Who wouldn't be interested in business networking today? It has such a tremendous upside and hardly any downside!

Really when you think about it, how can business networking hurt your business? You may spend a little time getting to know people, but that's your only real investment. The upside can be a dramatic increase in your sales volume, what's not to love? The one thing about business networking is that you really will get out of it what you put into it. You can't expect someone to refer business to you unless you are willing to refer business to them.

Also you need to remember that a referral is a lot different from a lead. Just giving someone a name and a number is not a referral. A referral is when you have identified a need that you cannot fulfill for your client. You identify a business networking partner that can fulfill the client's need and let both your partner and the client know about each other. This way when your business networking partner calls the client there are no surprises.

With so much upheaval in the financial sector we all have to be aware of opportunities to expand our business networking efforts. You know that you have clients that are seeking services you cannot provide, why not take advantage of your business relationships to send this business on to someone you know? Your client will thank you for referring them to someone that can take care of them and you get the satisfaction of not only making sure you client is taken care of, but that your business networking partner is bound to return the favor and send you business as well.

If building your business is important to you, don't forget about business networking.