Once you have joined the group, here are some things you should do get the most out of your networking experience.

Get to the meeting early.  If you are late it creates a bad impression, makes you appear unreliable, unprofessional and sends a message you do not value the other members of the group.  How can members of the group be confident (trust) you will show up on time to meet clients they refer to you if you are always late to the chapter meetings?    If they cannot trust you, how can they refer business to you?

The most important advice I can give you is attend the meetings!   Regular meeting attendance is critically important especially if the group meets only once or twice a month.  It is even more important of you are a new member or the chapter is just getting started.  Spending time with and getting to know the members of your network is the only way you are going to build that trust and loyalty with them, and they with you.

Create recurring appoints for your chapter meetings and plan your work around them.  Block out an extra hour before you need to leave in case an appointment runs longer than expected.  Members often skip meetings because they needed to “meet with a client”.  They are afraid to reschedule the client because they might lose the business.  Maybe they will but probably not.

Before you miss a meeting, think of the lost opportunity and business because you were a “no show” when thirty people, including several of your strategic partners, met for lunch and wanted to help you grow your business.  Remember your network is like your sales team.  They expect you to be there and they need your help too.  If you let them down what happens to the trust and loyalty you were building with them?  Do you want to build relationships with people who do not show up to appointments they have committed to?  Is there really a better use of your time than to meet with and motivate thirty people to go out and promote your business?  Miss the meeting only under extreme circumstances.

Attending meetings on a regular basis and being a good active member of the chapter will allow you to build solid relationships quickly.  The loyalty will be established and the business and opportunities will begin to flow.

If you think about the general population, less than twenty percent of people deliver exceptional service on a consistent basis.  Less than half of those are good referring partners or know how to reciprocate value back to you.  This means only one out of ten (1 of out of 10) people you meet will qualify to be in your network of trusted referring partners.  Your job is to be able to quickly identify who they are and then get that relationship going.

Doesn’t it make sense if you are going to invest the time to build and maintain a relationship it should be in one which lasts and provides value to you?  We have all invested in the wrong people.  Those relationships are distant memories now, but time wasted nonetheless.  What if you had spent this time building relationships with the “right” people, in long lasting relationships?  How much better off would you be now?

Here is a simple tip to remove ALL of the fear of networking and improve your results at the same time:

Change your mind set about networking.  It is no longer about “getting business”.  Instead walk into that networking event with the thought:

“I need to expand my network with exceptional service providers.   I need quality people to refer business to.  Having a good network of service providers makes me a valuable resource to my clients.  If they are really good I can introduce them to some strategic connections in my existing network.  I want to identify these people at this event”. 

Once you meet people at the event, tell them why you are there.  Ask questions designed to determine if they are good at what they do.  Find out if they deliver quality and value to their clients and if you can trust them with your referrals.  This takes all the “pressure to perform” off of you and puts it on squarely on them.  In addition, you will create a great first impression because you are helping them, not selling yourself.  You will likely be the ONLY person they meet at this function with this attitude.  They will appreciate it and remember you.

We are interested to hear your thoughts on this topic?

1. Good at what they do. Every member must exceed our clients expectations and make us look good for referring them.  It is better not to make a recommendation at all than to make a bad referral.
2. Good referring partners. Fellow members must help us grow our business as much as we help them grow theirs.  They can do this in several ways: Use our services, refer family friends and clients, make introductions to people in a position to refer us business and by creating opportunities for us.  Every good referring relationship has to be mutually beneficial.
3. Expand our network with other good quality people. We want our referring partners to introduce us to other good quality referring partners, people they know who possess these three qualities.  They should look into their sphere of connections and bring them to a meeting, invite them to join.  Collectively we all benefit as the network expands with quality individuals and we will help them grow their business too.

If these are the same qualities you need to see in your referring partners, what do you think they need to see in you?  Look at yourself first.  Do you offer these qualities to members of your chapter?  If we all start today, we all benefit tomorrow.  Bring a quality guest to your next chapter luncheon.

Here are some tips to keep in mind when attending a networking group event for the first time.

Tip #1: Develop and practice a good 30-second elevator speech.  Make it memorable and effective.  This often creates the first impression for dozens of people in the room who do not know you.  Be confident, polished and professional.  These qualities are conducive to getting business.  Do not just “wing it”.  Here is a template for a good 30-second elevator speech.

Tip #2:  You may not know anyone at the event.  Inviting someone to come with you can ease some tension and there is a good chance they may know someone if you do not.

Tip #3:  It is normal to be nervous walking into a room full of strangers, especially if you think you need to perform and sell yourself to them.  Instead, go in with the attitude that you want to meet good quality service providers to refer clients to.  This takes all the pressure off, allows you to ask questions and let the other person do all the “selling”.  You will make a great fist impression because you are there to help them grow their business.

Tip #4:  Find and greet the host as soon as you can.  Make sure they know what profession you are in and ask if they can make an introduction to someone in the room in a related field.  You will have things in common and it makes it easier to keep the conversation going.

