There’s a women’s entrepreneurs’ group that I joined last year. There are chapters, and bimonthly meetings, and a rigid meeting format that kind of drives me crazy. The intent of the sessions is solid: brainstorming solutions to members’ business challenges and sharing lessons learned. But there are usually too few people in the room and too many of them are business newbies.
So why did I renew my membership for a second year? Because the overall membership is expertise- and industry-diverse.
In other words, people who aren’t like me and whose networks and customer/client bases don’t overlap my own.
Why do you network?
- To build a referral engine?
- To expand your connections?
- To identify viable vendors or potential business partners?
- To touch base with existing colleagues, contacts, or prospects?
- To connect with your next great client/customer?
Your answer is probably “all of the above.” But here’s the challenge: You can’t accomplish this if you don’t move outside your comfort zone.
The worst thing you can do when networking is hang out with your friends.
You see it all the time: Lawyers hang out with lawyers. Doctors hang out with doctors. Marketers, plumbers, scientists… We like easy, and hanging out with “our own” is easy. But it’s not the best strategy for growing your business.
One of the biggest challenges that many businesses face is finding new business. New customers. New clients. New orders. One reason so many entrepreneurs struggle with this is that they’re spending too much time networking with peers rather than talking to the stranger who just might know (or be) their next great customer.
What’s your networking strategy?
Photo by Stefan Kloo (Flickr)
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Im guilty guilty of this one!! When I attend events, the first thing I do is email all my friends I met at the event last year or last month to see if they are going. Then I hang out with them! Your point is so valid but there has to be some balance. Networking to build new relationships and networking to build on relationships.
Christina Pappas recently posted..Just Saying ‘No’ and Still Preserve the Relationship
Hi Christina,
I knew as soon as I hit “post” that someone would call me on this. I completely agree: nurturing existing relationships is a critical piece of networking, and it’s fun to spend time reconnecting with friends. I certainly didn’t mean to suggest this piece isn’t important (and I’m a big fan of reconnecting with friends & colleagues, especially when I’m traveling); just that too many people do this piece without also doing the other, harder work of working a room of strangers.
Hi Daria,
Thanks for this information. I also feel that staying in group which has similar interests or job profile is a sure way to shut one out of interesting opportunities. Till now I have been networking with blogger groups. I will now have to start diversifying my network group and probably join more interest groups like book lovers and photography.
thanks
Your post has really made me think on these lines
Ashvini recently posted..Are you a great buyer?
Hi Ashvini,
Glad I got you pushing out of your comfort zone. I’ve met some of the most interesting people when I wasn’t expecting it and wasn’t precluding opportunity.
I know lawyers and doctors get referrals from their own kind; someone has a different need, different practice or speciality area and it’s just good business. It’s different for us, esp. in this economy, and one reason I don’t have many SM or PR conferences on my schedule: poor networking strategy.
My biggest hangup for many of these ‘leads’ kind of groups is that it’s not networking so much as contact list swapping.. and I really don’t have a lot of referrals for others. But you’re right — we HAVE to get out of our comfort zone, meet NEW people. Yes it’s great to meet people you know via SM, see them at conferences and you could develop a community that way. But THEY not my customers, that’s who I need to find. I’m spending (not enough) time looking at small business groups, even thinking of joining something like a women’s biz groups. Have to make myself make the time. FWIW.
Davina K. Brewer recently posted..Please don’t change MY Twitter
Hi Davina,
I get the referrals part (and I think it also holds true in our profession). It’s just that this can’t be your only strategy — because then you’re never talking to clients (aka, the decision makers).
I’m not a big fan of the “leads” groups either; they often feel artificial and forced. And I’ve seen people feel trapped into referring people because they’re in their group rather than because they’re the best person to refer.
At the end of the day, I networking is about taking a little bit from column A, a little bit from column B, and a big dose of attitude to make something happen.