Over many years I have had a number of conversations with people who tell me that business networking does not work. Usually I find that this is because they have a “different” (I won’t call it wrong) definition for business networking. They are looking at it the wrong way. They might be attending the wrong events. They might be talking to the wrong people. As such, they are not getting the results they want.
I’ve grown my business through networking. Here are 6 “networks” I am involved with.
BNI – I am a member of BNI. “Last year, members of BNI Melbourne Central’s many chapters passed referrals that generated millions of dollars of business for each other. Belonging to BNI is like having an entire sales team representing your business, and in return you are representing their businesses.” When I joined BNI many years ago I already had an established business but I wanted to grow it. I also wanted to be able to add value to my clients by being able to refer them to trusted business professionals.
Informal Breakfast Network – I run a number of monthly informal networking breakfasts for entrepreneurs in my area. These breakfasts do not have a formal structure like BNI but they are held on the same day every month. At the time of writing I run a breakfast on the first Thursday of the month and another breakfast on the third Monday of the month. I know that many who have attended my breakfast are already doing business with each other – I’ve been able to add value to these businesses as they met through my breakfast.
Facebook Groups – Facebook groups are a great source for networking, if used correctly. With Facebook Groups you need to add massive value first. Don’t just spam members with your business. Participate in conversations, answer questions and offer support.
LinkedIn Networks – I connect with people on LinkedIn but I try not to just collect connections. I “connect” with them and try to have conversations. What’s the point of connecting with someone if you don’t really connect with them? The strategies I use to connect with people on LinkedIn is a topic for another day
Rotary – I didn’t join Rotary for business networking. I joined Rotary to give back to my local community. Having said that, I “do” business with members of my Rotary Club and it is worth noting that Rotary was originally set up as a networking organisation who completed service projects. It is worth highlighting that it is about “Service” first. If you’re a pretender when it comes to joining Rotary it will be noticed and you won’t get the results that you are hoping for.
Interest-based Networking – One of my favourite networks is a network based around people interested in horse racing. When I get together with members of this group, we talk about horse racing. There’s always something that we are interested in talking about. Eventually business just happens, without really having to talk too often about business.
Business networking is not just functions in halls where people hand out 100 business cards and try to pitch their business. Hopefully you’ve seen from what I have written above, that there is so much more to it.
That’s it for day 2 of the 365 day challenge. I hope you’ll follow my journey and I hope you’ll find the gold nugget that is valuable for your business. If you’re interested in keeping track of my blog posts, you can sign up for notifications here and I will send you an email every time I publish a new post