Running your own business is demanding. If you are starting from scratch, your role will not be limited to CEO, but it is going to be everything from CEO to janitor and everything in between. Technically, you’re going to be in charge of everything at first. But as time moves onward, you will need to step up and hire workers. This will enable you to center focus on working on your business.
Most people believe that knowing everything is the key to being successful. However, success cannot really be born solely from knowledge. Frankly, no matter how skillful and good you are at solving problems, it will be hard for you to achieve your goal if you aren’t well-versed in leveraging the right people.
The most important component of success isn’t intellect nor hard work. It is networking. When it comes to business or career development, surrounding yourself with people whom you can call mentors is one of the finest ways to widen your personal network and achieve new heights.
Building connections with people who possess the qualities of the person you want to be can help you mold yourself in their likeness. Moreover, they can serve as a bridge to open up opportunities for you to expand your network. If you are in the service-based industry, having a sizable network could greatly help you find clients.
If you want your business to thrive, meeting new people to widen your network should be your top priority. Now, how should you get started? Here are some tips and strategies!
Understand that no one owes you anything
One of the biggest fallacies you might practice in your business and career is to expect someone to give you something. Take note of this: You are not entitled to anything. If you want to include successful people in your network, you should expect that no one will be so willing to let things go your way for free.
Let’s say the millionaires, for example. These moneybags are so absorb growing their business more, and they have little to no time to spare to fit you in their hectic schedule. How do you catch their attention? How do you add them to your network?
The answer is simple. Acknowledge that they don’t owe you anything. If you acknowledge that no one owes you anything, the spark of motivation within you will fire up since your line of thought believes that there’s nobody to depend on. You owe it to yourself.
Successful individuals might not even spend a few seconds to take a second glance at you if they see that you have nothing to offer. Or you might not even get their attention at all in the first place. To load up your network with efficient individuals, you need to stand out. You need to be a person of merit, someone who has great value.
For instance, you write ads for businesses as a copywriter, aiming to get big clients. You join an event and socialize with quite a few interesting individuals, and among them is a successful business owner who runs multiple dropshipping businesses.
Obviously, the owner uses social media platforms like Facebook to run ads and find clients. As you browse through their copy, you notice that you could make it better. You are confident that you can improve it.
What you can do is either approach that person in that very event and try to close the deal immediately, or you can take things slow. In the latter, you have to introduce yourself to him during the event, put in the picture what you do, and spark an engaging conversation without trying to initiate deals.
After a few days, reach out to him by sending a free perked-up version of his advertisements. If he liked what you’ve done in the advert, you’re more likely to get hired.
As opposed to how easy it sounds, networking is a really knotty job. It takes time, money, and so much effort. Yet, as the famous line about hardships says, “It’s worth it!”
Don’t maniacally spam your cover letter
Whenever human resource staff asks you to tell them more about yourself, they are not merely asking you for your experiences but are giving you a chance to sell yourself to them.
If you are getting the ball rolling in your career, avoid spamming your cover letter since your CV is more likely to be unimpressive compared to others who have prior experience. Alternatively, heavily rely on your interpersonal skills.
Leverage the use of LinkedIn
LinkedIn has been around way longer than popular social networking sites like Snapchat, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Although only a few recognized LinkedIn’s importance before, it has become more relevant now than ever, hosting over 600 million professional profiles. The number of accounts this social media platform holds displays an almost unlimited supply of job opportunities and network connections.
With LinkedIn, you can easily and directly drop a line to successful CEOs and entrepreneurs to make a tie-up. If you are a job hunter, you can explore the platform’s robust job board and apply to jobs. If you own a business or company, you can just put your name on LinkedIn’s professional map to build your brand online.
Do you remember that amazing young professional you met at a conference years ago? Or that friend of a relative who has shown interest in freelancing for your company? Probably not. Passing moments are easy to forget.
Rather than ramming the business cards of the people you meet inside your drawer, add them instead to your LinkedIn connection. Doing so will keep you updated on his undertakings, which could open up several opportunities when the time is right.
Don’t look too desperate
Let’s say you have seen an attractively stunning woman while browsing on Instagram, so you decided to look into her profile and noticed that she also resides in your borough. Consequently, you messaged her straightly that you would like to ask her out because she’s beautiful.
What do you think her response will be? Honestly, she might freak out and just ignore the message. This is also how professional networking works.
You can’t just ask something out of the blue, especially when the other party doesn’t even know who you are. No sane person would actually respond to someone who wants to meet up without prior introduction. It’s weird and creepy. You need to build rapport first before coming into an agreement on something.
Follow-up
Finishing a one-time project isn’t really the end of your relationship with your client. If you satisfy them with your job, there’s a big chance that you will be asked to help again. If they don’t reach out first, you can follow up to remind them that you are available to work.
However, when following up with a client, don’t actually tell them you want to work with them. Instead, ask them how they are doing, or greet them if there are special occasions like holidays, birthdays, or any significant event in their life. This will serve as a genuine excuse to spice up a little conversation that might lead to a new project.
Asking for feedback is also essential in any business since it often promotes growth. Feedbacks help improve areas that need an upswing to ameliorate results.
