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Tinashe Kubwalo
In a country that is riddled with challenges including unemployment, lack of Foreign Direct Investment and a precarious liquidity situation, the economy is now largely skewed towards the informal sector as citizens have to find other means of making a living.

Backyard businesses have fast become the norm of the day and competition is much greater now for these small start-ups, as they compete amongst each other as well as already existing larger corporations.

This has made the business environment all the more difficult to operate in for the small and medium enterprises among other factors.

In these tough times, your business needs to have an edge over your competition in-order for you to survive. Your competitors are in the market place right now trying to get the same clients and customers that you have or want.

This means that traditional forms of reaching out to customers may not effectively work as well in the current climate.

In a tight business economy you must do something extra and building a solid “referral marketing” base could just be the answer that you need to build your business in these trying times.

Networking has been greatly known for its advantages in helping organisations attain their profit figures. It also assists in creating relations that will sustain a business in the long run.

Start-ups and small businesses in this economy are normally poorly resourced and need as much support as they can get. Stakeholder relationships then becomes of primary importance for these businesses.

A good example is how we are constantly bombarded with many advertising tactics like fliers, adverts, e-mails, status updates and sales pitches. Personal relationships will help you to rise above the noise and remain top of the mind when selecting a supplier or being selected by a customer.

Your networks can create the environment in which you operate in and determine how well you can operate in it. If you have a good network, it can warn you of the impending problems, changes in legislation or laws.

Your networks can also allow you to attract employees and skills that might otherwise be difficult to access. It can be said that building your networks will definitely add to your knowledge base and skills set, something that businesses is Zimbabwe could make use of.

Like Adam Small said, “Networking is the single most powerful tactic to accelerate and sustain success for any individual or organisation”.

Building enduring, mutually beneficial relationships is the most common reason given for networking that everyone knows. However, there are also understated advantages to having networks such as the credibility that comes with it.

It becomes easy for an individual or organisation to stand up for you if they have a personal relationship with you. Zig Ziglar said, “If people like you they’ll listen to you [which is nice, but not very productive], but if they trust you, then they’ll do business with you.” Trust is built by cultivating relationships over time and the rewards are often seen when harvesting.

If one decides to be organised, thoughtful and systematic about their networking, this could just give the added advantage in advertising to put them above their competitors.

Why network?

Why are some people more successful in life and in business? Why do they seem to get better deals, more sales, better promotions, or just live a better life? This can be particularly frustrating if you believe that you are better qualified or have a better product.

Some may just dismiss this success and explain it as luck or result of being in the right place at the right time. Often the harder you work the luckier you become!

If we were to delve into these things a little deeper we would discover that most of these highly successful people are just ordinary people just like you and me — who happen to possess highly refined networking skills.

These ordinary people achieve more than they could by themselves.

Successful people surround themselves with a well-developed, sophisticated support network that they use to get everything from relevant information, to the right supplier, getting the right employee, to being referred to the right clients.

Networking is essential for success in every area of your life.

Happy Networking!

 Tinashe Kubwalo, BNI National Coordinator, BNI Zimbabwe (includes Excerpts from The BNI Handy Guide to Networking co-authored by Niiraj R. Shah, BNI National Director, BNI India and Dr. Ivan Misner, PhD, Founder and Chairman,BNI)www.bni.com, +263 864 406 9461