The more you network with people, the closer you are to building a community, writes Michelle Wright of Grantham Business Club.
Have you ever thought that networking was selling? Time for a rethink. Obviously, in business we all want to sell our goods and services but it’s not always about that.
One of the questions that is frequently asked is why do you do what you do, what is your ‘why’? And often the reply is that they want to help people, and that is one of the reasons that I, and many others, network.
Let’s be honest, it’s unlikely that you will make a sale on your first visit to a networking group because you need to get to know someone, find out a bit about them, decide if you like them and want to work with them – know, like, trust.
So, you go a few more times, and you build business relationships, even friendships and then, slowly, but surely a community is formed. Through that community you can make informed choices about the people you want to work with, and businesses that you can recommend because, where I can, I prefer to use local people, and, in turn, people will do the same for you.
This year has seen a lot of work in the town centre, which has caused its fair share of disruption but as a result we are seeing the buds of community. When I was growing up in Grantham, the Saturday market was a must-go destination for a lot of town folk, and over the years, for myriad reasons, this has dwindled.
However, over the past few weeks we have seen exciting shows, music, all round entertainment which is bringing people together – lots more planned too!
Grantham Retailers Network Group is a spin off from Grantham Business Club that’s not just for retailers, it’s for any Grantham based business who would like to meet other business owners and help to bring back that sense of community.
They are keen to encourage people offline and to buy and make Grantham great again! They meet at different locations, in the evening, every second Thursday of the month, join ‘Grantham Retailers Group’ on Facebook for updates.
This post was originally published on here
