Business Networking

[pgorade]

Do you sometimes feel like you're on a networking frenzy - bopping from one event to another hoping to make that "right" connection and make a sale? Well, successful networking is more than attending a dozen events every month. Instead just pick a few that you can commit to and then invest your time to leverage it fully. The question, of course, is how to pick the right networking groups and events.

So how do you go about selecting the right networking group to join or the right event to attend?

Here are some key criteria to consider:

A) The Mix of Attendees

The most important question you should ask yourself is whether the people who attend the meetings are a good fit for you. Specifically, ask yourself the following questions:
• Are they people you connect with
• Do they share or service your target market
• Can you comfortably pass referrals to them
• Do you have anything in common with enough of the other members
• Does the group fit your style - professional, casual, educational, fun etc.

B) Convenience

The second most important criterion is whether the meeting times and locations are convenient -- because if they aren't, you're unlikely to attend regularly enough to reap the benefits. Consider these questions:

• Is the location easy to get to
• Is the day or time one that allows you to attend consistently

[landersinsurance]

I have been going to a lot of neworking events lately and I dont think they are really helping. I will stick with it but I wish I could be seeing a little bit of results.

[justthere]

I have found that you have to find one that you like and go to it religiously. It took 5 months for my first sale and then it helped build my business over years. Make sure you are the only broker in the group. If they do not control it that way, then it is not worth going to.

[saabins]

I agree about the business networking. I just came from one that was a bust. These people bought the table and invested the time and money to bring their business to the event and very few people showed up. Not sure why, could be that it was not promoted enough??

[spokaneins]

Hello there , I think and do agree with the Business networking tool to enhance your sales,improvement,discussion about the issues.So business meetings have great importance at all .Very good information to share.

I agree too. You need to build good relationships with realtors and loan officers

[Esmond]

Hi,
I agree with Business networking tool to enhance your sales,improvement,discussion, about the issues.So business meetings have great importance at all.Thank you for sharing information.

[dukekneeland]

I belong to BNI, which is a referral group and it works very well. Our goal is to build relationships to refer business to each other. Also, attending various Chamber of Commerce functions seems to work as well. These functions help you become more recognizable in the community.

[chizcurlz]

There are lots of ways to build networks. You can use social networking sites such as Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter to increase your reputation and credibility by building relationships with other people. You might want to attend seminars, conferences, and trainings to meet to new people and build a network. You can also organize your own event and show them what your business is all about.