The Last Word on how networking builds business relationships @ VeMMA 網路創業俱樂部

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The Last Word on how networking builds business relationships
MY Dad said that in business, networking is everything! So I was raised to believe in the importance of connecting with people. The direct selling industry is perfect for me, where else can you get paid to build relationships and meet so many different people?

When I started out in direct selling, face to face networking as a Distributor and the use of the phone and fax was my normal way of doing business, we didn’t have email yet since the Internet is only 15 years old (if you can remember that far back). But I’ve now added to my communications repertoire by connecting with people, and building business relationships through the forum of social media. I want to stress here that I’m not throwing the baby out with the bath water! It’s just that I see positive outcomes from using all the communications options open to me. So now, in addition to face to face meetings, email, and the phone, I regularly use social networking media such as twitter, facebook and a weekly blog to help run my business.

Connecting with people is what is important; how you do it is of secondary consideration.

To me there are three key benefits of networking. First of all I can reconnect with old or lapsed relationships, for example from High School (I didn’t make it to a University).

Secondly, networking lets me stay in touch and strengthen existing relationships by communicating with thousands of people on a daily basis, and finally it gives me a great opportunity to forge new ones. I could not make all the connections that I do by just sticking with one method of communication. I do remember those that told me they’d never use email, so I smile when I hear their companies aren’t embracing social media. I say to everyone who has doubts about new ways of networking through social media, you can’t stop the future, if you don’t reach outand embrace technology, then some other company will!

I actively encourage our Brand Partners to embrace networking as a powerful way of building their own relationships. I caution them to not think of ‘social media’ as ‘marketing media’. It’s not a tool for them to sell, it’s a tool to connect. We also provide them with their own personal and video blogs on their free marketing site.

What we don’t do however is just leave them to it. I see our Brand Partners as ambassadors for our company and it’s my responsibility to give them guidance on what the spirit of our business ethos is all about. There is a great element of trust and expectations here from both sides of the partnership. My expectations include a company code of ethics and business behaviours for them to abide by. This code includes, not putting unsubstantiated product claims on their personal blog, we don’t need them, instead we let our product’s reputation talk for us. Also they need to respect the industry we are in, I will not condone aggressive selling or recruitment, networking is all about building along term relationship. People will join an organisation when they feel comfortable and when it fits with their needs. It takes patience and an easy, approachable ongoing friendly attitude from our Brand Partners, and there is no set timeframe.

Our Brand Partners have expectations of me too, they expect me to communicate regularly with them which I do on my weekly blog (bkboreyko.vemma.com) and let them know what’s happening throughout the company. They expect high personal levels of integrity, honesty, friendship and openness from me, epitomising the values that I live my own life by.

My final thoughts on networking in business are based on some very interesting facts. Do you know that more than 700,000 people worldwide join a social network every day? These are people from every social, educational and cultural background; imagine the great potential business opportunities that gives to all of us.

I also read that we are now all suffering from ‘Ad clutter’ which means the average person is subjected to 3,000+ diverse advertising messages per day , confusing for the individual and expensive for the advertiser. A much more effective way is to use personal contact networking as it allows your message to be heard from a trusted, known source.

People are people they all want a chance to grow their businesses, develop personally and have hope for a better life. Networking especially in direct selling can elevate the status of our industry and give opportunities to all of us.....

It’s a perfect way to do business.