Ireland is a land of talkers and it is true that for most businesses, the best way to grow is through word of mouth and referrals. This is all well and good but in order to kick start this process a business owner needs to get out there are meet people and talk about their business as often as they can. This activity gets your name and your business out there and establishes you with some credibility.

This article shares with you some of the tips that I have used when networking and building my business. This is by no means an exhaustive list and I would be very interested to hear from anyone who has discovered an effective tip they use that gets results when networking.

The taught of walking into a room full of strangers and voluntarily talking to them about yourself and your business can be extremely uncomfortable and indeed daunting for many people. This can be for one or more of the following reasons - shyness, introversion or being uncomfortable talking to strangers. If you can relate to any of these reasons, there is some good news; chances are you are a good listener so work to your strengths.

Before setting out to attend a networking event memorise some questions that you can ask that allows other people to talk and for you to listen. This approach has many benefits, one of which is people will think you are great because you are so interested in them and want to listen to them. This also allows you to get some very valuable information about the person so if appropriate you can talk about your business in a way that it relates to the person you are talking to.

Some questions I use include:

What do you do?

How did you get into that field?

What brings you to this event?

Who are your main clients?

What are the biggest challenges at the moment?

You will notice that the questions are open ended, i.e. they require the person to answer with more than a Yes/No, which means they do more talking. Based on what they say, you may find that the product or service you are offering may be just what they need.

An observation my brother made and shared with me, which I believe is very true is the fact that the best net-workers are those who go out of their way to do things for other people. They do not go to networking events focusing exclusively on questions like, “who can I meet this evening to help me in my business?” or “who could be a client?”. Instead, they approach networking asking questions like – “what can I do that people I meet will appreciate?” or “what information can I share that would be of value to people I meet?” For example, I met someone whose services I did not need but one of my clients at the time was looking for such service so I introduced the two parties to each other. I have met this person since and they have told me that they are very grateful for the referral and they have referred my services on numerous occasions to some of their colleagues and friends. Another example of this approach is to send people information that you feel may be of interest to them. This information may be totally unrelated to what you offer but it keeps your name in people’s heads and provides them with something of value.

A final tips; when entering a room of strangers, look for the person on their own and go talk to them. They will be delighted to have someone to talk to and most people find it easier to talk to an individual rather than a group.

I hope these few tips are of value to you. Please drop me an email and let me know how you get on at your next networking event.

Fergal O’Connor is a Business and Personal Life Coach working in partnership with his Business and Private clients providing a supportive, confidential, challenging and non-judgemental environment to make their ambitions and dreams a reality. Fergal also facilitates a range of Management training programs and is available for public speaking engagements. Fergal can be contacted at Synergy Coaching Services, Tel: (061) 467287, email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

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