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Small business networking is critical to your business success. You must build relationships through networking.

You will need to make this your priority for the first few months of operations. Not only that, but you cannot rush this process. You’re not going to go to your first network event and get six clients. But there’s a good chance that you will come away five or six quality contacts.

Networking For Contacts
Once you make the contact, your work is not over. You then have to spend time following up with meetings, proposals and sales calls. But this time is much better spent than chasing down one-shot clients. Work with people who are, or who can put you in touch with, steady clients. These are the contacts that will support your business long-term.

Don’t expect to walk out of every event with a handful of paying clients. Do expect to generate quality leads and referral sources. These referrals and leads are the crux of small business networking.

You need to have plenty of different leads and contacts in your funnel at any given time. Some of these will be hotter at different stages. They will be ready to move into paying client status at different stages and different dates. Networking keeps you in contact with these people throughout their buying phases.

The Bottom Line on Networking
Contact and referrals are what will lead you to long-term, steady clients. The kind of clients that will make your business a success. Getting out and attending networking events may appear to be unproductive socializing. Realize that the contacts you make will generate an enormous return on your invested time. Start your network today – you never know where it will take you.