Tip #5: Bring plenty of business cards and keep them accessible.  As you mix and mingle, keep your drink in your left hand.  This keeps your right hand dry to shake hands and pass out business cards.

All too often people join the first group they consider, usually because someone they know invited them to a meeting.  In most cases the return on investment (considering both time and money invested) is not as good as it could be, and sometimes it is really bad.  Choosing the right networking group is as important as choosing the right marketing message and medium for your business.  Put some thought into it before you make a commitment.

Consider your business.  Who are your strategic partners, the people who are in a position to refer a significant amount of business on a consistent basis to you.  We all have them.  These are people who are well connected to lots of your clients and are usually in a position of trust.  For example, someone who owns a sign company would have several strategic partners like: business broker, business attorney, business consultant, graphic design company, marketing specialist etc.

Make a list of your strategic partners.  Then look at the membership list of the group you are looking to join.  Are your strategic partners in this group?  If not, don’t join even if it’s free because time is money.  The one exception to this is a rare one.  If members do a good job introducing other members to strategic partners outside the group it could be very powerful even if you strategic partners are not in the group.  The VAST majority of groups do not do this so however.

Once you find a group with some good partners for you, there are some other things you need to consider.  Look at the bylaws and read the fine print.  Many groups have rules and expectations that you may not be willing to conform to.  Are there frequent meeting requirements?  Does this group prohibit you from joining other networking groups? Are there mandatory recruiting requirements?  Know what you are getting into.

If the membership list looks good and you are OK with the bylaws, attend a meeting.  Get an idea of the quality of the group, is it growing and dynamic?  Are there quality controls in place to ensure the members are good at what they do, and what are they?  Are the referrals being exchanged really “referrals” or just warm leads and not much more than a cold call?  Sit next to one or two of your potential strategic partners.  Ask them if they would consider building a mutually beneficial relationship with you once you join.  Maybe they have a relative who provides the same service as you and you will never get a referral from them.

Remember if you refer business to someone and they drop the ball, your reputation is on the line and it can cost you money. Pay close attention to the quality of the group.  Are  members the decision makers and does the group screen for quality or let just anyone in?   You need a group where membership quality is a concern and people are removed for providing substandard service.  Most groups DO NOT do this.

If everything looks good, this is the right group for you.  It should provide a steady stream of referral business for you.  Don’t stop there.  Go find another “right group” for you.  Effective networking is one the most powerful ways to grow any business, and not much else will come close to generating the same return on investment.  The more people that know about your business, the better!

First, you must establish the ground rules for every member of your network.

1. They must be very good at what they do.
2. They must help your business as much as you help theirs.

If anyone in your network is not good at what they do, take them out immediately!  You cannot afford to refer business to someone who drops the proverbial ball.  At a minimum, every member of your network should be exceptional at what they do, some who refer business back to you and some who do not.

For those partners who have not found a way to build your business, don’t get rid of them yet.  Good service providers are hard to find.  It is much easier to teach them how to be a good referring partner than how to provide exceptional service.  Talk to them.  Make sure they understand your business and what your perfect clients looks like.  Let them know how important referrals are to you.  Maybe they are not in a position to refer business directly to you, but they can certainly introduce you to people who can.  Those introductions are as good as the referrals.  Put systems in place to monitor the results.  If you do not see the results, find another exceptional service provider who is willing to build a mutually beneficial relationship.  Then pull the original service provider out of your network and stop referring business to them.

Those members of your network who provide great service and help your business grow are worth their weight in gold.  You cannot afford to lose them.  Make a plan (write it down) of exactly what you can do to help them, what connections you can make for them.  Reach out to these individuals and let them know how much you appreciate their business.  Share your plan to help their business grow.  They will be impressed and more loyal than ever before.  They will look for ways to drive additional business through your doors.  When your competition comes knocking, looking to build a relationship with them, chances are slim to none they will leave you.

Implement these ideas and we promise your networking return on investment will go up considerably.

Tip #4:

Tip #5: Support people who support you!  Take a look at the service providers you currently refer clients to.  Do they support you and your business, do they introduce you to people that might help grow your business?  It needs to be a mutually beneficial relationship.  If it’s not, consider finding another service provider that is exceptional at what they do and will support you at the same time.

Tip #6: Every person you come into contact with is a potential source of referral business.  Tap into that potential by getting to know them and the services they provide.  If they are exceptional at what they do, refer them some business.  This creates a sense of loyalty and they may start referring business to you.  It has to be mutually beneficial though.  Ask for the referral.

Tip #1:

Tip #2: When you receive a referral, take extra care with the client and strive to under promise and over deliver.  Immediately thank the person who referred you and occasionally update them as to the status of the referral.  Do your best to reciprocate the referral or introduce the referee to someone you know that might have a positive impact on their business.  Every good business relationship has to be mutually beneficial.

Tip #3: When you recommend someone’s service, take time to let them know you referred them.  It will strengthen your relationship and may generate extra business for you.  If they know you are supporting their business, they will be more inclined to support yours.