Networking……ugh!

Right?

So you ask, “Why do I have to network? That’s a lot of work and I’m already working hard at my business! I mean, what’s this gonna get me? I’m spending big bucks on phone book ads, billboards, commercials. I pay for leads. I’m on the telephone all day long talking to people. I cold call. I do all the things that I was told to do by my company or when I was in school. Isn’t that enough?”

No, it isn’t.

Let me ask a question here.  “How’s that working out for you?”

If you’re like most people, you’re spending a huge amount of marketing dollars and not getting a whole lot of BANG for your buck. You know, a while back a survey was done asking 5000 Harvard Business School graduates where the majority of their company’s sales came from. About 90% of those polled responded that at least 60% of sales came from repeat and referral business.

Then those same 90% respondees from Harvard Business School were asked, “How much of your company’s marketing budget is focused on getting that repeat business or referrals.”

The answer? None.

NOT ONE PENNY was spent on getting repeat customers or referrals.

Does something jump out at you here?

It’s nice to get customers “off the street.” But what most businesses don’t know, or choose to ignore, is that business, like life in general, is about relationships. Yes, I said it. Relationships! And relationships will get you more business than anything else that you can possibly do. Even if you’re General Motors. Even if you’re Apple Computers. Even if you’re Chase Bank. What keeps you in business is REPEAT BUSINESS and CUSTOMER LOYALTY.

And what builds repeat business and customer loyalty?  RELATIONSHIPS.

If you would like to hear more about why networking is effective, how to prepare for an event and exactly who to look for when networking, go to http://networkingfun.com/products-page/ and order the audio file “I’m Going To a Mixer – Now What?” and “Who Should I Network With?“

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