Offline Networking Between Small and Medium-sized Enterprises as a Competitive Advantage - A Case Study from the Czech Republic

Despite the immense development of online technologies, offline networking still remains an integral part of the marketing activities of small and medium-sized companies. In business relationships, it is not yet fully possible to replace personal meetings. Personal meetings with business partners create trust, which is the cornerstone of business relationships and a launching pad for referrals. Each company creates and maintains its business network of contacts. The business network includes customer, supplier and business partner contacts, respectively. The facilitator of offline networking is most often the business owner or a senior manager with decision-making responsibilities. Developing and utilising offline contacts is typically an internal business matter and forms a part of the company's know-how. Authors researching this topic agree that data pertaining this area is so far insufficient and that the topic is worth further research to obtain more data. The article is based on a case study of small and medium-sized enterprises, whose owners are connected within the business community and routinely maintain and develop their strategic contact network in order to increase profits, obtain information and knowledge to innovate and grow their business and receive referrals for their future partners. The article focuses on the impact of offline networking activities on the competitiveness and competitive advantage of the company.