Why cultivating your contacts can help your small business grow....

Contacts can be vital to business - more contacts can mean more profits. Here's exactly how.

First, nobody knows how to do "everything". There are always gaps in our knowhow. It could be gaps in general knowhow like sales knowledge or how to use new technology. Or it could be gaps in very specific knowhow, like how to find a source for some specific item you are looking for.

Now, if you cultivate contacts, one of your contacts may know the answer to something you can't solve due to the "gaps" in your own knowhow. Of course, in return, you may know the solution to a problem that contact is having too. Making business contacts is WIN/WIN.

Without that contact, you could be frustrated, it would be like banging your head against a brick wall as you try to find the solution. But with good contacts, all it may take is an email or phone call.

Another thing you can do with contacts is Joint Venture - JV. I'm a big fan of JVs. One BIG advantage of a JV is you can motivate each other on - it is often easier to be motivated in a JV than working by yourself, since you are each doing your part and you don't want to let the other one down.

In addition, when you come across a problem, TWO HEADS ARE BETTER THAN ONE. Sometimes, just having someone to talk the problem over with is a big step towards solving it.

Contacts can also mean more customers. Often, if one of your contacts has a customer with a need which they can't handle, but YOU can, they'll send that customer over to you! And of course, you are also likely to do the same thing for them as well.

Well, there are a few advantages off the cuff for actively cultivating your contacts....

And one of the big advantages of business-oriented forums like this one is that they are a GREAT way of making contacts among the online small business community.

So, my advice is - don't let this power go to waste! :)

- Dien Rice


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