Carry on networking

Browsing LinkedIn this week I came across a post from a marketing expert, specialising in the accountancy sector. 

The thrust of her message was that networking for accountants, particularly start-up accountants was not the best use of their time. There are better ways to spend 3 or 4 hours which would probably deliver more sales leads and be more productive.

I kind of get this. 

As an established accountancy firm owner I’m much more selective these days about the kind of networking I get involved in. More typically its, ‘One to one’ rather than ‘One to many’. A coffee and a chat with an existing contact or maybe someone I’ve not met before where there are opportunities to explore for mutual benefit.

In my start up days I did the rounds - structured networking groups like BNI and other, less formal groups. I put myself out there and got involved.

Looking back, I think it’s been worthwhile.

First it helped me think about my marketing and how I could stand out from other firms. There is nothing like knowing that you are going to have to present to 30 or 40 people to focus your mind and make you think about your message. If you don’t get it quite right, there’s always next week and gradually you refine it to get something a bit more polished and coherent.

It was a great way to learn presentation skills and other skills like...networking. How to talk to people (and listen!) in a crowded room and make a connection.

Then there are the contacts I made. The people I met networking who now look after our IT, our HR, manage our payroll, our marketing. They were contacts first, then people I liked and came to trust and then we worked together. They have developed into great, long term relationships. Being a business owner can be a tough journey and having a number of business pals to share it with is a positive thing.

It was good for awareness and raising mine and the firm’s profile. ‘There was that accountant bloke who I met at that networking group who specialises in that kind of service.’ Word got around.

Of course there were the sales. Particularly from structured networking we gained a good number of new clients, some of whom remain with us to this day.

For me, more structured networking which required a regular commitment, came to a natural end. It reached a point where the time and effort involved didn’t justify the payback. So more informal, targeted networking became more effective.

What would I say to my younger self though if I was starting out again? 

I think I’d say, ‘Carry on networking’. Keep reviewing, keep re-evaluating what works and what doesn’t, but carry on.

The benefits are much more than just achieving the next sale. The learning, personal development and connections you make are just as important and probably more enduring.

www.base52.co.uk