Over and over again in my business, I’ve been grateful for the power of networking as a route to finding clients – and I’m always baffled for those who think it doesn’t work.
Most of my clients come because I’ve gone out of my way to be in the right place at the right time – even though that’s not actually obvious. It’s about trusting the process when it comes to building relationships. For a service-based business like mine, it’s critical for business growth.
Those of you who follow me will know that I went to The Care Show in Swindon earlier this year. I was happy to support this event and to take a stand and I did so with no expectation of sales – it was about brand awareness and letting people know that this is my world.
I met a lovely gentleman at the show, and we had a conversation about my services and his services & we parted ways. It was the kind of small conversation which you both enjoy and then you move on. I never thought any more would come from it, how wrong was I?
After that conversation, he contacted me to set up a meeting. I said yes and we met up. That let to another meeting where this person shared their goals with me far more deeply and I shared my thoughts & experience. This led to a third meeting.
From that one smll conversation, I am now working as a consultant to this person setting up Supported Living and Children’s Services provision in Swindon.
I can’t divulge details yet (you’ll have to stay tuned for that!) but I wanted to express how excited I am about this project.
I’m now working busily behind the scenes, but I did want to highlight how important it is to show up for yourself and your business. You need to be present and trust that work will come.
I am a member of several networking groups, I turn up to events, and I invest in marketing & PR. All these things help me connect with people in the real world who are part of my world and who can see, over time, my expertise.
These activities are not fruitful every day. They can’t be. Yet they are very fruitful over time.
People buy from people and they want to know who you are and they want to watch you and learn before making a commitment.
When a ‘moment’ turns into a business relationship, I always feel the urge to really celebrate because it takes effort and commitment on both sides to get there. It’s so important to celebrate (even if you are just doing a small happy dance) every win, however small.
It is vital for SME business owners, like myself, to persist and remain in people’s minds. To find ways of improving your business by having kind and approachable conversations.
So, if this is the inspiration for you to get networking, have meetings, get marketing or to hire a new person – get started!
Us SMEs, we’re in it together and we need to be seen to be ‘in it’ together.
