Leaders are missing in most every aspect of life. There is a void of leadership that continues to weaken groups in all areas of our society, and networking groups are not immune. We need those who possess skills and enthusiasm to keep the group on task, on time, on purpose, and on going.

As with all things in life, successful networking requires careful planning, consistent attendance, full participation, and careful results measurement. But to truly soar you need to do more than just consistently attend events and participate. By volunteering to take a leadership role you will set yourself apart from the masses. Everyone values those who give of their time to ensure the success of the group. Giving of your time in a purposeful way will yield great results. You should seek out opportunities to serve where you can make the biggest impact for the group and for you.

Choose a leadership role that aligns with your unique set of skills. Those who facilitate groups in their business lives should facilitate networking groups. Bankers, financial planners, certified public accountants, and other financial professionals should volunteer to assist with management of the finances and financial reporting of the group. Always seek opportunities to showcase your skills when seeking a leadership role.

Check your ego at the door. While you may be the captain of your ship, leadership in a volunteer group requires a servant mentality. To lead is to serve others. Bring all your talent and skills to be sure, but resist the temptation to be overbearing simply because you are the expert. Remember that others are serving as well. The last thing any group needs is a dictator. Be empathetic.

Perhaps the best thing about being a leader in any group is that you will be considered a leader in all walks of life. People naturally assume that you are a mover and shaker when you are the head of an organization and they will ask you to lead in others. This gives you access to the heads of other organizations. They now represent your peer group.

Become known as a leader and you will be amazed at the level of people you meet and how many of them will want to know you.

Need a fatter wallet? More Warm Calls? Want more sales? Better Relationships?


Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Glen_Gould

While most people don't want to hear it, the key to success in networking is consistency. Nothing will replace consistent action in a purposeful manner. You must plan your networking success and work your plan consistently, making adjustments as you go to ensure you are getting the most for your efforts.

Most of us have heard of someone who came to his or her first networking event and met a great prospect that became a client. Many have even heard of someone who has done business at a networking event. Perhaps you have had the good fortune of meeting someone who was in need of your product or service and you closed the business at the event. It does happen.

But patience and perseverance are required in networking as in most every other endeavor in life. Consistency is the key to success. Joining a health club doesn't make you healthy. Once you join you have a greater likelihood of going, and once you go you have a greater likelihood of using the equipment. Using the equipment doesn't ensure health either. It is the purposeful use of the equipment in the proper fashion and proportion consistently that ensures improved health.

Networking is very similar. Joining a group increases the likelihood that you will attend a meeting or event. Attending increases the likelihood that you will actually engage in a conversation with another attendee. Engaging in conversation increases the chances that you will meet someone who could use your product or service. But the purposeful planning of which meetings and events to attend and whom you wish to meet, coupled with the diligent execution of that plan, will ensure that you are successful in networking and in your business endeavor.

The old saying, "who you are speaks so loudly I can't hear what you are saying" applies in networking. While your appearance plays an important role, how often you appear at events is critical. People will begin to know, like, and trust you when they see you more often. This increases the odds that they will remember you when they meet someone who needs what you sell.

Therefore, you should plan out your networking for the next six weeks and stick to it. Measure your success at each event and determine if the right connections are attending the same events you are. Be honest with yourself. How well did you connect? How much did you give each event? What impacted your results?

Be sure to visit each event or group more than once before you decide to fully engage or eliminate it from your plan. Then be decisive. Choosing a few events or groups to fully engage in each month will bring far better results than taking a shotgun approach. You'll begin to see the same people and they will see you as reliable. Then they will open up their contact list to you. This is when networking becomes powerful. Remember, meeting people and doing business with them individually is great, but the real power comes when you gain access to their contacts and referrals.

Networking success requires a plan and that plan requires consistently attending events and meetings and measuring your success. When you fully engage and consistently attend you will find better relationships, better use of your time, more referrals, and greater success. Be consistent.




Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Glen_Gould

Once you've decided on a networking event to attend, what can you do to prepare for a positive and productive networking experience? Here are seven pre-event planning steps to help you feel more confident when you enter the room.

Pursue a Purpose

What are your reasons for choosing the specific event you are planning to attend? You will have more success if you attend with a purpose other than just "networking." Perhaps your intention is to meet people with whom you can arrange one-on-one follow-up meetings. Or, you may be attending just to stay visible, to reconnect with business acquaintances, or to touch base with your social network and have fun. Knowing your purpose for going will help you get the results you want.

Create a Challenge - Go for a Goal!

Once you know your purpose, make a commitment to yourself for this event, such as:

* Meet and talk with three new people
* Introduce two people to each other
* Meet the speaker
* Make at least two really good contacts
* Give two referrals

Solicit Support

If you're nervous about going to a networking event, you might find a friend, colleague or business acquaintance to go with you or to meet you there. Better yet, find someone who is either a member of the group or has been to that particular event before and can introduce you to people.

When going with a friend, don't use that person as a crutch. Make an agreement to introduce people to each other and to invite others into your conversations. Know that if you stay glued to your friend's side all evening, others might not approach you, assuming that you are together and not open to meeting new people.

If you don't know anyone at an event, you can seek out the host or organizer. Introduce yourself, tell them who you are interested in meeting, and ask if they will help you with some introductions to some of the members or attendees.

Be an Early Bird

It's always a good plan to arrive early at an event. That way, the host, or people working the registration desk will have more time to talk with you and introduce you around. The event will be less crowded and it will be easier to meet and talk with people. Ideally, you will have pre-registered, so a printed nametag will be waiting for you, and you may have saved money as well.

Craft Your Conversations

You need to plan and prepare to talk to people! Although you want to be spontaneous, it helps to know in advance some things that you can say, either in response to common questions, or as a way to generate conversation yourself.

What will you say when you're asked the inevitable question "What do you do?" