I just finished up an article for the small business owners and entrepreneur's out there. Let me know what you think.
___________________________
"Networking: It?s a mistake to overlook this marketing tool"
It?s been said, ?It?s not about what you know, but who you know.? This phrase applies especially to those who want to master the art of ass-kissing as they climb up the corporate ladder in a large, multi-billion dollar company.
But this article isn?t for those people. This article is for the entrepreneur and small business owners out there who are wondering:
a.) ?How can I get the word out about my company??
b) ?Where the heck can I get more leads and sales??
c.) ?Where can I meet other like-minded business owners and employees to learn and exchange ideas?
There are many ways to market a business. The obvious one is direct marketing such as newspaper ads, flyers, brochures, TV commercials, and radio spots. All of these are great when done correctly. First, you have to decide which medium is right for you, and then you have to design or pay someone to develop your message. Once that?s done, you sit and wait for a response. Like I said, direct marketing works, but it has to be done correctly to get a good return on investment. You probably won?t get it right on the first try and fine-tuning your strategy is the only way to go about it.
There?s another way to market your business with a ton of extras that you just can?t get with direct marketing. It?s called networking. Most small and new business owners either don?t do it, or don?t do it enough. Those who are doing it know that it works. There is a ton of ways to network and I will get into them in detail. And no, I?m not talking about telling the stranger at the gas station all about your business.
My business, a graphic and web design studio, was only a few months old when I realized it was time to start meeting new leads face to face. Yes, I was initially keeping busy as I exhausted the ?friends, family and their referrals? resource, but I knew that my business needed something else if I was going to be in it for the long haul. I started with one networking event which I dreaded going to because I hated meeting new people. I?m great around people when I know them, but I had a hard time talking to complete strangers, especially business professionals.
My first event was a Chamber of Commerce lunch. From then on, my desire to meet other business owners hit the ceiling. I was shy at first, but you just have to throw yourself in with the gators. I quickly got over my fear of talking to new people as well as my fear of public speaking. If you love talking to new people, than you can just skip the whole ?getting used to it? step.
Networking is great because there are a lot of things happening at once. You?re meeting driven people like yourself. You?re talking about your business and learning about others. You?re exchanging ideas that will benefit everybody in the group. Eventually, once people know and trust you, you?re getting leads and sales.
You have to put in the work and time. Networking is about developing relationships and that doesn?t always happen on the first try. There is a lot of commerce going on in our capitalistic society, so when you?re selling a high ticket item like a custom website, home remodeling or financial services, people will be much more inclined to buy from you if they trust you. The same principal applies to pretty much anything you are selling. Once people learn that you?re legitimate, they?ll have no problem buying from you or referring someone who will.
OK, enough about networking in theory. Let?s explore some groups, organizations, and other ways to actually network.
Open Groups
Chamber of Commerce ? Almost every city has one. Some are invaluable while others can be a complete bummer. It really depends on where you are and who is running the organization. My local chamber of commerce has been great for kick starting my networking bug because even though I met other people in my industry that may be competition, I have actually formed alliances and a referral system for exchanging business with them. In addition, you?re meeting a ton of people in other industries that you can learn from. Just search Google for ?Your city chamber of commerce.?
Small Business Alliances - I know my town has one and it?s incredibly beneficial because they focus on the growth side of running a business. They help with all the questions a small business owner could have like: What do I need to know about my lease, do I want a 401K plan for employees, or who can help me find a good insurance? Anything in regards to the growing pains of a small business! Try this site and see if there?s a local chapter http://amiba.net/. Keep in mind, there are a bunch of other small business alliances that don?t have to do with American Independent Business Alliance. My SBA is actually a local one that is not associated with the AMIBA.
Meetup.com ? Yes, there?s actually a site out there that networks people and brings them together in real life. I haven?t gone to a Meetup.com event yet, but that?s only because I found out about the site a few weeks ago. It looks very promising.
They have every kind of group imaginable, from single mother meet-ups to Dungeons & Dragons meet-ups. If you look hard enough, you?ll find the golden nuggets that relate directly to small businesses, entrepreneurs, or even your industry. The good thing about Meetup.com is that you can start your own group if they don?t have what you?re looking for!
Rotary Clubs ? To be honest, I have no idea what Rotary does so I will take it directly from their site. ?Rotary is the world?s oldest service club organization. It?s made up of more than 32,000 Rotary clubs in nearly 170 countries. The members of these autonomous clubs are called Rotarians, and they form a global network of 1.2 million business and professional leaders, all volunteering their time and talents to serve their communities and the world. Individual Rotary clubs, in turn, belong to the global association Rotary International?
Leads Groups ? These groups have one goal in mind: networking. Some are national and others have one chapter. Some are open and others are closed. You have to look hard to find these groups, but they can be some of the best resources out there.
Closed Groups
LeTip ? This is a networking group that only allows one company from each industry, hence the closed group title. This group has a greater sense of trust among the members because you?re with them every week and you get to know each member and their business individually. There are a ton of chapters throughout the US so check it out.
BNI ? Very similar to LeTip. One company per industry. Both BNI and LeTip have training programs that help you learn how to market yourself to other people quickly and effectively. The one catch is that closed groups usually do not let you be a part of other closed groups, so you have to pick one you like and stick with it. Loyalty is important.
That's all folks.
I?m fairly new to the networking thing. Very new. I can?t imagine what it will be like a year or two down the road but I promise you it will be exciting. I?m sure I missed a lot of groups in the list because I don?t know what they all are.
One thing is for sure though: if you stick with these like-minded individuals in the groups and organizations mentioned above, your business will grow faster than you could have imagined. If you?re sick of spending money on direct marketing or if you just sit around on your butt thinking up TV commercials all day, get out there and meet new people. The worst case scenario is that you?ll make a friend or two and get a free meal.
