Relationships create trust. Trust creates opportunities. Opportunities create sales.

By Phil Whitebloom, Founder of BeenThere Consulting Service

Three-minute read

For all practical purposes, my sales coaching business launched during the first week of January 2024 when I attended a new member orientation meeting at the Howard County Chamber of Commerce.

As part of the meeting, I introduced myself and explained what I do as a sales coach. Two people approached me afterward to learn more, and by the end of those conversations, both had hired me to be their sales coach.

Those became the first two clients of my business.

While that outcome was unusual, what happened next is exactly why networking matters. During that same meeting, I met Rich and Amy of Trembling Giant Marketing. We scheduled a one-on-one meeting, and that conversation led to introductions to additional networking groups and business professionals. One of those introductions eventually led me to Brianna Hendley of Achievant Business Coaching. Since then, Brianna and I have recorded more than 72 episodes of the Been There, Sold That podcast, conducted workshops together, and partnered to create the Small Business Momentum Lab.

None of those opportunities existed when I walked into that Chamber orientation meeting.

That is the power of networking.

Why Networking Works

Many of my clients can be traced directly back to networking. Some became clients directly. Others came through referrals and introductions that developed over time. In many cases, the connection was several layers deep, yet the starting point was still networking.

Many people think networking is about collecting business cards. It isn’t.

Networking is about building relationships. My friend and mentor, Honorée Corder, author of the book Business Networking, says it well:

“Business networking is really all about building a community of trusted connections. The best relationships are built on trust; with it, you have everything, and without it, you have nothing.”

I could not agree more.

Networking Is a Business Activity

Networking should be enjoyable, and many business relationships become genuine friendships over time.

However, networking is not a social club.

You are there to do business, and everyone else is there to do business.

Successful networkers show up consistently, ask thoughtful questions, help others, and follow up. They understand that results are created before, during, and after the event. In fact, many of the best opportunities are created after the event is over. As my client John Zendrosky of FIDUS likes to say:

“There is only one letter difference between networking and not working.”

Don’t measure networking by the number of business cards you collect. Measure it by the number of meaningful relationships you create and maintain.

Ready To Get More from Your Networking Efforts?

Networking has been one of the most productive business development activities of my career. It has generated clients, referrals, strategic partnerships, speaking opportunities, podcast relationships, workshop opportunities, and long-term friendships.

I regularly conduct networking workshops for businesses, chambers of commerce, networking organizations, and associations. Available in person or virtually, these sessions help participants build stronger relationships, create more opportunities, generate more referrals, and improve business results.

If your organization would benefit from a networking workshop, I would welcome the opportunity to discuss a customized program for your audience.

Contact Information:

Phil Whitebloom

🏢Founder, BeenThere Consulting Services

📩 phil@beentherecs.com

🌐 https://beentherecs.com

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