Small business networking. Does the very idea give you a heavy feeling in the pit of your stomach? If so, you?re not alone. Many small business owners are put off by the idea of networking.
But let?s face the fact networking is an important tool for small business success. Even if you have the best product or service, with the lowest price possible, if nobody knows about it then you won?t sell anything.
Joining a networking group can actually be fun and beneficial if you choose the one that works best for you and your business. This is where Toastmasters comes in.
You might think that Toastmasters is just for public speaking. Well, the fact is that although public speaking is the main focus of Toastmasters, it?s also a darn good place to network. There are some surprisingly effective networking benefits when you join Toastmasters. Let me elaborate.
For one thing, Toastmasters is recognized as a leadership building tool, so the people you will meet in your local Toastmasters group make great small business networking contacts. Public speaking is all about learning to speak eloquently and without fear while utilizing listening skills in order to recognize and react to another speaker?s body language ? thus gaining a deeper insight and understanding of their unspoken needs. In business, this knowledge is often worth its weight in gold.
At the same time, you will get practice in speaking well in many different settings, while learning how to recognize other people?s body language and to use that knowledge to your advantage. And in any business, especially sales, knowing how to read other people is very useful. You get all of this while mingling with other individuals who might need your services or products, or who might refer you to someone else who does.
Giving speeches not only hones your public speaking skills, it also gives you the opportunity to speak about your business! You can use your time to your advantage by choosing a business topic for your speech. You are now ?sharing? your business and improving your skills in one smooth move!
Doing it this way is a breeze: you no longer have to feel like you are talking to someone at a networking event who is not interested in you. Your Toastmasters colleagues are there for you; they rooting for you. You are just telling your co-members of Toastmasters what you doing for a living. Selling and mingling at the same time!
Although there is a membership fee to join Toastmasters, it is a good investment when you consider the potential enormous return in the end. Toastmasters chapters are available all throughout the United States and Canada.
Learn more about small business networking groups. Stop by Barbra Sundquist?s home business website.
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