Networking is one of the most important things you can do to grow your business. According to a study by Forbes, 78% of new businesses depend on networking for success. But how do we build a network as an online reseller?
In the world of reselling, networking can help you to find new sources of inventory, new suppliers to reduce your costs, find tools and equipment at lower costs, learn from people who have more experience and avoid their mistakes, find great people to join your team, build partnerships for new ventures, expand into new niches, and many other benefits.
If you do a quick search online about places to network, you will see career focused suggestions such as LinkedIn, Events held by The Chamber or Commerce, large business conventions hosted by Fortune 500 companies, and other similar events. Though these are great places to network for the average job, or for many business owners and entrepreneurs in your city, it is unlikely to be what we need as online resellers.
Here, we break down some suggestions for the major stages involved in building your network for your reselling business.
Facebook Groups and Instagram
Social media platforms such as Facebook have an array of groups for people who share all sorts of interests. The reselling community has a strong presence as well. If you have not joined any Facebook groups yet, I strongly suggest you do!
Not only is this a place to meet like-minded people that can help you solve issues you may not know how to resolve in your reselling journey, but you will also see exceptional members who will encourage you to keep pushing and be inspirational to you. When you see others do great, you can inadvertently increase your own productivity as you are striving to keep up.
There are people in these forums from all over the country, and in some cases, the world. So, if someone sees a big opportunity in another state that may be too far for them, most often than not, they will post in hopes of helping other resellers that may be local to that offer.
Facebook is of course not the only place where you can join a forum of many other resellers to talk shop. Reddit is another great option, and there are many others. But Facebook is one of the best that we’ve found, as it is widely used, and it’s easy to engage directly with the people you meet there. On Facebook, most people use their real identity, which adds an extra layer of connection that Reddit and other anonymous platforms don’t have. This is important for building real business connections.
Outside of groups and forums, where multiple resellers connect together, it’s also important to focus on 1-1 connections via social media. Instagram is a great place to do this. The reselling community on Instagram is amazing. You will find tons of support and encouragement from like-minded resellers in all different stages of their journey, from people running a warehouse at scale and doing millions in revenue per year to newbies selling their first pair of shoes. It’s all on Instagram – leverage it! Find people in your niche that are crushing it. Follow their content, and engage. Ask questions, share perspectives, and contribute. Over time, you will get to know who is who, and start to build a network as an online reseller.
If you’re interested in joining a Facebook group to learn from other resellers, check out our Facebook group here.
Events and Meet Ups
Getting to know people on Facebook, Pinterest or Instagram is great, but there is no substitute to meeting people in person. This helps you to showcase your personality, have deeper conversations, and build true human connection. As a result, you will build trust and rapport much faster, which is essential for a strong network.
A great way to meet people in-person as an online reseller is to attend events and meet-ups aimed at resellers or online entrepreneurs.
One of the many benefits of joining an online community is that you will always be in the know regarding events happening throughout the country. Mini conferences, expos, events ran by experienced resellers, etc. Events can be great places to share experiences with other resellers who will be interested in also hearing yours.
When just starting out, it may seem daunting to go to a paid event – one which requires a ticket which can sometimes run a few hundred or even thousands of dollars. Paid events are more exclusive than those that are free, and may allow you to get to know a circle of peers better if they are small events. However it is worth always analyzing what you are getting from these events. Some events are excellent, and definitely worth the money, whereas others may not have a strong enough return on investment.
If you are paying for an event, take the time to plan your approach and make sure you take advantage of the opportunity to meet and build connections with as many people as possible. If you do it right, the money spent will be a great investment.
It’s important to remember that the most value from a conference comes from the networking, not from the content presented on stage. Sure, you’ll learn a lot from the content. But you can watch YouTube videos to learn the same stuff. Don’t snooze on the networking, as that is the true value.
You may wonder then – why go to a conference at all? Why not just attend a meetup?
