Some of the most prevalent benefits of a good networking group are often overlooked. This would be the multi-faceted “goodies” that come in many forms other than a direct business lead. I see it most every week in meetings where people will team up on projects as well as share ideas about everything from travel to investments. The true value of an effective network comes in the form of social events as well as true friendships–including support when the chips are down. So when you decide to become involved in a network club, make sure you are in a system that builds from the ground up and places importance on “base relationship building” as part of the systems make up. This will allow any participant the opportunity to realize the full complement and value from a trusted group of business people that are available for support in other than traditional business areas. We all want the final bottom line to grow, but working with the right system in place allows for a broad band of benefits to enjoy as well!
Posts Tagged ‘tip of the week’
Networking Austin Tip of the Week
Monday, December 7th, 2009Networking Austin Tip of the Week
Monday, November 30th, 2009Just got an e-mail from a member who stated some frustration with a new member in his group. The more seasoned member was surprised to hear that the new person was worried about the validity of the group because he had received no leads and had met 5 new people doing ones on ones.
His response to the new member was to “put down the business face”. Don’t expect to get anything. Spend your energy in getting to know the person you are with, not find out what that person can get you. Give as much as you can without regard to what you will get back.
If you take this posture and hold on to it, you will receive far more activity from the group than you expect, and from people and places you never thought of.
Wow! Blew me away. This guy gets it, and taught the working principals to another new member. This lets me know that the message is sinking in! It is a much more effective method of networking when we introduce energy into the group in the form of building a trust and knowledge base first with less concern for what we will get out of it at that point.
This approach is far more valuable than grinding out leads before the foundation of trust is in place.
Build your sales force first, and then the activity in the form of a bottom line is more likely to be generated over the long term.
Once property built, the system can produce indefinitely!
Networking Austin Tip of the Week
Monday, November 23rd, 2009We have been around so long ( 23+ years) that when people are ready to re-connect, they call to join their network.
Connecting on the ground floor of business relationship building is an experience that most people don’t find in the business community.
Not everyone has the ability to move forward with a system like Networking Austin , and may be more comfortable in a less personal group.
We really get down there with the effort to build something that will last, and be most beneficial over the long term, so, when I received a call from a business owner who is now back from out of the country, he was ready to re-connect! His words exactly.
He had been in other groups and felt that members had pushed themselves on him for business. This made him appreciate the fact that we build from the ground up, putting each other in a position to receive leads via trust and true concern for success and not expecting the instant return lead.
He will start again and get to know a new group of people as well as visit some familiar faces. I guess when you have been around as long as we have, rekindling true friendships is just part of it!
Jim McCullick, Founder
Networking Austin Tip of the Week
Monday, November 16th, 2009Timing seems to be involved in just about everything we do, including networking.
While most participants are not motivated to join a networking group as a last ditch effort to increase business, some are.
This isn’t at all bad. The more devoted people in a group the better, no matter what drives them there.
Once involved, they will learn the power of networking their business, and how many ways a good system of networking can improve their business, as well as affect other parts of their business and personal life exceeding the bottom line. Now, as the economy is slowly starting its resurgence, business owners are coming out of the traditional methods they have found less than effective in this market into networking their business through a sales force of other business professionals.
Often I hear how surprised they are when they learn of how many ways a good group can assist them in managing their business. In addition to exposing them to new ideas and concepts from tax planning, refinancing their business and having their offices cleaned by someone’s company they actually know and trust, networking carries all kinds of benefits far exceeding the one time lead.
Whatever it takes to get a business owner to see if our system will work in improving their business life is not only an improvement for them, but a positive addition to the sales force in our groups! Come on up and take a look this week and see if networking with our system can benefit your business!
