If you want to take your business to the next level, one of the most reliable ways to do so is to improve your networking skills. In today’s often-anonymous world, the personal connections that are made through networking can help make the difference between landing the deal and being totally forgotten.
Though it may seem like a stereotype, a round of golf truly is one of the best ways to effectively network with other professionals. To better understand why, here are a few unique aspects of golf that make networking easier and more effective.
Friendly Competition
If you’ve ever watched any type of sporting event, you’ve likely noticed that the competition that seems to so fiercely divide the players during the game actually brings them together once the clock has run out. As the players on both sides appreciate the other athletes for their individual skills, mutual respect is shared among all parties.
When it comes to golfing to network, the same can be said. While you may sense that you need to take it easy to avoid beating a potential client, at the end of the day, respect will be earned as a result of the participants witnessing each other’s skill.
Out of the Office
An office environment is effective for many types of work. However, when you’re in the midst of day-to-day business operations, it can be easy to forget that there is life outside of work. This can create a one-dimensional aspect to a business deal that is completed without any out-of-office networking.
By taking the deal out of the office, however, and moving it to a locale that all parties are comfortable with, it offers a chance to see and appreciate each other in a different context. Everything from how you dress in the form of a sharp-looking button down shirt to the ways you respond to disappointment throughout the day can be evaluated by potential clients, ensuring they form a multi-dimensional relationship with you, allowing the deal to be more dynamic and more solid as a result.
Personal Connections
If you’re working with a client who is all business, all the time, it can be difficult to know how to connect with them in a way that will help seal the deal. If you can get them in a context, such as a golf course, where they’re comfortable enough to talk about personal details, then, that may give you all the advantage you need to be able to surge ahead of your competition and seal the deal.
To be sure, you don’t have to get them to share their entire life story, nor do you have to share yours. Instead, just a few distinct personal details that help create a true connection are all that is necessary to discuss.
Exclusive Time
Another important aspect when it comes to golf as networking is the extended time that you receive a potential client’s undivided attention. In an office environment, clients may be distracted with electronic devices or the normal busyness in your office. At that moment, you may not even be your potential client’s most important concern. On the links, however, it’s likely that you’ll have an individual’s undivided attention for a few hours, a rare opportunity that gives you plenty of time to win them over and seal the deal.
Up Your Game
With so many advantages to using golf as a networking tool, it’s important that you’re fairly competent when it comes to the game of golf. Though you don’t have to be a professional, you certainly want to show that you know how to handle yourself and that you’re able to play with an acceptable level of precision and skill. Otherwise, your afternoon with a potential client could send all the wrong messages, causing lots of wasted time and frustration at the prospect of a lost deal.
You must be logged in to post a comment.