{"id":14518,"date":"2017-03-17T16:21:54","date_gmt":"2017-03-17T16:21:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dentons.net\/localinfo\/?p=14518"},"modified":"2017-03-20T14:38:14","modified_gmt":"2017-03-20T14:38:14","slug":"casting-the-net","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dentons.net\/localinfo\/casting-the-net\/","title":{"rendered":"Casting the Net"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>The concept of \u201cnetworking\u201d to extend your influence is as old as time. There\u2019re even a few Biblical examples: remember Jesus urging his Disciples to \u201cbecome fishers of men\u201d? The fact that there are now around 2.18 billion Christians<\/a> (a third of the estimated global population) in the world, shows how successful they were.<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Networking is thus by no means just another business buzzword being bandied about. It\u2019s a crucial concept that needs to be taken a lot more seriously than just having a profile on Linked In, or attending a few conferences.<\/p>\n

Networking \u2013 whether on a personal or professional level, in formal or casual circumstances, face-to-face or virtual \u2013 is an essential, powerful and cost-effective marketing tool for business and entrepreneurs.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Putting yourself and your brand \u201cout there\u201d can net you not only more business\/clients\/sales, but also credibility, investment, resources, advice, and expand your professional knowledge base.<\/p>\n

There are dozens of ways to network, and if you\u2019re on the ball you\u2019ll take advantage of as many as possible, casting your net wide.<\/p>\n

Social media<\/strong>, is, of course the obvious way of spreading your message and recruiting fans and followers nowadays. It\u2019s the first step to success, so if you aren\u2019t tweeting and posting, get going!<\/p>\n

Next, become a \u201cjoiner\u201d. Use your interests and hobbies to the benefit of your business by volunteering, sponsoring and networking with organisations in your local area<\/strong>, from sports clubs to charities and community groups. As you become respected and known on a personal level, your business will also profit. You can network, too, in your leisure time \u2013 a round of golf or doing a cookery course, for example, could lead to an advantageous business connection.<\/p>\n

Formal opportunities for business networking<\/strong> abound. Your local chamber of commerce, trade or professional associations, or any of hundreds of business support organisations will have a full calendar of networking events, from workshops and seminars to business breakfasts and award dinners. Expos and trade shows<\/strong> where you can showcase your product or service \u201cin the flesh\u201d and meet the public and other exhibitors face-to-face are also fertile \u201cfishing\u201d grounds for networking.<\/p>\n

Pick and choose carefully, and attend as many of these events as you can, making an impression as an enthusiastic, confident, friendly and genuine person seeking to build useful business relationships with like-minded souls. Don\u2019t forget to take a plentiful supply of business cards!<\/p>\n

Overcoming shyness<\/strong><\/p>\n

If you are not gregarious by nature, it can be difficult to embark on a networking campaign. Start with people you already know, and let them introduce you to others, gradually expanding your circle.<\/p>\n

Google the term \u201chow to network\u201d and you\u2019ll be amazed how many useful hints and tips you can pick up to make turning strangers into friends less daunting.<\/p>\n

Some useful strategies, for example, include encouraging people to talk about themselves, and using a person\u2019s name often when engaged in conversation. To butt in to a group chat it\u2019s best to first get the gist of the conversation and then ask a question, rather than offer an opinion.<\/p>\n

Like most marketing maneuvers, networking is a skill which can be learned and honed with practice. It will work well if you approach it with sincerity and honesty.<\/p>\n

Dentons is a business built on the core concept of networking. We started out by publishing a directory of businesses and services for Bath back in 1967, with the idea that not only would our handy little book be useful for residents, but also a way to gather together in visible print form categories of trades and enterprises being conducted in the town. To be noticed, you needed to be in the Dentons Directory \u2013 and that still holds true today, especially now that we have expanded our reach to cover more than 50 areas of the south west with print directories, and the whole nation with dentons.net.<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

RETURN TO DENTONS BLOG PAGE<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The concept of \u201cnetworking\u201d to extend your influence is as old as time. There\u2019re even a few Biblical examples: remember Jesus urging his Disciples to \u201cbecome fishers of men\u201d? The fact that there are now around 2.18 billion Christians (a third of the estimated global population) in the world, shows how successful they were.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_themeisle_gutenberg_block_has_review":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2994],"tags":[2999,2996,3000,2997,2995,2998],"class_list":["post-14518","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-marketing-advice","tag-brand","tag-business","tag-directory","tag-entrepreneurs","tag-networking","tag-organisations"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dentons.net\/localinfo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14518","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dentons.net\/localinfo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dentons.net\/localinfo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dentons.net\/localinfo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dentons.net\/localinfo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14518"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dentons.net\/localinfo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14518\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dentons.net\/localinfo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14518"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dentons.net\/localinfo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14518"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dentons.net\/localinfo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14518"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}