I realise that to many businesses, networking is just another thing that has to be done. However, I find it a very powerful tool in the marketing mix:

• For starters, it’s fun and I usually get a free drink and nibbles out of it 🙂
• Secondly, you never know who you are going to meet and there really are some amazing people with interesting stories to tell, and
• Most importantly, it works! – I was approached by a person who had been told about me by a friend who I met at a networking event and then saw me getting out of my car (which had the Small Fish logo on it of course) at the school.

If you want to grow your business then you have to get out there and tell people about it. When it comes to sales – trust trumps price every time. People will buy from those they know and trust.

In the book “Network or Perish,” Robyn Henderson comments that networking is a life skill that revolves around treating people in the same way that you want to be treated; that there are abundant opportunities for everyone; that if you give referrals, you will receive referrals- but do things without an expectation of getting something back directly from the person you help. This is a great book. If you need help to get out there, then I suggest you should read it.