« Small Business Network Tips | Main | Women Entrepreneurs – Doing Business in a Feminine Way »
Networking Groups Offer Variety of Choices
By admin | May 21, 2009
Why network? The number one reason people cite is that they don’t have to make cold calls any more. Other benefits are building relationships, meeting others in your field, finding a mentor and, of course, the social aspect of spending time with others.
There are a variety of networking groups to fit anyone’s goals, business preferences and schedules. Some organizations allow only one person from each industry per chapter, are very structured and require attendance. The best (in my opinion) and most successful with this format is BNI, the largest referral organization in the world. They meet weekly, at the same time and location; membership dues apply to the Chapter in which you belong. Passing good, quality referals is the top focus.
Other networking organizations have less structure. I am Vice President of Rainmakers, which is a networking/marketing group that allows open membership. This means there are no restrictions to the number of members per industry, and when you become a Rainmaker, you can attend any meeting throughout the state, rather than just one chapter, or hub. Meetings are held early morning, at lunch and after hours to provide a variety of options to meet members’ needs. They have a template to provide the Chairman of the hub to follow, but are not a business-meeting format and do not require attendance. Building strategic relationships is the primary goal of Rainmakers.
Civic organizations, chambers of commerce, power circles, church groups, industry associations, etc., also provide opportunities to meet others and develop relationships. Though their focus is not helping you grow your business, the result is you now have a team of people who know and trust you. Fellow members will introduce you to their connections because of the relationship you’ve built over time.
Another networking format is social networking. There are a plethora of online sites – FaceBook, LinkedIn, Plaxo, My Space, to name a few – where you find ‘friends’. You can post a profile, upload photos, select others to be among your connections, feed your blog to your home page, ask questions, and even form groups for people to join with like interests.
Twitter is a micro blogging site, and the newest form of online social networking. It serves the same purpose, but with a limited number of characters per conversation. It is amazing how quickly you can meet someone and begin to ‘follow’ them. Many tweeple most links to sites that they feel will benefit others. It’s like a moving, virtual library of information!
A more serious, business-focused type of online networking is also available. My favorite is One Degree Connected (ODC). As the name implies, you are just one degree away from the person you want to meet. You have the option to sort by a specific person or company. Or, if you want to meet a channel market category, or target market, you can search by title. For example, I like to meet insurance agents because they are a perfect channel for me. I enter “insurance agent” in the title box, and all agents who are in the databases of each of the ODC members are found. Then it’s as simple as asking the members for an introduction to the agent(s) in their databases. One Degree Connected! It’s fast and easy. The huge benefit is that when I make the call, they already know who recommended me, and have had an opportunity to view my profile. Unique to ODC over other business sites is you can request an intro from each of the members who knows my desired connection. You’ll create a buzz for yourself and pique the interest of the person you want to meet.
Ask friends and business associates where they network. Visit some of the meetings and check out the online sites. There are so many choices and opportunities; find the format, philosophy and meeting schedules that work best for you.
Watch the video related to networking groups
Establishing and maintaining an active presence on social networking websites has emerged as an effective way to promote products and drive traffic to websites. These and other Web 2.0 technologies are changing the way we approach internet marketing. In this article we look at how to make the most of social network marketing. There are many terms for this form of web promotion, including social media optimization and social media marketing. And there are also different types of websites and …
Help answer the question about networking groups
Photographers networking groups or conventions in LA/Orange Counties?Can anyone tell me of any photographers conventions or networking groups in Los Angeles or Orange Counties? (info such as name, contact info, or website would be helpful.) Thanks!
About Author
Cindy Hartman is President of Hartman Inventory, LLC, a business and home inventory service provider. She and her husband Mike are also owners of Hartman Inventory Systems, LLC, a company that provides assistance to entrepreneurs who want to establish their own home-based inventory business. http://www.HartmanInventory.com
Topics: Networking | 18 Comments »
May 21st, 2009 at 9:05 am
ok dude u wasted my time just show us how in 2 min
May 21st, 2009 at 10:49 am
but thanks anyways
May 21st, 2009 at 9:13 am
I would like to tell you about NJEntrepreneur, it is a business building resource for NJ website. I am the owner and also have a NJEntrepreneur Exchange once a month that is only open to entrepreneurs.
The next meeting is September 24 at the Bridgewater Marriott titled Entrepreneur War Stories…if you are interested please email me at jgray@njentrepreneur.com
May 21st, 2009 at 10:09 am
May 21st, 2009 at 10:49 am
Contact these places:
~Independent Living Center of Southern California (ILCSC) @ http://www.ilcsc.org
~National Council of Independent Living (NCIL) @ http://www.ncil.org
They should have some up-to-date info to share with you. I left Los Angeles almost 5 years ago & I found that PATH was a helpful place.
May 21st, 2009 at 10:53 am
There are generally LEADS groups out there possibly through the chamber of commerce or rotary international. Typically the LEADS groups are limited to one professional from each profession. They do this so if one person has a LEAD, the others can benefit as opposed to compete with one another for the lead.
As with many businesses, the securities business is very cut throat and no one wants to share the potential big whale.
Good luck.
May 22nd, 2009 at 2:46 pm
LMFAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
May 22nd, 2009 at 9:42 am
None that I know of but the guy above seems to have all the answers. Go for him.
May 22nd, 2009 at 9:06 pm
Thanks dude
May 23rd, 2009 at 2:15 am
thnx dude my 100 comment
May 23rd, 2009 at 6:44 pm
lol if you meet my maths teacher you would believe me
May 23rd, 2009 at 2:15 pm
Yellow pages are the right place to search for.
May 23rd, 2009 at 7:46 pm
I have tried to do business using the small networking groups. I have been involved with people who are trying to make a living with them.
Ahhhh they don't work. WHY? People come and people go. No one stays long and very little business is done. They all become a hangout spot for an hour and a little tax right off that is not Worth even mentioning unless people are in many of these little groups.
My suggestion is to find something else to sink your teeth into.
May 24th, 2009 at 5:13 am
thank you for showing me how to do this, but is it necessary to make a ten minute video to tell us where to click?
May 24th, 2009 at 5:40 am
Hi There,
Would you like to start a yahoo group. I would join and invite a few more to join in. Hopefully with that we can get more people to network and we can benefit each other.
Perhaps you could start the group with a small core team and set the group policy or ground rules with its commitment expected from each other.
Let me know if you are starting the group and want me to contribute.
Good Luck
May 24th, 2009 at 12:41 pm
lol remove yourself from the group and it will be deleted! lol funny group though i would have joined it!!! xD
May 24th, 2009 at 6:39 pm
I made a group, but when I try to post something for everyone to say it say it’s by me not the actual group. And I don’t know how to do it.
May 24th, 2009 at 6:04 pm
copy/paste