The Key Difference Between Networking and Selling

Having a good network is a vital resource for any business person. For many people networking is their primary source of business. Yet most people get very little benefit from their efforts. They attend networking events and collect dozens of business cards from people who are not qualified prospects. This feels like progress, perhaps it even feels like work, but unless these contacts are likely to become prospects it's pretty much a waste of time.

As a result, this kind of networking yields modest results and is usually cover for a broken or non-existent marketing process.

To network effectively you have to fish where the fish are. Where are you likely to meet prospects for your business? What do you want them to do? Once you know the answer to these questions focus your attention on relevant venues where you can find people who can move you toward your goals.

When you find people you want to do business with, you had better not network with them, this is the time to start selling.

Networking is far more passive and does not generally put bread on the table. Selling is understanding peoples problems and offering them a solution that they will pay you for.
If you confuse networking with selling you will almost certainly end up earning less than you should.

Article Source: http://www.orbitaloc.com/

Michael Hepworth is the StreetSmart Marketer and a Toronto strategic marketing consultant, you can receive his free marketing advice at www.streetsmartmarketer.com/.

Please Rate The Above Article From The Marketing Category
Article Title: The Key Difference Between Networking and Selling

5 out of 54 out of 53 out of 52 out of 51 out of 5 

Not yet Rated

Syndicate Marketing Related Articles Via RSS!

Boost your websites' search engine ranking! Attract more repeat visitors!
Automatically, consistently update your content via Really Simple Syndication (RSS). To syndicate the above article and other Marketing related articles on your blog or site, simply click on the XML Icon above to grab the RSS feed -- It's FREE!

Subject to Orbitaloc.com's Publisher Terms of Service, you may reprint this article on your own website, blog, and ezine. (English only) You may also syndicate the article via Really Simple Syndication (RSS). It is free of charge.

Free Articles on Marketing and Other FREE Content Article Topics
The preceeding is an informative article from the Marketing category.

Visit Our Sponsor for 2 Free Quarts of Liquid Vitamins