Just started your first small business? Or are you a big business powerhouse looking for any opportunity to get the advantage on your competition and grow your empire. Well whether you run a market stall or a Fortune-500 company there is no denying that you can always expand. Forming relationships with other businesses is a great way to not only create new clients, but also cross promote to an entirely new and unaware client base. To help you on your way to total domination we have put together a list of the five best methods to grow your business network and in turn, grow your business income.
It’s an obvious one, but not something that should be take for granted. Have you set up a page for your business and do you update it regularly? You should make regular updates on your Facebook page with a mix of serious business posts – i.e “This week we have 50% off all summer stock” as well as some occasional ‘silly’ or ‘fun’ posts. The odd cat video ought to do the trick. In this way both potential customers and other local businesses will be able to engage with you and recommend what you offer to their friends or clients. If you can have another local business add your page to their page as a ‘liked’ item, this will only serve to further your network.
Similar to Facebook, this is a service that operates in a more ‘professional’ and ‘direct’ manner. Create a profile and list who you are and what you can do for other professionals and then peruse the networks you create to find others who might have a deficit in the services they offer that you can fill.
Business Cards
An oldie but a goodie, nothing beats the ability to provide someone you’ve just met in-person with a way of getting in contact later. With a set of professionally designed and printed business cards you can not only quickly swap details with another like-minded prospective client (without the embarrassment of messy hand writing), but also drop your card into ‘business card boxes’ that offer you the opportunity to win a monthly prize draw.
Small Business Groups
Most major cities and regional centres have monthly business group meetings where you can meet and mingle with others who are in a similar situation to yourself. These groups offer terrific opportunity to cross promote your products or services as well as gain knowledge from others who have had different experiences within the field.
The ‘I’ll scratch your back, you scratch mine’ method.
Doing favours or lending resources is a positive way of making lasting impressions with others. Role play – you’re a mechanic and a nearby refrigeration repair man asks you to fix his car. Do you charge him full price or do you do it for cost price or free and ask him to see to the freezer that his been playing up in the office? Not only have you saved yourself a ton of effort, you’ve also made yourself a lasting business relationship.
There are many ways for you to expand your business networks and if you start with the above methods you would soon find that growth and expansion that you’re chasing.
