How can you lead and influence your small business network?

1 Define your goals

Before you start networking, you need to have a clear idea of what you want to achieve and how you can add value to others. Do you want to find new customers, partners, mentors, or collaborators? Do you want to raise awareness, share knowledge, or advocate for a cause? Do you want to offer support, feedback, or referrals to other small businesses? By defining your goals, you can focus your efforts on the most relevant and beneficial networking opportunities, and communicate your value proposition effectively.

3 Build trust and rapport

To lead and influence your network, you need to establish trust and rapport with your contacts. This means showing genuine interest, listening actively, asking open-ended questions, and providing value. You can also use storytelling, humor, and empathy to create emotional connections and show your personality. To build trust and rapport, you need to follow up regularly, keep your promises, give honest feedback, and respect boundaries. You can use tools like email, social media, phone calls, or video chats to stay in touch and nurture your relationships.

4 Showcase your expertise

One of the best ways to lead and influence your network is to showcase your expertise and demonstrate your authority in your field. You can do this by creating and sharing valuable content, such as blog posts, podcasts, videos, or ebooks, that solve problems, answer questions, or provide insights for your target audience. You can also offer your expertise as a speaker, trainer, mentor, or consultant for local small business events, workshops, or programs. By showcasing your expertise, you can attract more attention, generate more leads, and establish your reputation.

5 Collaborate and cooperate

Another way to lead and influence your network is to collaborate and cooperate with other small businesses that share your goals, values, or vision. You can do this by forming strategic partnerships, joint ventures, or alliances that create mutual benefits, such as cross-promotion, co-branding, co-creation, or referrals. You can also join or initiate cooperative projects, campaigns, or initiatives that address common challenges, opportunities, or causes in your local small business community. By collaborating and cooperating, you can leverage your resources, expand your reach, and create positive impact.

6 Be proactive and adaptive

To lead and influence your network, you need to be proactive and adaptive in your networking approach. This means seeking out new contacts, opportunities, and trends that can help you grow your business and network. It also means adapting to changing circumstances, needs, and preferences of your network and market. You can be proactive and adaptive by setting networking goals, tracking your progress, measuring your results, and seeking feedback. You can also experiment with different networking methods, channels, and formats, and learn from your successes and failures.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?