As she aims to open her own business at some point in the future, Patrique Bartlett must work diligently to cultivate relationships with her customers and fellow professionals so that she builds a strong network of people who will be able to help her in her business endeavors. There are a number of things that you can do to become a more effective networker, including all of the following.
Get Online
Social media presents an enormous amount of opportunity in terms of connecting to professionals and industry leaders that you may never have been able to meet otherwise. Get signed up to sites like LinkedIn and make sure that you pay attention to your profile so that it will catch the eye of anybody who visits it. Engage in conversations and provide feedback to pieces written by fellow professionals to start dialogues.
Attend Local Events
Most towns and cities play host to business networking events fairly regularly, so you should make an effort to attend as many as possible. You never know who might turn up at such events and you may find that you meet new contacts who can expose you to business opportunities.
Nurture Relationships
Patrique Bartlett works hard to make sure she builds on the relationships that she forms when networking. By staying in regular contact with the people that you meet, you build stronger bonds that make them more likely to trust you, plus you keep yourself fresh in their minds, making it more likely that they will think of you when opportunities arise.
