Three Ways to Benefit from a Business Referral Group
/You meet with the same people each week. How do you make the most out of your time in your networking group?
1. Attend consistently. Some groups levy a fine if you miss. Some groups ask you to leave. Regular attendance is easy to quantify. Actually being in attendance is different. Is your mind in the meeting? Or are you thinking through your to-do list? Even worse, are you scanning your phone when you should be paying attention?
You may be important and essential, but you will benefit from putting your phone away during your referral group meeting.
2. Thirty seconds with specifics. How many people stand up for their 30-second introduction and say the same thing week after week? This is wasted opportunity! If your business creates or sells something, describe a different thing each meeting. If you are a consultant, give a different example of a specific type of person you help each week.
Instead of "I'm looking for someone who wants shoes", each week dwell on a different type of shoe and the type of person who wants them.
3. If you can't say something nice... Don't talk about other members behind their back, unless it is to speak highly of them or their business. Trash talk causes unease and discord. Trust comes over time; don't do anything to jeopardize that trust. As the saying goes, we do business with people we know, like and trust.
Your local chamber of commerce is a great place for networking!
Here's some other great articles to help you get the most out of your networking group!