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Brian's
Introduction
By
Brian Walsh (Founder & CEO of
Entrepreneur.co.za)
In this introduction I am going to talk about
networking as a business, and networking as a
sales tool.
Networking is a potential business in itself.
Many people go into part-time networking
businesses and sometimes switch to full-time.
These businesses include multi-level marketing
businesses, referral-based businesses, and in
some cases, contracted agents selling certain
products. Such businesses usually don’t cost
much to join and require some sort of selling,
direct or indirect. Some such businesses assist
in the selling process – all they ask is that
you bring people to seminars or meetings where
the selling happens. Others require you to sell
to prospective clients face to face, or to hold
small sales presentation sessions at home.
The challenge with these types of businesses is
that although they are presented in such a way
as to seem like a means to ‘easy money’ not
requiring much work, if you want to be
successful at them you have to work very hard.
They also often refer to passive income, but in
most cases you have to continue working whilst
managing your network in order to earn. Having
said that, those of you who are prepared to work
hard can make reasonably good income this way.
Networking also plays a relevant role as a sales
tool in the running of a conventional type of
business. Managing effective networks ensures
you open more doors to potential clients.
Another way of looking at networking in this
context is referral networking. This is
where in the first instance, you contact people
you know to sell to and you ask them for what
they would consider tangible referrals
(people they know who may want your product or
service). In the second instance, you approach
your satisfied clients and ask them for
selective referrals (you ask if you can use
their name when contacting said referrals).
Referral networking is a great way to expand
your network of potential clients.
Networking is a powerful tool in the sales
arena. Study the techniques and implement them
with enthusiasm – you will see positive results.
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