Are you a member of one of the UK’s local business networks?If not, perhaps you should think of joining. Other printers are and to tremendous effect.
If you think joining a networking group is just something to do as a last ditch attempt to save your business, think again. It is actually the most effective way to grow your business.
In the last 18 months, printers have become the fourth most likely business to join Business Network International (BNI), the UK and Ireland’s largest networking organisation. No doubt this is in response to the troubled economy combined with the impact on print of electronic media and devices such as Kindles and iPads. Though large-format digital inkjet printing is holding its own better than some other parts of the print industry, that’s not to say it can’t also benefit from following the networking trends being exploited by other sectors and industries.
It seems obvious. Being able to tell people not just what you do, but having the chance to explain face-to-face what makes your organisation unique and what places you above your competitors in a succinct and clear way is priceless.
While networking is fundamentally about building relationships, in order to do this, you must learn to talk to people about your business. Polishing your ‘elevator pitch’ is taught in most networking organisations and many groups give their members a 60 second slot to present their business to the room and tell everybody what it is that they do.
Mark Harrison, a long time networker and managing director at Huge Design with 24 years of experience in large-format printing, has found that networking has forced him to think about his business and be able to stand up in front of strangers and articulate what he does to best effect.
“If you tell someone that you specialise in large-format printing, that doesn’t necessarily mean anything to them – or they’ll just presume that you create posters and they’ll dismiss you as someone who they won’t be able to find business for. However, if you tell your networking colleagues that you’re involved in large-format digital printing and you can print bespoke designs for walls, ceilings, floors, wallpaper, furniture and more, people will engage with you and it will make them ask you questions which then leads to developing a new relationship.
“Networking generates £40,000 a year for my business and over the years I’ve found it has been essential to educate people about my job. After all, how can they look for business opportunities for me if they don’t fully understand what I do?”
It’s a no brainer isn’t it? But people can have a narrow view of networking. Turning up to an event and thinking that no-one in the room will be able to use your services is the completely wrong approach. It’s important to remain specific about whom your ideal client would be, but you should keep in mind that there is a much wider network beyond the four walls of the room.
Forming solid relationships is at the heart of networking and according to those in the know once you have built up the trust and respect of your colleagues, you’ll find that they will go out of their way to look for the right clients for you.
Charlie Lawson, national director of BNI explains: “When you network you increase your visibility amongst your local business community and spread the word about your business to a wealth of contacts. But you must remember that every time you network, you aren’t just meeting with a group of 50 business people; you’re actually networking on a much larger scale. If, on average, each person knows 1,000 people, in a room of 50 people, that’s 50,000 potential prospects that you could be producing a large-format image for.”
To find out more about networking visit: www.bni.eu/uk