Business networking is the ultimate way to begin the Relationship Marketing process. Why? Because you are dealing with people directly and have an opportunity to make a good impression, followed by tons of positive reinforcement.
We know that word of mouth marketing is the strongest of all time and because of its direct effect, it and Relationship Marketing run strong parallels. Consider the scenario in which you meet a potential client face to face while business networking. From that point, you develop a business-client relationship as your new prospect becomes a paying customer. Afterward and through time, you employ Relationship Marketing strategies which keep your client happy and satisfied.
One of the strong factors in this scenario is that you were able to meet this client face to face, initially. This sped up the marketing process. So, you can see that using business networking for client acquisition is very effective in this example.
If you have a long-term Relationship Marketing strategy, business networking puts you ahead of other marketing methods. Here are 3 reasons to support this;
1. Potentially faster transitions from prospect to client.
People tend to trust a live smiling face faster than an advertisement or even a voice on the phone. Because of this, the conversion from a prospect to a client can happen faster because of rapid trust. If you have marketed yourself professionally and established some credibility, the overall process will be less complicated.
2. A lack of evasion over time.
If you have a good Relationship Marketing strategy in place over time and you incorporate personal visitation, your clients will be less apprehensive to offering input, which is valuable to your operation. Psychologically, a person feels more obligated when they are dealing with a person that they have come into direct contact with several times.
3. A stronger foundation.
Typically, an in-person relationship has stronger pillars to stand on than a long distance type. Relationship Marketing is all about continued communication and interaction through a period of time. When you have incorporated one-on-one meetings into your strategy, each encounter strengthens your bond. The point from the initial encounter to the strong relationship is shortened because of the initial live meeting.
