Today's meeting was the first of the three part series "Making You NetWORK for You" In today's meeting we covered the following topics:
- Purposes of Networking
- Stages of Networking
- Tools for Networking
Purpose of Networking
Networking can be a vague term. If we boil networking down to its essence, we come up with the following: Networking is about everything you do to help your business succeed. Some of the purposes of networking include the following:
· Meet as many people as possible
· Close deals as soon as possible
· Develop relationships
· Develop networking skills
· Develop leadership and management skills
· Personal support group
· Have fun
Stages of Networking
Networking groups evolve with time and with the individuals that are a part of the group. The three stages of networking groups and individuals are the early stage, middle stage and mature stage.
Early Stage
People who attend an early stage networking group tend to have recently opened a new business or they may be new to the geographic area. Often these individuals may be new to networking and they are trying to make as many contacts as possible. They are trying to discover the range of options that are available within a networking group. The early stage networking group may have a lot of turnover of new people coming in and leaving the group. The early stage networking group does not tend to have a lot of committed people to the group.
Middle Stage
Individuals that are part of a middle stage networking group are more sophisticated with their networking skills. At this point the individual has developed a networking plan. The individual starts choosing networking groups based on the groups that are best suited to his/her needs. The individual begins to study and apply the technology of networking. Mutually beneficial relationships start to form and develop. In this stage individuals become committed to the networking group.
Mature Stage
Individuals within a mature stage networking group have started to develop partnerships. These individuals take a team approach to networking. These groups may be closed groups. For instance there will be requirements for you to be able to attend the group and become a member of the group. Individuals in a mature stage networking group tend to teach others within the group. Often individuals may start new specialty networking groups because a current need is not being fulfilled by any existing networking groups.
Tools for networking
Like any endeavor it is important to have the right tools in order to network effectively. If you don’t have the proper tools, your efforts will be diluted and you can end up spending a lot of money taking people out for a meal. Often people have preconceived notions about what you do professionally. For instance a lot of times I will tell people that I am an accountant and they will begin to ask me for tax advice. Like many professions there are many specialties and taxes is not one that I focus on.
It is important to demonstrate to other people that you have the expertise that works for the customer. Stories are and examples are extremely powerful ways to convey your experience to potential customers. The real test of the value proposition is “Does the it speak to the customer’s needs?”
The reason why networking groups can be an effective means for networking is because members of the networking group become in essence an external sales force for you. We call these people sentinels because they are at the periphery of your market and are exposed to market opportunities due to their contacts. When working with sentinels it is important to give them specific instructions about possible market opportunities. The instructions need to be memorable, clear, and work for the sentinel. Above all it is important for the sentinel to be comfortable with your instructions.
A powerful tool for giving sentinels the proper information about your business is the One Page Business and Market Profile.
Why would a sentinel be willing to be your external sales force? It really is quite simple: Givers Gain. As a sentinel if you are able to match the needs of a customer with others you will be viewed as resourceful and they will know that when they have a problem that needs to be solved they can come to you to be pointed in the right direction. You become a trusted advisor.
Comments from people that attended today’s meeting were.
This training helps develop networking skills which means less annoying people.
I regret that I didn’t find this course earlier. I have learned that I have been doing some things right over the last year.
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