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Networking_on_the_Net
| Networking on the Net
Networking is one of the most effective ways to find clients for
any consulting or professional services business. But if you
limit your networking to only what you can do in person, you'll
be missing out on a huge number of possibilities. Networking is
more than entering a room full of people and exchanging business
cards. It's creating a pool of contacts with whom you can
exchange clients, referrals, resources, ideas, and information.
Networking can happen by phone, by mail, over coffee, and
increasingly, over the Internet. The growth of the Internet has
created many new ways to network without ever leaving your home
or office. Pick a topic, any topic, and there will be multiple
web sites and online communities devoted to it. Almost any type
of Internet presence offers opportunities for networking. In
your favorite search engine, type the name of your profession or
specialty, e.g. "interior design" or "marketing communications."
Or, if you have a clearly defined target market, you can use
that, e.g. "baby boomers" or "biotechnology." Skip the sponsored
links or banner ads and focus on the detailed results. What you
will find is the following: Professional Associations & Schools
-- Many association or school sites provide member rosters,
resource pages, back issues of newsletters, event calendars, and
bulletin boards or discussion lists. Not all of these features
will be restricted to members or students. Resource Sites &
Online Communities -- These include directories of people in the
profession, vendors, articles, event calendars, bulletin boards,
discussion lists, live chats, and links to even more resource
sites. Publications -- Magazines and newsletters maintain sites
that offer everything from back issues to complete online
communities. Job Postings -- These may appear on any of the
above sites, and often include opportunities for independent
professionals, not just those looking for full-time employment.
Colleagues & Competitors -- Colleagues and competitors may be
exactly the same people, depending on your relationship with
them. Their sites will tell you more about them and their work,
and may offer many of the same features as resource sites.
Potential Clients -- Their sites will tell you about the work
they do, current and upcoming projects, and even the names of
executives and managers. Also, if you subscribe to an online
service offering interactive "channels," like America Online,
CompuServe or MSN, there may be an entire area dedicated to your
profession or target market. Some of these resources are
available to non-members as well. Now, how can you use all this
information to network? Here are some of the most common ways:
Bulletin Boards -- These are web pages where you can view and
post questions and comments on a specific subject. Answering a
posted question is an excellent way to demonstrate your
expertise, become known to the people who frequent the board,
and get to know others in your field. Don't be overly
self-promotional when posting, just include a signature line at
the end of your post, e.g. "Ingrid Gustafsson, Nordic Design."
If you see someone else on the board who you would like to get
to know in a collegial way, e-mail them. But never directly
approach for business the people you find there. You might find
yourself banned from membership. Discussion Lists -- These are
like bulletin boards, but are e-mailed to members of the list
daily, weekly, or whenever a new posting arrives. When posting
to these lists, you can include more information about yourself
in a signature box at the end of each e-mail. Keep it short, but
include some reason for people to get in touch with you outside
the list, such as, "Subscribe to my free newsletter," or, "Visit
my web site for a free resource guide." In addition to locating
discussion lists through search engines as described above, you
can find them through online community hosts such as Yahoo
Groups or MSN Groups. Live Chats -- Many online communities
sponsor real-time chats on specific topics. Participating in
these chats is an excellent way to meet people interested in the
subject being discussed. Chat rooms that require membership are
best, because you are more likely to encounter professionals
seriously interested in the topic instead of people just looking
for a date. Attending chats featuring a guest speaker can be
more valuable than you might think. If you ask a question during
one of these, don't be surprised if people contact you by e-mail
during or after the chat to offer you more resources related to
your question. You can make exactly the same type of contacts
when you are the one who has something to offer. Articles --
Notice who is writing them and who is being written about. These
people are likely to be leaders in your field, or at least
highly visible. That makes them good contacts for you. Send them
an e-mail complimenting them on the article and suggesting you
get acquainted for mutual benefit. Make a specific suggestion
about what you can offer, e.g. referrals or resources. Others in
Your Field -- These may be colleagues, competitors, vendors, or
potential clients. Approach them collegially with ideas about
how a relationship could benefit you both, such as exchanging
referrals, pooling resources, links on each other's web site, or
trading endorsements or articles in each other's ezine. If you
can't find a board, list, chat, or site with the exact focus you
want, consider starting one of your own. While hosting one of
these communities takes time and effort, it will also put you in
the center of the network that forms around it instead of on the
outskirts.
About the author:
C.J. Hayden is the author of Get Clients NOW! Thousands of
business owners and salespeople have used her simple sales and
marketing system to double or triple their income. Get a free
copy of "Five Secrets to Finding All the Clients You'll Ever
Need" at http://www.getclientsnow.com
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