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Trainer's tip: Networking

Posted by Heather Townsend in Soft skills, Trainers tips on Tue, 08/24/2010 - 11:08

This month's trainer's tip follows on from our feature last week on why it's important for HR to network, as Heather Townsend offers further advice on how to get the most of your networking experience.

If you sell a product or a service to business, joining a networking group can be a fantastic way to grow your business. Before we go any further though, let's counteract a myth - networking is not about selling. How many times have you been at a networking event, and been sold to? Like many people, I've suffered as well – and let's just say their business card hasn't made it into my new business card organiser. To really hammer home the benefit of networking, 80% of opportunities will come to you from people you already know. You have to remember that when you are talking to someone, that you may not be talking to the end user of your product or service.

The main purpose of networking is to attract opportunities. What I mean by this is that other people refer your services on. There are four ways to attract opportunities:

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