4 Major Challenges Of Business Networking

Business networking may sound easy, but actually requires a specialised set of knowledge and skills. 

In fact, there are several challenging factors that make networking challenging for business owners. Here, we list some of the main challenges, as well as their potential solutions, to help you along on your way to successful business networking.

#1 Lack of Conversational Skills

We all know that business networking requires a lot of talking, and if you are someone who isn’t fond of starting and building conversations, this could present as a serious roadblock on your networking journey.

If you are not very verbally expressive, networking can be very challenging. Being able to start and maintain conversations with people you don’t know well is very important in business networking. However, the lack of conversational skills is something that could be resolved. Practice makes perfect, and the more you engage with others, the more likely you are to develop the skill to converse naturally. This means that you will need to step out of your comfort zone and reach out to others to make contact.

#2 Finding The Right Group

Sometimes, you might feel that you just don’t seem to fit into any group. You can easily overcome this challenge if you can tie up your business needs to a particular group. You need to find the group which matches up with the type of support and mentorship that you're looking for. In fact, all you need to do is stay attentive and be open to engaging with other groups when needed. Lastly, you can also discover their business needs and sooner or later, you’ll find the one that perfectly complements yours.

#3 Maintaining Relationships

Building a strong business relationship can be difficult, but maintaining it is can be even more challenging. Once you gain someone’s trust, it doesn’t mean that you have to slow everything down. In order to be consistent, you need to maintain the level of bond that you have built. Business networking is often a slow-paced process. You need to make everything count and never let your potential business partners slip away easily. More importantly, always remember that maintain your business relationships can go a long way, and don’t be quick to cut ties.

#4 It’s Your First Time

Having no knowledge and experience when it comes to business networking can make it very challenging. The inability to engage with people because you don’t know what to say can also make the process difficult. However, no one becomes an expert at networking overnight. You might not be able to engage efficiently for the first time, but you definitely can make use of the power of observation. Additionally, learning through experience might be the best thing to do, but you can always learn through reflection. Try to see and understand what business networking is all about, and then begin to apply what you have learned. This way, you will develop the necessary skills overtime.

These are some of the biggest challenges that new business owners face in business networking. Moreover, these challenges can greatly impact the outcome of their venture. At BxNetworking, we are here to help you get over these roadblocks and guide you until you become an expert at successful business networking. BxNetworking is a group of experts who are part of Australia’s fastest growing business networking community. Getting to know business networking also means getting to know BxNetworking.