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Article by Peter J. Normandia. Follow me on Twitter.

Every Wednesday is Personal Development in Business…

Every business owner would love to have one thing: more clients. In today’s economic climate, it is more important than ever to properly build your network. Now, being that this is a blog, I can obviously talk about all of the ways you can network through Social Media. We can discuss Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, Flickr, and MySpace till we are blue in the face, but I feel like others have gone into much better depth about it than I ever could.

Today, I want to concentrate on 5 Ways to Find more business the old fashioned way: physically. To me, even with the massive amounts of people I network with online, I still get most of my business through personal interaction.

Networking for Your Business

It is quite easy for us business owners to network over a computer. I have done it myself for months. However, there is a trust issue over the computer. Most businesses are skeptical of working with people they have never met. Sure, I have gotten jobs this way, but it is difficult when you have not seen the other person’s face. I have found the following ways to have a much higher lead/job ratio, then the internet. Seems on the net, I get a lot of leads, but not a great deal of business.

What Methods Work for Me?

Now, of course this depends on your type of business. These methods work for every business, but especially for service based small businesses. For example, our company Reimagine specializes in web and video production. We could build a website for anyone in the world, ideally. However, so could anyone else.

To build your business from the ground up, I have found it is much more effective to make personal relationships, no matter what your business is. With personal relationships, you develop a camaraderie with your clients. They know what to expect, as you do. This makes it easier and easier to develop a positive working relationship. When they dial the phone, they know who they are talking to.

You can not put a price on reliability. It is probably the single most important trait a business can have. If your business is not reliable, then it will not be smart for a client to deal with you. This is what causes the fear over the internet. Sure, you have a website, and some great products, but how do your potential clients know what you say is true?

That’s why I have found building a business from the ground up to start with conquering your local area. Nothing beats having an effective base for your business, and there is no easier way to build a reputation then through personal interaction.

However, it all starts with spreading the word. Word of mouth is the most effective resource, but to achieve that, you have to give clients something to talk about. With that in mind, here are…

5 Steps to Physically Find More Business

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1. Join Local Networking Groups

It is a must that you find these groups and participate in them. There are private networking groups, the local Chamber of Commerce, networking events, tradeshows, town fairs, barter associations, and numerous other networks that businesses use.

2. Consistently Attend These Groups

It may take some time to sort out which groups work best for you, but to achieve success with this method, you have to go more than once. In fact, you have make consistent appearances. Let people get to know you personally, and that will lead them to what you do in business. Once people get to know you, not only may they give you business, they may recommend others to you as well.

3. Set A Good Initial Price

We all have the goals for what we want to make in our business. However, to get there, we have to sacrifice in the beginning. It can be very hard to give a good deal when you are struggling to build your business.

However, when approached in these networking groups, you have to think of the big picture. By giving out a great deal to one person, you will automatically get business from others. People in these networking groups network themselves. They talk to many other businesses. Do them right, and watch how your name spreads like wildfire among the people they know. Multiply this with a few key people in the group, and watch how the calls fly in.

4. Do Unto Others As You Would Want Done To You

No, I am not reciting the ten commandments. However, this is an important message. Most people attend these groups only concerned about how it can help their business. What I do, is I try to also pay attention to who I can recommend. I may meet a good plumber, mortgage broker, or landscaper who I can recommend to the people I know.

In turn, these people will be indebted to return the favor. Now, do not go hunt someone down who you recommended if they don’t do the same. It happens, but more often than not, this will get you some return business.

5. Repeat, Repeat, Repeat

Keep on networking. Keep on meeting people. Keep on pursuing business relationships. I know a guy locally who even started his own free networking group. There is no fee to join. The only rule is there is only one business allowed in the group per field. So for instance, I am the group’s web designer/development person. This guy is a mortgage broker, and every meeting he gets more and more business. Why? Cause it is his networking group. He started out networking with other groups, and eventually formed his own. All it took was him renting out a restaurant for free, with the promise people will order food during these weekly meetings. 

Talk about setting yourself up with business for life. He now has grown this group to over 5o businesses, and it is still climbing. That is 50 businesses (think of how many people work in a business) that all know his name, what he does, and that he is a nice guy.

Feedback

In the comments, add any other techniques you have used to grow your business through personal relationships.

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