out for the task and if I have a list I can work as far through that in the time before I stop and move on to another business task. As for any agenda or plan, for me I try and keep this as simple as possible, really I want to have a conversation with no agenda or plan. I ideally want to learn more about who I’m calling, what’s happening with them, and also if can learn more about what makes them tick, I’m aiming to build a bond. It’s quite simple, I believe that the world runs on relationships — so I take time to build some.

Let me summarise, in easy and simple terms people buy from those they know, like, and trust so I spend some time every week on building that relationship as I know if I do this then the referrals and sales will follow…

The post Why you need to build your network appeared first on G12 Business Networking.

Growing a Small business is about building relationships and a great way to do that is by networking. The benefits you’ll gain from networking are critical to your business development overall.

If you’re running a business you’ll already know that it takes up a lots of your time, so its always good have build a network of business associates who you meet regularly and who share a similar ambition as you, that way you’re more likely to move forward together.

That is not the only benefit of networking, here are five benefits of networking for your business.

1. Sharing Ideas — business networking gives you the chance to meet new people who you can bounce ideas off and maybe shed a different light on what you’re thinking and maybe give a critical opinion to that next great idea you’re thinking about.
2. New Connections — you will be amazed at the opportunity to meet new people and make connections with them, dont forget if they have a need that you can supply then if you’ve made a good connections you should get a referral.
3. New Opportunities — simply by going to a networking event you will be opening a door to new opportunities, ideally a referal but it may be an invite to another event or a speaker slot where you can get the chance to build your business brand further.
4. Increase your brand profile — increasing your brand profile is one of the top benefits from business networking, if you do it well new people will know more about you and your business and you’ll be building a reputation that others can refer into.
5. Improve self confidence — lots of people are nervous at first and that is perfectly normal, you’re likely going into a room of people that you’ve never met before BUT do it a few times and they’ll be familar faces and you will then be one welcoming the new faces in no time at all.

So there you have it our top five tips for business networking, do you have any more that you can add?

[/tatsu_text][/tatsu_column][/tatsu_row][/tatsu_section]

The post Why networking is good for business appeared first on G12 Business Networking.