Thanks to the successful COVID-19 vaccination rollout, life is now returning to normal. Finally, we can now reunite with loved ones, jet off on holiday, and enjoy a boogie in the local nightclub.
As social beings, living through several national lockdowns and being tied down by restrictions have been hard on us. We can all appreciate that staying connected with family and friends through Zoom, Teams, and quizzes just wasn’t the same.
Likewise, having to network online wasn’t ideal. Although it’s still worthwhile to digitally interact and connect with other professionals in the business world, 68% of professionals find that face-to-face networking is much more valuable. But thankfully in-person networking events are returning.
Networking is such a valuable tool in the business world and by creating a professional network, you’ll be presented with many opportunities and a competitive edge throughout every single stage of your career. There are many benefits associated with networking and the fact that one in four professionals don’t network at all is hard to understand.
When finding an office space to rent in a business centre you’re presented with daily various networking opportunities. Many business centres host free networking events throughout the year and have their own organic resident network, with resident companies providing services and businesses for each other.
Although networking can seem like a scary prospect for some, it’s important to understand the variety of benefits that you’ll gain from it. In this post, we explain 8 reasons why networking at a business lifestyle centre is essential to the success of your business.
New business opportunities are crucial for the growth of your business, so we’ll start by looking at this…
Business networking can act as a low-cost marketing method for developing sales opportunities and contacts, this could be your chance to showcase what your business has to offer and take it to the next level.
Endless opportunities are created through networking because of the exposure to other professionals and organisations, the gateway to new business. Opportunities can range from ventures, client leads, partnerships, speaking and writing opportunities, business or asset sales.
Your network can also influence who can provide your business with a possible potential customer, advise you on your next significant business investment or refer you an exceptional candidate when you’re hiring. 70% of people find work through connections in a company, so having an extended network of individuals to contact may be the difference in seizing a new business opportunity or missing out on it completely.
Long-lasting relationships are developed through networking. Connecting with other professionals enables you to establish effective relationships across various industries, that you can rely on if needed. These connections gain you access to highly influential people that you wouldn’t otherwise be able to find or connect with easily. To cement and maintain a relationship with your connections, you should regularly engage and maintain a good rapport.
Creating a reputable business profile can be a long-term procedure, however networking can be a useful way of doing this. Offering useful information and resources to others will help you to become visible and will build your reputation as a knowledgeable and reputable business expert in your profession.
Carrying out benchmarking is essential in analysing your business efforts. Communicating with contacts in your industry allows you to measure how your business is performing against similar organisations. Comparing and contrasting your business efforts with one of your contacts gives a clear indication of your strengths, and areas where improvement is needed.
Networking with highly qualified individuals can improve your professional performance and can therefore be helpful regarding career development. Having a broad professional network allows you to seek advice and support from experienced individuals, or for them to act as a mentor in your journey to a successful career. Receiving advice can also help you to prepare for all possible situations such as failures and accomplishments and the outcomes of certain decisions. In addition, 85% of jobs are filled through networking, so this might just be the move you need to take your career to the next level.
Connecting with other professionals is a great way to expand your current knowledge base by exchanging best practice information, learning about the current business techniques and staying informed of fresh industry developments. Learning from your contacts also saves time, energy and resources.
By talking to other like-minded individuals, you can gain insights and a different perspective. Asking trusted and admired contacts for advice can help you see things in a different light and may help you to overcome difficult and challenging barriers. Likewise, receiving new information can help you to understand and discover new skills, products or software that your team can benefit from.
Regularly pushing yourself to get out in the open and network with new people will rapidly build invaluable social skills and increase your self-confidence. This is important to business owners, as business growth is dependent upon talking to new people and creating those all-important contacts. It also goes without saying, that the more you network the more you’ll feel confident doing it.
Being part of a strong network directly affects your health and can make a strong positive impact on your life. Establishing and creating relationships is beneficial to mental health and positively impacts overall well-being. Strong bonds with others reduce feelings of isolation, loneliness and can help to establish a sense of worthiness.
Now you know all the amazing benefits associated with networking, all you need is a place where you can freely network - and there’s no place better than our little slice of heaven perfectly located on the M62 motorway.
Our own organic resident network, free networking events throughout the year and the opportunity for our residents to generate valuable contacts, creates a networking haven.
When you rent an office space in West Yorkshire’s premium business lifestyle centre, your employees don't just have access to amazing facilities, but they become part of the inspiring atmosphere with other like-minded individuals, where the opportunity to network is on your doorstep, resulting in numerous benefits for your business.
