Network Like a Pro 101
Modern business is all about networking, making meaningful connections for business purposes, to form profitable partnerships, get the support of like-minded people in your niche or industry, and maybe even make some great friends along the way. Success in business is all about positivity and surrounding yourself with upbeat people who have a ‘can-do attitude’ and are willing to trouble-shoot and problem solve to get things done right.
But if you’re like most people, you feel shy and awkward at live events like conferences. You also tend to stick to the same group of friends and acquaintances because they are familiar. And you also tend to panic at the idea of forging business partnerships. What if something goes wrong?
Flip your fears on their heads. Go to live events to have fun and meet great people. It’s NOT all about you personally. It’s about learning and growing. Spread your wings beyond your usual social circle. Dare to dream big and find business partners who can help take your business to the next level.
If you envy people who can ‘work a room’, it’s time to master a few simple skills to make the most of live events. If you’ve been feeling ‘stuck’ in your career, business or personal life, learn to network like a pro and see what a difference it can make to your life.
TO REGISTER:
To start studying this course, click on the button on the right, BUY NOW, to pay for the course. You will be asked to create a user name and password for this site. Once you have set up your free account, you can buy any course on the site. Pay via PayPal or any credit card.
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Navigate though the course through hitting the buttons at the bottom of each lesson to move forward, or use the clickable table of contents that will appear once you start the course to move up and down to the different sections if you wish.
An Introduction to Networking
Social networking is a great way to make connections and build your business. The trouble is that it has, in part, made person to person, face to face connections a bit of a lost art. Computers are great for those of us who are shy, but social networking can only reinforce our shyness and make it harder to get out and network with people, go on interviews in the real world, and so on.
Social network is also not the real world because there are so many fakes out there. LinkedIn is the most trusted social network because people have to verify who they are, where they worked, what degrees they have, and so on. Conversely, on Facebook, they could be anyone, and make up all sorts of rubbish about themselves. You might never know what a fraud they are until it is too late.
Social media also has the virtue of being a free way to market your online business. The trouble is millions of businesses have now jumped on the same bandwagon, so what was once a great opportunity has become a wildly competitive space in most niches, with the above-mentioned frauds having few compunctions about lying about your products and services by posing as customers in order to damage your company in an effort to boost their own.
This being the case, real connections with real people in the real world really do count. There are lots of ways to meet them if you are willing to ‘put yourself out there’ and try your local chamber of commerce, your nearest chapter of the Rotarians, and so on. Libraries, bookstores and other venues are always looking for interesting people who can speak about useful topics that really solve a problem. If you are an author or have a course on DVD, you could make back of the room sales.
Best of all, you could meet like-minded people worth doing business with, as a partner, mentor, coach, and so on, or vice versa. You might be viewed as the expert people would love to work with. In this case, all sorts of doors can open to you, from lucrative business deals to a whole new network of useful connections through the people you start to work with.
If you’ve been struggling to earn more profits, land good deals, or are just plain tired of having lots of brilliant ideas but having to go it on your own all the time, now is the time to start networking, evaluating your friendships to determine if they are meaningful, and actively seeking business partnerships to take your business to the next level.
So let’s meet your instructors, then get your downloads, and move on to the first set of lessons.
About the Instructors
Joan Mullally has written more than 100 guides to help new small business owners and marketers gain the skills they need to succeed online.
Annabelle Stevens is a life coach and the author of more than 50 self-help guides.
