5 Networking Blunders Dream Dinners Franchisees Should Avoid

5 Networking Blunders Dream Dinners Franchisees Should Avoid When trying to grow any business, strategic networking is one of the best resources available. Meeting as many people as possible provides you the opportunity to spread the word about your Dream Dinners franchise. For all Dream Dinners franchisees, learning to effectively network can help to increase traffic and boost sales to their franchise location.

When it comes to networking, there is a big difference between strategically making contacts and simply selling yourself. At its core, networking is about building key relationships. You can attend countless events, send dozens of LinkedIn requests and schedule a handful of coffee dates, but without a proper strategy in place, these efforts are a waste of your time, energy and resources. To help you get the most out of your networking opportunities, Dream Dinners franchise reviews five suggestions to help Dream Dinners franchisees network better.

Social networking websites like LinkedIn and Facebook are useful when looking to connect with strategic partners and get the word out about your Dream Dinners franchise. However, it is equally important to diversify your resources and efforts. Digital connections are often superficial and, in many cases, do little to grow your business. Dream Dinners franchisees should always place a priority on face-to-face contact with influential people—these direct meetings often allow you to make a stronger impression that may ultimately help drive the success of your business.

1. Digital Dependency

It only takes seven seconds to make a first impression, so when you are trying to sell a product, dressing appropriately is just as important as knowing and understanding your product. Yes, most of us would rather wear sweatpants and a t-shirt rather than slacks and a nicely-pressed button up, but the nicer outfit clearly makes a better first impression. Dream Dinners franchisees are representing the brand and mission to “grow great kids,” and this means dressing the part. With just seven seconds to make a good first impression – make it count.

2. Not Dressing the Part

There’s a fine line between selling your Dream Dinners franchise as a solution for dinnertime struggles and forcing the concept. It’s extremely important to have your voice be heard and stand out from the crowd when connecting with new people, but being too forward and aggressive can be a turnoff. Make sure to always stay genuine in your conversations and do your best to avoid sales pitch overkill.

3. Being Too Forward 

When you’re looking to form new connections, it should always be a mutually beneficial relationship. The best relationships in business are the ones with equal distribution of the two parties. When you are forming new relationships, it’s important to pursue only those that will be symbiotic partnerships. You will save time and energy to identify quickly what can be done for you while, in return, demonstrating the ways your Dream Dinners franchise can be beneficial to your new connection.

4. One-Sided Relationships

The most important component to effective networking is for Dream Dinners franchisees to schedule time to follow up. Making an initial contact is the easiest part; the difficulty arises when attempting to convert your new acquaintance to a partner or customer. No matter where your connection is made, reaching out from time to time will help to ensure your relationship stays current and fresh. Opting for valuable, face-to-face interaction is always best practice. However, phone calls, digital messages and periodic emails can be just as effective in creating a valuable business relationship. Identify what works best for your business and stick to it.

We’ve all fallen victim to networking blunders, but learning from our mistakes is the best way to ensure that they don’t happen again. By following the five tips outlined above, you’ll be well on your way to becoming a networking pro.

5. A Lack of Follow Through

Dream Dinners is looking for new franchisees who want a career with a cause. Dream Dinners franchisees give today’s busy parents the opportunity to nurture and grow our nation’s children by providing regular, homemade meals. If you’re interested in learning more about how you can bring a new Dream Dinners franchise to your community or how you can purchase a Dream Dinners franchise for sale, visit the Dream Dinners franchise information page today.

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