Exactly the right question to ask. Meetups are an excellent place to start, and in some cases can be even more powerful than a conference, because there are usually less people there. More time to get to know that expert or guru that you look up to!. Sometimes local experienced resellers will hold meet up events – mostly free of charge – where you can get one-on-one time with them as well as other resellers in your area. In some cases, there is an added benefit in that not everyone in attendance at the meetup will be focusing on the same type for reselling, so this is a great way to learn about other niches as well as other business models.
Events and meetups are some of the best ways to build your network as an online reseller.
Building Real Connections
After you’ve engaged online via groups and social networks, and met a few people face-to-face, the next stage is to turn your attention to building deeper connections with those people. It’s not enough to say hi to click ‘Like’ on a few posts on Facebook, then say hi to someone at an event, and call it a day. You need to continue to nurture business relationships and get to know people.
During events or in online platforms, you will find resellers that you “click” with and have things in common. Do not be afraid to strike up conversations. If it is online, don’t be afraid to even ask them for a quick phone or video call. It’s a great way to leverage the experience of others while also getting to know them.
The reselling community is full of people willing to help. One of our mentors is located 5 hours away and has taken the time to walk us through new areas of expanding our business in length. We would have missed out on this opportunity had we not reached out to him privately and simply asked for a call. He was extremely supportive, and we’ve now built a lasting business connection with him. This has happened on multiple occasions with people all around the country, and we wouldn’t have been able to grow our business to six figures in the first year if we didn’t focus on those connections.
You will see that most resellers do not see you as competition. And a majority love to share their knowledge. There are big participants in online communities that mostly answer questions and seldom ask any themselves. You will also see that there are new members every day and you will be able to pass on the knowledge you have acquired as well. Building close relationships and having one-on-one conversations with members will introduce you to other members, and that may lead to bigger opportunities.
Networking Outside of the Reselling Community is Crucial
Don’t only focus on getting to know other resellers, suppliers, or potential customers. Instead, you should be networking constantly and consistently wherever you go. Small businesses in your area are a great place to start.
It can be a bit intimidating to let your neighbors know about your line of work at first. I feel it myself even though I do not quite understand the why. However, there have been numerous amazing opportunities that have come my way as a result of networking with people in my neighborhood. Some of them may be inventory or sourcing opportunities, but there are many other things you can achieve, depending on who you know. For example, you might get free shipping supplies if you get to know the small businesses in your area.
A great starting point is to volunteer in your community.
When you volunteer around your community, you become more well known to your neighbors. There is a benefit to having people in your surrounding area be aware of what you do as they will have you in mind if they have a situation where they could use your assistance.
Another great way to approach this is to use your business to contribute or give back in some way. For example, if you sell sneakers and have some inventory that is slightly damaged or not selling, donate them to in your community. Give back, and you will build great connections naturally.
As a quick example – during the height of the recent pandemic, all coffee shops had to close their doors. A fellow reseller in one of the social media groups I follow mentioned how he reached out to coffee shops in his neighborhood and offered to sell their coffee beans on his online store on commission. The coffee shop owner agreed. It was a win-win situation as the seller was not able to do Retail Arbitrage since stores were closed and the coffee shop owner was not able to sell his coffee beans on his store front.
So get to know your neighbors! Get to know small businesses in your area! These are great ways to build a network as an online reseller.
So Don’t Snooze on Networking!
It can be easy to want to spend all your time sourcing, but I hope this article has helped to show you the importance of growing and nurturing a network in your reselling business. If you found it valuable, make sure to join the Facebook group to continue on your networking journey.
The best places to start to build a network as an online reseller are places where you can find like-minded people who are looking to also network, and your neighborhood or surrounding areas. The reselling community is ever changing and making yourself informed on the constant changes will benefit you in great ways. As a bonus, it is a great feeling to “nerd out” together as your regular friends may not always be excited to see your Amazon app sales chart!
Which places have you found most helpful to network with other resellers? Please leave us a comment down below!
