Networking is key to winning in the marketing game; your contacts enable you to get ahead in a crunch because you have made great connections along the way. The problem is that networking doesn’t come so easily to everyone. While some people can walk into a room and own it, others are more introverted and this shouldn’t be looked on as something negative. Every personality is different and in turn there are different ways of doing business. We do stress though that networking is essential to boost your business, so here are some simple tips for the shyest of you to be able to work at:

1. The first thing to note is that sincerity counts. Irrespective of the situation always be open and sincere – if you are faking it, people tend to be able to pick up on that and you may lose a valuable networking opportunity in the process.
2. Irrespective of your opinion on a discussion always remember to listen and let the other person finish saying what they have to say before you butt in with your opinion. Always listen first and talk later once you have all the facts in hand so as to not offend someone.
3. Don’t think of a networking opportunity as a transactional one. You don’t need to always get a financial benefit out of an interaction. Some networking opportunities are worth more than a sale irrespective of the net worth of the person you want to have a business relationship with. They could end up being a powerful mouthpiece and opinion leader that could benefit you in other ways. If there is also a sale to be made, let that be a bonus.
4. Remember that you can meet useful contacts at the doctor’s office just as much as at a conference. You never know when a potential key contact could come face to face with you so always remember to make contacts wherever you go.

If you want to meet positive people, you need to be one too. Always try to become the type of person you want to network with and those types of people will automatically begin to gravitate towards you. Like meets like more often than not.