Business Networking through the Credit Crunch!

Wow - what a day. Lehman Brothers gone and apparent financial chaos. At least by the time of writing we know that a lot of shoring up has been done by many of the global institutions; maybe the worst is over but who knows.

So what does the crunch do to all of those small and medium businesses out there? Does it present issue or opportunity?

To my mind, any downturn in global big business presents a gap which can potentially be filled on a macro and local level by the vast numbers of entrepreneurs the world over. Sure, the money doesn't flow so quickly to enable expansion; but the one thing that all small businesses have is their contact network and the massive power of the referral or endorsement.

Referral marketing is nothing new but what it does do in times when trust is short is to present the opportunity to deal with people you know and people who you trust also know. Do business with your extended circle and there is already a degree of protection you can buy into with little risk albeit no small effort.

There are some wonderful networking organisations out there to help with this, the likes of Business Referral Exchange, BNI and all the various 'business over breakfast' gang fall into this space BUT don't forget the immense opportunity presented by the burgeoning world of online business networking. I'm not necessarily talking about online social networks; I hope I won't surprise you by saying that at present 'traditional' social networks (amazing how quickly an environment becomes traditional!) don't really 'work' for generating true business....but there are those who do.

At WeCanDo.BIZ we watch the market closely and we know that there is plenty of business happening through one online business network at the very least (perhaps it may seem churlish to suggest that might be us!)

We are currently forging relationships with face-to-face networking organisations and will be announcing some exciting developments in the near future.

We are also working very closely with industry leaders in areas which tie in closely with both our corporate ethos and with our wish to add real value to our members. I am very happy to publicly endorse Nikki Pilkington, the SEO guru (www.nikkipilkington.com) who has made her latest work '299 Steps to Website Heaven' available to our members a full two weeks before publication!

So to sum up; keep networking, gather client endorsements and publish them where it matters, work every circle you have and grab the opportunity. Nothing new there....but in reality there rarely is...just hard work!

And last but not least; something I tell people on every sales course I ever run, 'don't be afraid to ask for the business' because the very worst someone can say is no (and anyone who has ever sold LOVES an objection!)

Let's see what the next few months brings in the world of credit crunch opportunity!

Cheers

Chris Butler
COO
WeCanDo.BIZ