Networking Groups
It’s a who-you-know world! A networking group involves a group of business
people in non-competing industries working together to give each other leads. For example, some of our consultants belong to networking group through their local Chamber of Commerce.
I think that gift basket people get the most benefit of any industry from these
groups because it is easy for people to find leads for us. Many have picked up some
large accounts through the leads group.
A few pointers to remember about the attending group:
1) Go regularly. Before people feel comfortable giving you leads (which are
often their business associates or clients), they need to get to know you and trust
that you will take good care of their contacts. Otherwise, it is their own reputation
on the line. It may take several visits before leads start coming your way.
2) What you put in is what you get out. You have to make an effort to give
other people leads as well.
3) Test out different groups to see which one would be best for you.
4) There are several different leads group organizations. They each have a
joining fee. Some chose the Chamber of Commerce since they offered many other
member services in addition to a leads group. Go to your local library where you can find more information on available groups in the Calendar of Events section of the local business
newspapers. Ask around. You may even choose to start a group of your own.
5) Be very personable. Again, people do business with people they like. You
will find that the members of the group will become good customers of yours as
well as lead sources.
Join the Chamber of Commerce
The Chamber of Commerce can also be a great source for business. But simply
joining your Chamber of Commerce is not sufficient. Just because you paid them
a fee to join doesn’t mean your phone is going to start ringing. Again, what you
put in is what you get out. Get involved!! The chamber will have many different
events. Find out what they are. They have all sorts of seminars and tools
available for small business owners. I urge you to check it out. The more you
meet other people, the more the word gets around about your business. Always
have plenty of brochures available and don’t be afraid to share them.
When someone out of state wants to order a basket to send to someone in your
city they often don’t know who to call since they don’t have a local phone book of
the area. They call the Chamber of Commerce to see if they can recommend
someone. My suggestion to you is get to know the people who answer those
phone calls, bring them basket goodies periodically, and you will find that they
start referring those outside callers to you.
Here are list of networking groups
• Ryze.com
Ryze is FREE --Make quality business contacts
• Free Online Networking
Network Online with Other Small Business Owners. It's Free.
Free Networking International - Altamonte Springs (Orlando ...
• Relationships Matter | LinkedIn
LinkedIn strengthens and extends your existing network of trusted contacts. ... Over 45 million professionals use LinkedIn to exchange information, ideas and ...
