1. First: Selling is not marketing; networking is marketing. Networking is not the place for selling. Networking, as a process, is about being “other” focused first. Business people have limiting beliefs about networking. Get over them if you have these or similar ones: “I don't find networking events that profitable;” “I don’t meet the right people.” These clutter your chances for success. Try this: Find the furthest most opposite belief from the negative one about networking you have. Make that your mantra at your next event. When you get rid of what you don’t want, you’ll make room for what you do.

2. Second: Attend networking events as a hub, instead of a hook, to more quickly become known as the “go to” person. Pay attention to what people are saying outside of what you sell or provide. You already know how to listen for that, right? Now listen more closely: is someone dissatisfied with a hairdresser? Did someone want to a landscape service? Maybe you heard someone say their car needed service? Try this: At the next event you attend listen outside of what you want. Within 48 hours follow up with a telephone call or handwritten note saying you found the very person who could help them with that situation.

3. Third: Make the card swap event a system. Follow-up is a system within the sales process. Think of it as the main way you will not lose contacts. How many times do you regularly attend an event, see many of the same people, but you have no mechanism to follow-up? Create a system for yourself however that may look: Look at the card for a moment upon the exchange, then file it; or ask to make a note on back of a card if it’s someone you want to connect with later on; follow up within 24 hours by telephone or handwritten note within 48 hours. Or make your life easy and send a real handwritten note with my favorite online greeting card system for salespeople.

One self-professed introvert told me that going to a networking event thinking like a hub, has opened up a totally new way of approaching networking for him. If you begin to network with a process mindset, it will become much clearer to you that it’s not about you. Networking without selling will attract more business more easily.

But maybe there are other parts of the sales process that you have some reluctance about. Would you let me know if you haven't already? Continuing with responses to my online survey about sales reluctance.

Reluctant to take the online survey about sales reluctance? Would you comment below about any part of the sales process you have reluctance about?

Business Networking Tip: How to Make and Utilize Contacts, Not Lose Them is a post from: Courage Coach for the Reluctant Marketer