Business contacts are the people you have in your network. These people are all important to your growing business. You need to build and develop relationships with your business contacts in order to move your business forward and expand your customer base.
Business contacts fall into two separate categories. It is important for you to distinguish between the two and develop relationships with them accordingly. The two categories of business contacts are influencer/users and users.
The people who are both influencers and users are prime business contacts. These business contacts have the potential to use your services themselves and influence others to use your services as well. It is true, every client is a good potential referral source, but the real influencer/users are those who are in the referral business so to speak. These influencer/users also come in two categories:
Trusted Advisors to Small Businesses
Business contacts in this arena include:
Accountants
Bookkeepers
Attorneys
Business Managers
Consultants
Just like you call your accountant for referrals to other businesses, other small businesses are doing the same. If you happen to maintain your accountant's network, who is he or she most likely to recommend?
Niche Technology Providers for Small Businesses
This is another category of business contact that is extremely influential. These are people who are in the IT industry but who are not direct competitors. They include:
Accounting Software Specialists
Industry Niche Software Applications
Phone System Dealers
Software Developers
System Builders
Website Designers
These businesses work for companies that will likely be in your sweet spot. If you develop business contacts with these people they will be in a position to recommend your IT services to their clients.
The Bottom Line on Business Contacts
Business contacts are all important. They do come in different categories and some should be focused on more than others. Those in the influencer/user category are very powerful business contacts because not only can they use your company they can refer you to others who could hire your company.
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