Checklist For Your Business Networking Toolkit

Monday 25 July, 2011

by Dr. Ivan Misner

Running a successful business networking campaign includes building an arsenal of credibility-enhancing materials. Use this checklist to make sure you have the right material at your disposal and make the most of every networking opportunity.

It's amazing what a business networking campaign can do for your business. People rely on recommendations from trusted sources much more than they do from mere advertisements.
The best thing is, the costs associated with running a successful business networking campaign are usually a fraction of what a traditional advertising campaign can run! However, as the saying goes, "there is no free lunch". What you save in dollars spent, you must replace with time and effort. Simply saying to yourself that you are going to "network" does not guarantee immediate success.
You not only need to plan and execute a schedule of networking events and activities that will put you in front of people, you will also need to build your credibility. One of the most important ways to do this is to hold yourself to the highest ethical standards: Be fair in your pricing; make sure the work you are hired to do is provided with the highest standards in quality; and certainly never over-promise and under-deliver. The other includes utilising credibility-enhancing materials.
Below is a checklist of items you may wish to begin assembling, which can be used as collateral materials in developing your desired image. Before we get started:

1. Point 1 - This is not a complete list of items needed to market your business
   
2. Point 2 - This checklist covers a wide variety of items - consider when to use them
   
   Not every item will be used at the first point of contact with a potential client, or even with someone who can refer you clients. Each item will address a specific area of information that you have to share about your business. While some can be used to build credibility at earlier stages of networking, you will want to save the more detailed items for a later point in the networking process.
   
   The first half of the list includes items that you will most likely want or need at the early stages, while the second half you should have ready as the relationship deepens.

Business Networking Toolkit Checklist 

• A one-page flyer
  
  You should have a brief overview of your business ready to pass along at all times - both a hard copy and an electronic copy - in case you meet someone while networking who wants to quickly pass along your information to a prospective client they know.
  
• Question-and-answer sheet
  
  One of the quickest ways to learn about a person's business - and for them to learn about yours - is to make the initial meeting as organised as possible. A sheet with questions that you can each ask each other can ensure you don't forget to find out the most important information - the information that could lead to a referral the quickest!
  
• Testimonial letters from satisfied clients
  
  Testimonials are one of the most effective ways to showcase the quality of the products or services you provide. You can keep hard copies in a binder, or you can post them to your website. If you have a LinkedIn profile, you can ask the clients in your network to "recommend" you.
  
• Photos of yourself, your office facilities, equipment, and/or products
  
  A professional photo, or headshot, is important for promotional opportunities and for your social media profiles. Photos of your office or business operation and products help to legitimise your business and gain credibility.
  
• Current brochures, circulars, data sheets, and product catalogs
  
  This may seem like a no-brainer, but quite often I've noticed that business owners are too busy running their business and neglect their collateral materials.
  
• Items that reflect your "brand"
  
  These items go a long way to building the consistency and recognition of your brand: Logos, trademarks, service marks, patterns, designs you've used, posters, banners, and display materials used at trade shows.
  
• A list of your key customers
  
  You can put these on your website to show the type of clients you have already successfully served.
  
• A list of your memberships and affiliations
  
  This is very helpful when you meet someone for the first time - it's a great way to see if you have mutual acquaintances or business associates. It may also lead to an introduction to someone in one of their networks to whom you have been hoping to be introduced.
  
• Photos of awards and certificates you and your staff have earned
  
  These items can rank almost as high on the credibility factor as testimonials.
  
• Articles you have published, or in which you're mentioned
  
  Writing articles (or being professionally mentioned in them) is a great way to become known as an expert in your field - and people like to know they are working with experts.
  
• New-product or service announcements or press releases
  
  As you network, make sure the people who might potentially hire you - or refer others to you - are immediately informed of news about your company. In addition to submitting these announcements to news outlets, you can also hand these out at meetings, or you can post them on your website and on your social media accounts.
  
• Items that help you explain your business to your network
  
  These can include: your annual report, capability statement and prospectus; your motto, mission statement or service pledge; or even a written history of your company.
  
• Client or customer proposals, bid sheets, or marketing letters you have written to existing clients
  
  Keeping this information top-of-mind will come in very handy if you are at a networking event and have the opportunity to talk to a prospective client in depth.
  
• Articles on trends affecting your target market
  
  Keeping up with issues and news items that are important to people helps you to be able to target your conversation and, subsequently, your products and services more directly to the prospects you want to turn into clients.

Be sure to store your networking materials somewhere that makes it easy to retrieve frequently used documents.  This equipment greatly aids any company's business networking campaign and ability to respond quickly when necessary.

Author Credits

Called the father of modern networking by CNN, Dr. Ivan Misner is a New York Times bestselling author and Founder of BNI (www.bni.com), the world’s largest business networking organization. His latest book, 'The 29% Solution' can be viewed at www.29PercentSolution.com. Dr. Misner is also the Sr. Partner for the Referral Institute, an international referral training company (www.referralinstitute.com). He can be reached at misner@bni.com