Effortless Networking

You might consider this is a continuation on last week’s topic. It addresses the same topic but from a very specific perspective.

Many people are interested in knowing how to find the best or most appropriate networking group for their type of business.

In addition, I was somewhat surprised to find that several subscribers are also interested in knowing what it takes to organize their own networking group. Surprise is good — it keeps me on my toes!

Well, whether you want to find an existing group to join, or create your own, my question to you is this:

What do you want to get out of such a group?

For instance:

• Are you expecting to exchange leads and referrals?
• Share or exchange information?
• Support each other professionally?
• All of the above?

Being clear about your expectations up front will help you find the best fit, since not all groups have the same focus. Some are just focused on leads exchange, while others have a broader focus.

If you want to create your own group, there are similar questions to consider:

• What will be the purpose of this networking group?
• What will you and the members get from being part of this group?

Answering these questions will help you identify how to structure this group, in terms of meeting format, frequency, etc.

It will help you explain to potential members how they’ll benefit from being a member.

And it’ll help you determine whom to invite to join this group.

This brings me to the second, and equally important, question.

To keep it simple, let’s assume you want to join or create a networking group simply to exchange leads and referrals.

My question is this: Who are the best sources of leads and referrals for you?

I wrote about this topic a few weeks ago, and I mentioned then that not all contacts are created equal.

The most common mistake people make is considering everyone they know as a source of referral.

This may be true, but as you probably know from your own experience, some people are better positioned to give you the kinds of leads you want on a regular basis.

For instance, if you’re looking for leads within the health care industry, your chances of getting good quality leads are much better if you network with people who either work in that industry, or regularly interact with people from that industry.

Similarly, if you’re looking for leads within the small business sector, networking with people within the corporate sector is not the most efficient route!

So, what kinds of leads are you looking for? And who are the people who have “access” to these kinds of leads?

Then look for networking groups that have these kinds of people as members.

Or if you’re creating your own, invite these kinds of people to join your group.

A book that can help you identify people who can be good sources of referrals for you is Business by Referral : A Sure-Fire Way to Generate New Business by Ivan R. Misner and Robert Davis.

Take a look at Part III and Part IV specifically.

Till next week,
– Sri

This entry was posted on Tuesday, November 15th, 2005 at 8:00 am and is filed under Improving Effectiveness, Getting Results. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.