Today’s Marketing Menu Podcast is all about the sometimes thorny area of business networking, and how to get it right so that you build trust and rapport with potential clients and contacts.

Why’s it thorny?

Well, I think it terrifies an awful lot of people so I guess I’m really keen to either help listeners who have yet to try it out or to help those who still feel uncomfortable. I know it took me a good few months to actually say I enjoyed it.

Certainly, the networking world has exploded in recent years with many national organisations springing up as well as a wealth of local business groups. I don’t know about you but when I started out on my own it was my first step into the bigger world so that I could just get out there and meet potential clients. But surely networking is not going to be relevant to every type of business listening in is it?

Well, that actually leads me on to an important point really about what I see as the value of networking.

On the networking circuits I’ve been on, I’ve been amazed by the diversity of people attending, and yes I have met builders and plumbers and colour experts you know from Colour Me Beautiful say, and even the marketing manager for some London strip clubs.

Strip clubs, seriously?

Yes, she was looking for people planning a stag do or wanting to run, shall we say, alternative corporate events. Although I would suggest, there is always a range of accountants, lawyers, recruiters and marketers in the room there can be some interesting surprises.

That’s a good point, Nicky. And I think it’s worth mentioning here that it is worth checking out the different types of networking meetings. They’re not all the same. Some are strictly business-focused, some are more social. They’re all at different times, breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Some require you to make referrals, others are more casual and leave you to it. If you can check the membership of a group beforehand, you’ll get an idea of the other types of businesses represented. So, it really depends on what is right for your business.

That’s right. We know a funeral director who regularly attends a group we both go to. Now he self-confessedly is not looking for clients in the room but what he is doing is building trust and rapport with others who may need his services because of some sad or unfortunate situation. what I like is he is really thinking outside the box. What I like is he is really thinking outside the box, if you’ll pardon the pun! I know him and how enthused he is about his business and the obvious care he takes over his client relationships. I think I’d say I’d definitely call him should I need or know others who may have a need.

So, you mentioned how you see the value of networking, what do you mean by that exactly?

Well yes okay, so I may be a little provocative here but after several years of networking, I don’t necessarily value networking as a means of getting new clients.

But hang on a minute, what’s the point then?

Well the way I see it is that when I go out networking, quite often I find the people in the room who know they could, or should, be doing better marketing, but once they have a website, be it that they’re often in the early stages of developing their business, they often don't have the resources to employ my services. In reality, they may not be at that point for a couple of years, so it’s my job to make sure that I stay in touch long enough for them to get to that point, which may be challenging too, as often they are going to leave the networking circuit as their businesses gets bigger and they've less time to commit to it.

Well yes, I get that particularly for our field say, but that's not always likely to be the case?

Oh for sure, because let’s say I need a plumber.