I'll be honest -- when I hear the phrase 'business networking', I visualise being cornered by an insurance salesperson in a US airport. But cynicism aside, Brisbane business consultant Geoff Kirkwood offers a suggestion in a recent interview for networking more effectively: concentrate on a handful of people who can actually help you find new clients, which he refers to as "referral partners". Kirkwood gives the example of a marriage celebrant partnering with limo drivers and florists; each has customers the others could use. I'm not sure I'd want to cough up money for those kinds of introductions (which is the basis of Kirkwood's business), but the concept seems sound. Would it work for you?

 

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