Recently, I met a couple of small business owners who wanted to be more effective when reaching out to their target market. We discussed a few options; including networking.
Tonight, I watched Become a Master Networker: 5 Quick Tips [1] and liked it. I invite small business owners to watch the video and practice at least a couple of the tips every month. The five tips are as follows
1. Do things for others before yourself
2. Access is everything
3. Meet, connect and repeat
4. When you meet people, ask them who are the two or three people they want to meet the most and help them reach their goals
5. Look for opportunities to help other entrepreneurs without any agenda. Set a goal for weekly intros and share resources
These tips make me think about a story. Around a big round table, a group of people sat down for dinner. They were very hungry and found that their chopsticks were too long for feeding themselves. They discussed the problem and then became creative. They started to feed each other and everyone was able to eat.
That is what networking is about! When you intend to help others, you will be supported in return.
[1] Networking advise from Dave Kerpen, CEO of Likeable Media, and Scott Gerber, founder of the Young Entrepreneur Council.