Making Valuable Contacts Online

Making Valuable Contacts Online

Copyright (c) 2003 by Angela Booth

Remember the old saying: "it's not what you know, it's who you
know"? It's true. Your contacts determine whether your business
succeeds or fails, and for reasons of credibility, that's doubly
true online.

Many people bristle when someone suggests that they network. If
the term networking puts you off, then think of it as making
friends. People do business with people they know, and your
prospective clients need to hear your name many times before they
buy from you.

Networking should be a cornerstone of your business. As my
marketer friend Sally says: "Networking makes all your business
activities more effective."

Sally loves using the Internet to develop new contacts. She
believes that you can establish business relationships more
easily online than you can offline. "I'd rather have someone
email me a proposal, than phone me. And if I'm the one creating
the proposal, I'll do a Web search on their business before I
email them. The more you know about them the more effective your
initial contact will be. I'm flattered if I know that someone has
taken the time to find out about our business before they contact
me for the first time."

=> Making new contacts step by step

With several hundred million people online, no matter how tiny
your niche market, you'll find it easy to make contacts online.
Some of these contacts will be people who are in the same
business you're in, others will be suppliers, or prospective
clients.

Note: some people hesitate to make contact with competitors. When
I suggested to a copywriting student of mine that she should
contact local copywriters to see they were charging, she freaked
out. She didn't want to have anything to do with her competition.

This is a short-sighted attitude, because:

* whatever your business, it's a small world. People know people,
and people talk. If people know you because they've had some
contact with you, then when they're asked about you, they're more
apt to speak kindly of you;

* you'll learn what's happening in your industry: who's hiring,
who's landed a big new contract, and who's slow-paying;

* you've got someone to whom you can refer clients, if the
clients want something that you can't provide (and with luck,
your contacts will refer people to you);

* it's educational: you can swap techniques, suppliers, and
shortcuts;

* and most importantly, you can find out what other local
businesses are charging, and why.

So how do you start making valuable contacts online?

==> Step One: Do a search for people in the same business you're
in

You'll need to know who's doing what you're doing. Check out
their Web sites, bookmark their URL, and enter the names and
contact details into your contact management program.

(Go to Better Whois, at http://www.betterwhois.com/ to get the
business owner's contact details.)

See whether they offer services or products which are
complementary to yours. You might be able to form a loose
partnership.

If it's appropriate, you could offer them a link on your Web site
in return for a link on theirs. However, be careful with this.
Don't go linking here, there and everywhere online for the heck
of it. Ubiquitous linking makes it look as if you don't know what
you're doing.

==> Step Two: In what fields do you want to expand your client
base?

When looking for prospective clients, think in terms of
industries or professions.

If many of your clients are doctors, perhaps you want to contact
more doctors, or perhaps you want to contact dentists or lawyers.

If you're a writer, maybe you've been targeting health and
fitness magazines. What other interests and knowledge do you
have? Perhaps you once worked for a construction company. Trade
magazines pay quite well, so investigate construction magazines.
Enter the magazines into your database, and send the editors a
letter or e-mail message introducing yourself.

==> Step Three: Budget time for networking

Networking won't pay off with instantly, and too much networking
can eat up a lot of time. So make a networking schedule for
yourself.

If you're working in your small business fulltime, budget half an
hour or so every couple of days for networking, or put in an hour
a week. If you're a part-timer, try to put in a couple of hours a
month.

==> Step Four: Don't be put off by a lack of response

If you send an e-mail message, and don't get a response, don't
take it badly. Like most other people, I've got a rapid-fire
delete finger, and I'm sure that occasionally I delete a valuable
message by mistake. Blame it on the spam circus that e-mail has
become.

Don't badger people, but if you're not getting a response via
email, send them a fax or a letter.

Start making online contacts today, and watch your business
thrive!

***Resource box: if using, please include***

Veteran multi-published author and copywriter Angela Booth crafts
words for your business --- words to sell, educate or persuade.
E-books and e-courses for writers on Web site. FREE ezines for
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