In the study done by Brüderl and Preisendörfer (1998) on the impact of entrepreneurial networking on survival, employment and sales growth, it is concluded that networking has positive effects on both survival and growth. In a study conducted by Dean et al. (1997), authors found that networking has a positive effect on profitability, sustainable growth, knowledge sharing, product and service quality, and sales.
Effective strategies-
Broaden your reach. Be careful not to exclude anyone from your network when you start looking for new contacts. Remember that most new connections are made through friends of friends. Anyone could turn out to be a valuable networking contact, even if they do not work directly in your career field. The more people who know about your business, the better. By expanding your network, you will have a better chance of finding a new investor, customer and stakeholder.
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Networking often. A successful networker is constantly meeting new people and expanding her network, even when she is not actively promoting her businesses. Show interest in what others have to say, instead of focusing solely on your own needs. A relationship based on mutual trust and respect is one that will benefit you most in the long run.
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Have a positive attitude. How you present yourself can have a significant impact on the kind of impression you make. While it's easy to become discouraged in the middle of a long job search, it's important to remain positive and optimistic when introducing yourself to others.
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Ask questions. Asking a series of purposeful questions can help you engage someone you're meeting for the first time. Most people generally like talking about themselves, so don't shy away from asking about someone's career and interests.
1) The big idea: Icons, words, bullets, and even sentences to describe a summary of the social idea solution they are ideating. It answers the question: How does their idea create value?
