Small Business Networking: Is the idea to give you a feeling of heaviness in the pit of your stomach? If so, you are not alone. Many small business owners have put off the idea of networking.
Why network? Let's be honest, it does not matter if you have the world's best widget on the lowest possible price. If nobody knows about it, your business will be successful. That's why networking is so important.
The good news is that networking groups can actually be fun, as long as you choose a small business networking group that suits you and your business. Today I want to suggest that the group might not even realize it is good for networking: Toastmasters.
When you hear "Toastmasters," you probably think of public speaking than networking. And you would be correct in some sense. Although public speaking is a Toastmaster main mandate, there are hidden benefits of networking to become a member of this group.
For one thing, Toastmasters is recognized as a means of keeping the building, so the people you will meet in your local Toastmasters group make great small business networking contacts. Public speaking is all about learning to speak eloquently and without fear, and use listening skills to identify and respond to another speaker's body language - thus gaining a deeper insight and understanding of their unspoken needs. In business, this knowledge is often worth its weight in gold.
Another benefit of Toastmasters is that their training provides a variety of communication tools to promote spontaneity in both thought and action. It is also designed to provide its members to improve performance certainly hone leadership skills, build confidence and improve self-image. All this happens while you interact with other people May need your product or service, or know someone who does.
In Toastmasters you get a chance to practice communication skills so they say. Why not choose a business topic for your speech? In this way not only to hone their communication skills, also show your expertise in business at the same time!
What most people fear about small business networking events is the feeling that you have to "sell" yourself and the fear that no one is interested in hearing about you and your business. By joining a Toastmasters group, you can meet people and inform them about your business, without feeling that you are imposing on them. It's a win-win!
Toastmasters chapter are available throughout the United States and Canada. Although there is a small monthly cost to be a member, your investment will surely pay off as you take this not-so-obvious small business networking group.
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