Networking To Grow Your Brand

3 STEPS TO NETWORK YOUR WAY TO GREATER SUCCESS!  

As women in business one thing we need to get better at is mastering the art of successful networking. It’s one of the fastest ways to grow your trust, credibility and business. In today’s new economy, there’s no doubting the power of attending live events to boost your personal brand value and grow your business.

 

In fact, according to the Event Marketing 2019: Benchmarks and Trends report, the majority (84%) of leadership, Vice President and C-Suite, believe in-person events are a critical component of their company’s success.   

 

So, one thing is clear… 

Being a confident and skilful networker will absolutely grow your influence, reputation, leadership and presence in a meaningful, lasting and authentic way. 

 

But there is this belief out there in today’s hyper-competitive world, that you must be seen everywhere to make an impact and grow your business and brand. And maybe you feel this way too. I understand how this can make sense because as professionals there is so much pressure today to be seen, heard and noticed in your industry. But this advice can just make you feel completely overwhelmed at thought of networking at all.  

 

In fact, for many professional women, networking is a real challenge and the fear of attending events is totally horrifying! That little internal voice questions, “Who am I in this room? Where do I fit in? Who will I know? What do I say when I introduce myself? Will I sound interesting? How do I talk about myself, my services, or my business without being too salesy in my approach? 

 

As a coach and mentor for women in business, I’ve realised even the most competent and experienced woman can still cringe at the very thought of entering a room full of strangers on their own, for the purpose of networking. Especially if they are the only female in a room full of men! They feel they lack the confidence to ‘work a room’ effectively, to truly own their voice and walk into a room radiating the energy and presence of the leader they want to be.

 

Add to the fact that networking is still widely perceived as an opportunity for many adopt a ‘hard sell’ approach to gaining business, referrals and generating leads and you will see many professional women run for the hills! We just don’t like ‘putting ourselves out there’ or talking about ourselves in boastful ways, unlike men who are so much more conditioned to seek business through networking. (…Sorry guys, but it’s true! 😊)

 

But ladies networking today is just so much more!  

 

 

Networking It is your golden opportunity to shine as a woman in business, to truly own your voice and step out of the shadows and take control of what you want to be known for in both your life and business.

 

And with the right insight, strategy and planning you can start to choose the right events to attend that will serve you and those around you with greater purpose and success. And this is so important, as let’s be honest, as high-performance women, we don’t have much spare time in our busy work-life schedules to attend hundreds of random events.

 

Yet, there’s a balance that needs to be found. Because the reality is if you want to be a leader in your industry then you must get serious about networking efficiently and effectively. 

 

That’s why my 3rd pillar to becoming a Woman of Confidence is how to Be Noticed! People are the grassroots of everyone’s life, business or career! So, I’d like you to make a conscious decision today, to stand out and step out to join likeminded professionals and influencers to engage, share, inspire, educate and motivate!  

 

All successful female leaders use networking to grow their influence. 

 

Being seen at the right industry events in their market shows they are current, engaged, in touch and care about contributing to the businesses, communities and groups they serve. 

 

When I quit my job at 50 and started a new business, my networks, relationships and the deep connections I had built over the past 25 years (without the internet!) formed the foundation of my new brand and business. But it didn’t just happen! I had to work at it!

 

For years I had attended events, gave referrals, free talks, worked for and nurtured a community of other successful people and businesses that I believed in and who in turn believed in me, trusted me and even better, wanted greater success for me! 

So, successful networking can help you too! You can empower yourself, career or business by building your own ‘tribe’ of likeminded people, professionals and businesses who know, like and trust you, who will support and follow you no matter what you do in your life and career. 

 

You will build your personal brand value through brand association, face-to-face recognition, partnerships and greater leadership opportunities. You will grow your influence and reputation fast to show people who you really are and what you stand for.  

 

In this week’s video, I share with you my top strategies for successful networking to elevate your personal brand value and grow your business. + you can Download the Networking Planner I’ve created to help you focus on Networking to elevate your personal brand and grow your business. 🙂 

THE 3 ESSENTIAL KEYS TO NETWORKING TO GROW YOUR BRAND AND BUSINESS

As women in business one thing we need to get better at is mastering the art of successful networking. Being a confident and skilful networker is the fastest way to boost your personal brand value and grow your business.

 

You will also grow your influence, leadership, brand and presence in a more meaningful, lasting and authentic way.

