We might as well get this on the table right now. Networking is critical and unavoidable if you want to have a flourishing business. That said, there are tons of ways to network…way too many to write about in one post. I am adding a new feature to TEE (The Edgy Entrepreneur, isn’t it a cool acronym?)…each week, I will highlight the contacts I have made in person and highlight one or two ways to network online…

Let’s see, what shall I call it? Something catchy…something that grabs people’s attention, I do want people to read it. How about Networking=Money. While this is true, it is a little too hard of a sell for my style. Maybe Building Relationships, Building Income…but that is still too monetarily focused for me. Yes, money is very important…I need to feed the family, after all, but if your sole purpose is to network to make money, people are going to see you coming a mile away…think pushy sales people. You may get the initial sale, but you won’t get the return customer…deadly for a small business. The Relationship Update sounds like we are dating, or this is a therapeutic blog…Let’s go with “Networking and Cultivation Update”…it is a bit long, but it captures the principle.

And the principle is this…it is not enough to go out, meet a lot of people and hand them your card…or go online and develop profiles in several places…this initial contact is important, yes…but if you don’t CULTIVATE that relationship, it is a lukewarm lead at best.

I love the term cultivation…I have a gardening business, Gardener to Farmer, and all of my produce sales have come from person to person contact. True, if I was selling a lot of widgets, I would not know all of my customers. But selling produce is a whole different matter. I started this business with the idea that purchasers need a relationship with not only the seller, but the produce. That added value is a competitive edge that sets me apart from other suppliers.

Start considering your network and how your business interacts with it…let’s see how we can make it solid and add strong leads, ultimately benefiting you and your customers.