Networking is one of the most effective forms of marketing, especially when you run your own business.  Even with the explosion of sites such as Facebook and LinkedIn, nothing quite beats being able to get in front of “real” people, shaking them by the hand and having a face-to-face conversation.

But, let’s be honest here.  The big downside of networking is time.  There are only so many hours in a working week and, although it is very easy to attend networking events from breakfast right through to evening drinks, it doesn’t allow you, the business owner, much time to manage your day-to-day business.

One of the best definitions of successful networking I have come across is “being talked about when you’re not in the room.”

So if this creates an opportunity to use the power of networking without physically networking,, how can you come up in these conversations?

The secret to this is in what you offer.

Getting yourself talked about is not about defining yourself with a job title but helping others clearly understand how you may benefit specific people.  And the clearer and more specific you are in what problems you there to solve, the easier it is for people to bring you up in conversation.

That’s right – I’m talking niches here!

Let me give you an example:  Coaching.

You can’t go to a networking event without bumping in to at least 2 or 3 coaches in the room, can you?  And what do they all tell you what it is they do?  Yup, that’s right – coaching.

But what makes them stand out from each other?  Not an awful lot, to be honest.

Now, don’t get me wrong.  I am sure that a lot of coaches are lovely people!  And yes, some of them say they are career coaches, business coaches or help people with their work/life balance.

But come one – how many coaches have you met in the last few weeks who stand out enough for you to have specifically talked about them to someone else?

Let me ask you another question.  Of the people you have met over the last few weeks, who have you talked about to other people?  And let’s go one stage further.  Who have you talked about to someone else, only to find that 2 other people also know their name?

How powerful is that?  Instant social proof that this person must be someone to be contacted if not just one person mentions them, but 2 others do as well.

More often than not, the real reason behind you remembering this person is because they were “niche” enough for you trigger a “oh, really – that’s interesting”.

They were “niche” enough for you to check them out on LinkedIn or have a read of their blog when you were back in your office.  Perhaps they were even “niche” enough for you to sign up for their newsletter or follow them on Twitter.

Telling people what you do is not enough to get you remembered.  And being “niche” enough is not just about targeting a particular client type.

Being “niche” enough is about being able to clearly define yourself in terms of what problems you solve and the results that your clients achieve.  The more specific and niche you are in the results you create, the easier it is for someone to “get you”.  And thus talk about you.

And remember, it’s not just about the conversations that happen in networking events.  The share-ability of social media makes you being talked about online even more powerful.  Someone’s comments about you become evergreen, staying right there for others to read and share too.

So stop telling people about what it is you “do”.  And start getting clearer on your “niche” so that others remember the problems you solve and the results you create.

Got a comment to make? I’d love to read your thoughts and ideas

Imagine standing at an event and someone comes over to say hello.  You shake hands and you both introduce yourself.

The other person asks what line of business you are in and you tell them.  You politely return the favour and this is when the floodgates open!

You end up being talked at for 10 minutes about what this person does, what impact their business has on their clients and the cherry on the cake is a suggestion to meet up for coffee to show you exactly how you may be able to benefit.

Woooo! Hold your horses! Where did all that come from?  You only asked what line of business they were in.

You’ve never met, you’ve have no knowledge of each other and there is very little rapport and yet, time and time again small business owners feel this super-sales pitch technique on first time meeting is acceptable.

It’s almost as if they feel that this first meeting is the only time to make an impression and the quicker they can get down to business, the quicker they can qualify whether there is a potential sale to be made.

No matter how tough business is for you at the moment, going for the sales juggular can often lead to sudden death.

So when is the right time to sell?

Selling is an incredible important part of the business process. Without the selling part of the process, you won’t make any revenue and your business will grind to halt.  But selling can only happen if the other person is buying.

The right time to sell, is when the other person feels it is the right time to buy. And for most small business owners, a certain amount of trust, respect and rapport needs to be in place before this can happen.

Begin first meetings by asking questions, listening and exchanging contact details.  Build relationships over time and you will actually find that you never need to make a sales-pitch because the right time to sell will be when the other person buys from you.