 

But there is this belief out there, that you must be seen everywhere to make an impact.  And maybe you feel this way too.

 

I understand how this can make sense, because as professional women there is so much pressure today to be seen, heard and noticed as female leaders in your industry.

 

But this belief can just make you feel completely overwhelmed at very thought of networking at all.  In fact, for many professional women, networking is a real challenge and the fear of attending events is totally horrifying!

 

 

That little internal voice questions, “Who am I in this room?  Where do I fit in?  Who will I know? What do I say when I introduce myself? Will I sound interesting?  and – “How do I talk about myself, my services or my business without sounding too salesy in my approach?”

 

And as the simple truth is as women, we are just not as conditioned as men to seek business through networking.  And many women fear walking into a room alone or being the only woman in a room full of men.

 

So, we need to find a balance.  Because the reality is, today – if you want to grow your personal brand and business, then you must get serious about networking as part of your plan for success.

 

To be able to step out of the shadows, Find your voice and Walk into any room feeling Confident and empowered to be you!

 

So, in this week’s video, I share my top strategies for successful networking to elevate your personal brand value and grow your business.  + you can Download the  Networking Planner I’ve created to help you focus on taking a more strategic approach to your networking.  So, stay tuned!

 

Hi, its Suzie lightfoot here, founder of Woman of Confidence and coach and mentor for women in business.

 

Over the past 25 years  one of the most powerful strategies I have used to grow my personal brand and business reputation – is having a successful networking plan.

 

When I quit my job at 50 and started a new career – my networks, relationships, and the deep connections I had built over
25 years (without the internet!) formed this amazing foundation of followers, partnerships and connections that not only believed in me and supported me, but also gave me the confidence to challenge myself, to reach higher -to be more and do more in my life and career, but it didn’t just happen! I had to work at it!

 

So today I am going to share with you my top networking strategies that will help you grow your personal brand into a powerful asset for your business or career.

 

And if you download the Networking Planner, you will get my step by step plan that I use to create my own successful Networking strategies.

 

So, there are 3 Key Stages to crafting a powerful networking plan.

 

1.PRE-PLANNING!

The first is being totally prepared for when you make your networking debut!

 

Now I have created a pre-planning checklist to help ensure you are on brand, relevant, and prepared to walk into any room with confidence and presence.

 

Most women loath talking about themselves in boastful ways, but you must learn to ‘pitch’ yourself in a real and authentic way – so, people remember you for all the right reasons after your  leave the room.

 

And … you want to also be walking into the right room with the right people!  As a high-performance professional woman, you will have little time to waste on attending events that don’t interest you, serve you or get you connected to the right people.

 

So, get a plan, research your event and who may be attending and be deliberate way. And – remember always enter a room with back up!

 

I’m not talking about having a wing woman, or a colleague beside you…I’m referring to having a current profile online and personal brand presence – so when Someone googles your name after meeting you, what they find is relevant and you have a current Public profile to back you up!

 

 2. NETWORKING CONNECTION PLAN

Once you have your pre-network planning done… the next step is to create a networking connection plan.

Don’t leave your list of contacts to gather digital dust… or maybe don’t even have a list yet…so start one.

 

Start to nurture your existing contacts and reaching out to establish new ones… and explore how to can start to nurture mutually beneficial brand associations. 

 

Being aligned with like minded and respected brands and people know, like and trust you in your market -will elevate your own personal and business brand value. 

 

3. BECOME A CONNECTOR!

The final stage to successful networking to grow your brand And business can be the most daunting of all.

 

Because it requires you to is to step up and take the lead.  But if you can start to network on multiple levels and become a connector, your brand and business will really start to thrive!

 

Because networking isn’t all about you.  It’s how you give freely to others too.

• Think of ways you can start to be of service at events, industry workshops, special interest groups, social club meetings, or community forums, where you can start to MC, speak, present your insights or be on a panel.
•  Explore ways to “put yourself out there” and contribute to the bigger conversations.
•  Be seen as a ‘people connector’ by hosting your own events and gathering your own ‘power tribe’ of connections to attend on your table, to grow your influence amongst your industry and peers.

 

There is so much for you to unlock, and you will find more tips and a clear step-by-step process to follow in the networking planner.

 

So, are you ready to network to grow your personal brand and business? 

 

Now is your time to step out of the shadows and the four-walls of your office, to take on the world as a Woman of Confidence!

 

 Download my networking planner  and get started today!