Some people enjoy interacting on a face-to-face basis: but many find this awkward, stressful and unproductive. For instance if you have a local business, which does business in your specific community then networking can be easy; Just attend a few Chamber of Commerce events, join a leads club and attend some community social functions, and you are well on your way indeed.
However, this face-to-face networking involves taking time out of your working day to attend meetings and events, just to meet new people. This includes travelling to the event venue, spending time at the networking at the event, and travelling back. This can take up to 4 hours out of your working day. And the return for that time, expense, and effort is variable.
If you subscribe to a good Online Networking service you will probably find you can make many more contacts with people, that will prove to be worthwhile for both of you. Many online networking sites have a feature that lets you connect with new people and reconnect with people you've worked with over the years.
Most people have heard about online networking to attract new business and develop long-term relationships to increase referrals and increase sales in their businesses. You can find specific people and make new contacts more quickly.
The goal of Online Networking is to “get noticed," to meet people and to develop relationships on your own time and in your own space. No need to travel to a venue, no extra expense apart from your subscription fee, and you network when it is convenient for you. You can communicate with other business people via e-mail, video conferencing and by using instant messaging programs.
With online networking, you can connect with people around the world easily and quickly. A membership in any local online community lets you reach thousands of businesspeople to get answers to business issues and any business problem that is on your mind.
Online networking gives you the extra advantage of getting past the “introduction phase" easily and effortlessly. Connecting with a new person is really easy. It will only take a few minutes to send off a friendly and enticing email to someone with whom you already know you have points in common. Even if you don’t seem to have anything in common with that person, getting to know them may also prove to be useful, as it will expand your network.
Instead of greeting a member of your online business networking community with a promotion for your products or opportunity, offer a warm, genuine welcome with an eye toward building a relationship with the new member. Let them know that they are part of a vibrant community where you help each other to achieve your goals. You will find that this is a more effective way in the long term.
