For the London based sales and marketing firm Odyssian Sales, networking is an imperative part of successful entrepreneurship. In a workshop held for their contractors, the firm shared some of their top tips on how to build a successful network.
They began their workshop outlining the importance of networking and its role in becoming a successful young professional. They argued that the process of sharing expertise, exchanging ideas and discovering new trends synonymous with networking offers their young professionals the opportunity to expand their business circle but also learn valuable information within their industry.
The workshop then went on to outline some key tips the CEO, Tom Harris, believed would help their workers network successfully.
1) Hang out where successful people are
Odyssian Sales encourages their contractors to consider every social situation as an opportunity to create networks. They want their workers to assess where they are professionally and then go to the places where they can network up.
2) Embrace discomfort
Networking can be uncomfortable. Odyssian Sales want their contractors to put themselves out there and accept that they may feel uncomfortable in some social situations. However, they implore their contractors to embrace this discomfort arguing that the most successful individuals embrace this negative and turn it into a solid business opportunity.
3) Don’t sell or pitch
The best business relationships are often built on friendship, and Odyssian Sales want their contractors to realise that other professionals will not want to conduct business with them if they appear unprofessional. “By going into a social interaction with the intent of solely selling either yourself or product will only lead to failure.” Odyssian Sales wants their contractors to go into their interactions with the goal of creating a productive relationship rather than money, which usually comes later.
The firm believes that success in the sales and marketing industry is directly linked to professionals continuously building their networks and want their workforce to realise this and go out of their way to expand their own networks. Odyssian Sales hope their workforce utilises the opportunities they provide in their business development program, taking on board these techniques to create meaningful and productive business networks.
Source: https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/299395