Networking Austin Tip of the Week
Monday, November 9th, 2009Networking Austin is moving into another dimension! We had a great talk last week from some young folks who created a public advertising site on the web that has enjoyed great success in other cities, and now has come to Austin. One of the members told me about these young men who just graduated from Baylor in Waco inventing a system that involved Face book and Twitter as a source to drive activity to the web site. Just an amazing tool to grow your business! We would of never heard of this system if it had not been for our network. Not just the dropping of a name or some mention about the system would have encouraged me to contact these boys, but the fact that I knew the information provider well, and trusted his judgment encouraged me to set the date! This is what genuine networking is about, and what it can do if you build relationships on a personal level creating trust and deep value in your business relationships. If a stranger at a mixer had mentioned this opportunity, I truly think I would of passed just based on the owners age alone! But because of the relationship I have with this person and the high degree of personal knowledge and trust involved, the appointment was set, the speech given to the group and now Networking Austin has entered the age of social networking in a grand way. HookEmBoard.com Personal networking works if you use it. By the way, the “boys” joined our network as well!
Networking Austin Tip of the Week
Monday, November 2nd, 2009The real way to build your sales force is pretty simple to understand, get to know your co-members well enough to create trust, care and concern and pay them. That’s right,, pay them. Amazing how people will not work for free. They need to know that there is at least the promise on an upside on any transaction and better yet the possibility of good well grounded and valuable lead. With the personal trust and knowledge firmly in place, other members can pay you with good leads and will trust the fact that you are putting your reputation on the line for them. When you receive good leads from other members you have been paid! Pretty simple to understand, but takes the time and effort to do. Get to know other members outside of the regular meetings, and pay them with leads. Its down right amazing how that works, and if you make the effort to give, how much you can expect in return!
Networking Austin Tip of the Week
Monday, October 26th, 2009Networking Austin Tip of the Week
Monday, October 19th, 2009Just about the most confusing and ineffective communication a member can offer to generate business is to ask for a huge, broad, myriad of leads without being specific as to what exactly is needed. “I need to find any person who has money!” Members in the group can supply you a lead more efficiently and faster if you are specific in what you ask for. Stay away from the word “anybody”, and ask for a laser specific lead for that week. “I need to meet the manager of ABC Company,” for an example. Other members will remember what you need and supply useful information more readily if you ask for a specific need or introduction into a specific business. If you don’t ask for it, they can’t give it to you.
Networking Austin News
Monday, October 5th, 2009Members ask all the time what is the best method to ‘Jump Start” the process of receiving leads in a group. This being one of the major components in a network group obviously deserves a good answer.
So many factors exist that affect the timing of activity, market, time of year, product or service complexity and expense.
All receive the same answer. How much have you done to get the ball rolling?
At each meeting, listen carefully to what is asked when other members speak. Write down the lead on the lead card and give it to the corresponding member. Share ideas with other members that would help them with sales, a business problem they may have or just share an idea about their their service or product that could help produce increased sales.
Always attend meetings as often as you can and learn about other members, and invite them to meet outside the room for coffee or a meal.
Building personal knowledge about other members is absolutely the fastest way to get business because it allows you to give in an effective way, and once you start giving is when you will start receiving.
Networking Austin Tip of the Week
Tuesday, September 8th, 2009Frequently, the question is asked about the amount of time a member will need to be in the network before they can expect activity to be generated in the form of leads. The answer is: the time that it takes to get leads differs member to member for several reasons.
First, it depends on what you do for a profession. Some businesses are easy to understand and supply leads to because their service is straight forward, auto repair for example.
A more difficult type of business for the club to service might be a consultant who helps businesses re –work management, or place strategic employees in certain positions. This would take longer to understand.
Another factor is the member themselves. How aggressive, open and gregarious they are in their personality and make up. Frankly, some people make friends faster than others for all kinds of different reasons. All of that is OK.
The main point is that the system will work for anyone doing anything as long as other members in the group get to know and trust you and understand, over time, the type of business or person you need to meet. I have seen it work for all kinds of businesses as long as the member devotes the time to the system, attends regularly on time, and makes the effort to meet outside the room whenever possible.
Jim McCullick, Founder