7 Questions That Can Help You Understand the Value of Networking in Sales

Networking in Sales

Networking is a pretty broad term. It can encompass everything from attending events, presenting or running educational seminars, or meeting with small groups of your peers over a drink after work.

Over the years, one thing I’ve found is that, as important as it is to attend events and meet new people, you have to pick and choose where you want to invest your time to support and develop the relationships you have established. After all, there’s only 24 hours in a day.

Ideally you want to find networking situations that represent mutually beneficial opportunities. You must recognize that the benefits of your networking activities may not be immediate. but rather pay out at some point in the future. It’s also important to remember that the immediate person you’re networking with may not be the end goal – it’s access to the network they are attached to that can provide the real business value.

Here are a few things you should consider when deciding how you should invest your time when it comes to networking and sales:

  • Can you provide assistance to this person?
  • Can you provide assistance to people in their network?
  • Are you able to cross sell each others’ services?
  • Do you value their opinion as a sounding board?
  • Can their expertise and experience assist your and your clients?
  • Can their network be leveraged by you?
  • Do you simply enjoy their company?

This is by no means a complete list, but what I am suggesting is that you need to identify what it is that is important to you and understand why you are investing time to build the relationship or network.

At VA Partners, we firmly believe in the power of networking and that startups need to invest considerable time and effort into establishing the right networks. Smart networking always makes sense and always provides rewards to those who invest in it.

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7 Questions That Can Help You Understand the Value of Networking in Sales