___________________________
"Networking: It?s a mistake to overlook this marketing tool"
It?s been said, ?It?s not about what you know, but who you know.? This phrase applies especially to those who want to master the art of ass-kissing as they climb up the corporate ladder in a large, multi-billion dollar company.
But this article isn?t for those people. This article is for the entrepreneur and small business owners out there who are wondering:
a.) ?How can I get the word out about my company??
b) ?Where the heck can I get more leads and sales??
c.) ?Where can I meet other like-minded business owners and employees to learn and exchange ideas?
There are many ways to market a business. The obvious one is direct marketing such as newspaper ads, flyers, brochures, TV commercials, and radio spots. All of these are great when done correctly. First, you have to decide which medium is right for you, and then you have to design or pay someone to develop your message. Once that?s done, you sit and wait for a response. Like I said, direct marketing works, but it has to be done correctly to get a good return on investment. You probably won?t get it right on the first try and fine-tuning your strategy is the only way to go about it.
There?s another way to market your business with a ton of extras that you just can?t get with direct marketing. It?s called networking. Most small and new business owners either don?t do it, or don?t do it enough. Those who are doing it know that it works. There is a ton of ways to network and I will get into them in detail. And no, I?m not talking about telling the stranger at the gas station all about your business.
My business, a graphic and web design studio, was only a few months old when I realized it was time to start meeting new leads face to face. Yes, I was initially keeping busy as I exhausted the ?friends, family and their referrals? resource, but I knew that my business needed something else if I was going to be in it for the long haul. I started with one networking event which I dreaded going to because I hated meeting new people. I?m great around people when I know them, but I had a hard time talking to complete strangers, especially business professionals.
My first event was a Chamber of Commerce lunch. From then on, my desire to meet other business owners hit the ceiling. I was shy at first, but you just have to throw yourself in with the gators. I quickly got over my fear of talking to new people as well as my fear of public speaking. If you love talking to new people, than you can just skip the whole ?getting used to it? step.
Networking is great because there are a lot of things happening at once. You?re meeting driven people like yourself. You?re talking about your business and learning about others. You?re exchanging ideas that will benefit everybody in the group. Eventually, once people know and trust you, you?re getting leads and sales.
You have to put in the work and time. Networking is about developing relationships and that doesn?t always happen on the first try. There is a lot of commerce going on in our capitalistic society, so when you?re selling a high ticket item like a custom website, home remodeling or financial services, people will be much more inclined to buy from you if they trust you. The same principal applies to pretty much anything you are selling. Once people learn that you?re legitimate, they?ll have no problem buying from you or referring someone who will.
OK, enough about networking in theory. Let?s explore some groups, organizations, and other ways to actually network.
Open Groups
Chamber of Commerce ? Almost every city has one. Some are invaluable while others can be a complete bummer. It really depends on where you are and who is running the organization. My local chamber of commerce has been great for kick starting my networking bug because even though I met other people in my industry that may be competition, I have actually formed alliances and a referral system for exchanging business with them. In addition, you?re meeting a ton of people in other industries that you can learn from. Just search Google for ?Your city chamber of commerce.?
Small Business Alliances - I know my town has one and it?s incredibly beneficial because they focus on the growth side of running a business. They help with all the questions a small business owner could have like: What do I need to know about my lease, do I want a 401K plan for employees, or who can help me find a good insurance? Anything in regards to the growing pains of a small business! Try this site and see if there?s a local chapter http://amiba.net/. Keep in mind, there are a bunch of other small business alliances that don?t have to do with American Independent Business Alliance. My SBA is actually a local one that is not associated with the AMIBA.
Meetup.com ? Yes, there?s actually a site out there that networks people and brings them together in real life. I haven?t gone to a Meetup.com event yet, but that?s only because I found out about the site a few weeks ago. It looks very promising.
They have every kind of group imaginable, from single mother meet-ups to Dungeons & Dragons meet-ups. If you look hard enough, you?ll find the golden nuggets that relate directly to small businesses, entrepreneurs, or even your industry. The good thing about Meetup.com is that you can start your own group if they don?t have what you?re looking for!
Rotary Clubs ? To be honest, I have no idea what Rotary does so I will take it directly from their site. ?Rotary is the world?s oldest service club organization. It?s made up of more than 32,000 Rotary clubs in nearly 170 countries. The members of these autonomous clubs are called Rotarians, and they form a global network of 1.2 million business and professional leaders, all volunteering their time and talents to serve their communities and the world. Individual Rotary clubs, in turn, belong to the global association Rotary International?
Leads Groups ? These groups have one goal in mind: networking. Some are national and others have one chapter. Some are open and others are closed. You have to look hard to find these groups, but they can be some of the best resources out there.
Closed Groups
LeTip ? This is a networking group that only allows one company from each industry, hence the closed group title. This group has a greater sense of trust among the members because you?re with them every week and you get to know each member and their business individually. There are a ton of chapters throughout the US so check it out.
BNI ? Very similar to LeTip. One company per industry. Both BNI and LeTip have training programs that help you learn how to market yourself to other people quickly and effectively. The one catch is that closed groups usually do not let you be a part of other closed groups, so you have to pick one you like and stick with it. Loyalty is important.
That's all folks.
I?m fairly new to the networking thing. Very new. I can?t imagine what it will be like a year or two down the road but I promise you it will be exciting. I?m sure I missed a lot of groups in the list because I don?t know what they all are.
One thing is for sure though: if you stick with these like-minded individuals in the groups and organizations mentioned above, your business will grow faster than you could have imagined. If you?re sick of spending money on direct marketing or if you just sit around on your butt thinking up TV commercials all day, get out there and meet new people. The worst case scenario is that you?ll make a friend or two and get a free meal.