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Lots of people think business networking is difficult. And it is, if you don’t have a simple, effective approach that takes the hard-sell out of the process.

Since so many people know how to do business networking the hard way, I am going to show you how to do your business networking the easy way.

There are two approaches to use.

1. Use the principle of giving value to people above the idea of trying to sell to people.

2. Use your marketing funnel. This is a system of helping move people through a process from being someone who doesn’t know you, to someone not only opting-in and buying your products and services, but someone who spreads the word about you.

Business Networking the Natural Way

This principle has two parts to it:
• Provide value first.
• Relax. Do not sell!

Sound good? I know some of you just let out a big sigh of relief. The beauty of this business networking approach is that it’s natural. All you have to do is be yourself and follow a couple of guidelines so you can sell without selling:

Let people get to know you by giving them value before anything else.

One of the simplest ways you can do this at a business networking function is, give them some free information targeting what interests or concerns them. One of my favorite methods for doing this is something I did at a business networking event in Los Angeles in April 2005.

I was allowed to speak for five minutes in front of a group of about 50 people. I help people create information products so I only spoke about the big benefits of having an ebook, audio program and special report in their business. Then, in the last minute of my presentation, I asked everyone to take out a business card and write on it, “I want passive income.” I said that in exchange for their business card, I would give them a Special Report that goes into depth about how to create and profit from information products.

Then I went around and collected the business cards.

Here’s the Secret…

By having them write on their card, I asked them to “opt-in”. They raised their hands and essentially said, “I want to learn more.” Sure enough, I collected about 45 business cards that day. I gave them the report and then I followed up with a consultation call with them. I started a relationship with them outside of the business networking event.

Out of that five-minute presentation, I generated $9,000 in business simply because of that Special Report and the follow-up call.

Leveraging a special report or a tips sheet is a fantastic way to get people to know you a little better at a business networking event. They become more comfortable approaching you. They know, like and trust you that much more because you’re providing them with something of value to them.

Business networking isn’t about trading business cards – it’s about building relationships with people. One of the easiest ways to do this is to leverage the power of an information product. Your credibility skyrockets when you follow up with a nice-looking PDF that’s full of valuable information that they can use.

James Roche, “The Info Product Guy”, helps entrepreneurs create a marketing strategy and information products so they get more clients and generate passive revenue. He is the creator of the Info Marketing Action Plan (iMap) Program that shows you how to create a simple marketing plan for your business. To learn more about his simple, step-by-step programs and receive a free Special Report, go to: http://www.infoproductguy.com

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com - Business Networking Made Easy - for People Who Hate Networking