Networking: It's not who you know, it's who knows you - RD281

Networking is all about getting your name out there. It's not about selling or pitching. It's about gaining recognition, building a reputation, if you will. Networking is the building block to every successful design business. <p>Networking can take place anywhere and everywhere. You don't need to be at a conference, trade show or special networking event. Nor does it have to be with a particular sort of person or even a potential client. Every person you talk to, including family, friends and strangers alike, is a form of networking. And the more you do it, the better at it you'll become and the more successful you'll be.</p> <p>It's no secret that the number one way a graphic design business grows is through word-of-mouth referrals. And for word-of-mouth referrals to happen, people have to know four things about you.</p> <p>1. Who you are.<br /> 2. What you do.<br /> 3. Your reliability.<br /> 4. Your likeability.</p> <p>When someone knows these four things about you, there's an excellent chance they will share your name with others.</p> <p>Now you'll notice how I didn't mention how good a designer you are. Believe it or not, your skills as a designer have little impact on the referrals you get. Some fantastic designers rarely get referred. Like some questionable designers are referred all the time.</p> <p>Why? It all boils down to those four elements. So let's break them down.</p> <p>1. Do they know who you are?</p> <p>This one is self-explanatory. If someone doesn't know you, There's zero chance they'll share your name with others.</p> <p>Now luckily, you have two avenues to remedy this: yourself and your business. As long as one of these two is known, there's a possibility someone shares it. A person may not know who you are, but they may know your business. Or vice versa, they don't know your business, but they know you. In either of these situations, they have the opportunity to spread the word based on what they know.</p> <p>If they don't know you or your business, the chances of referring you are zero.</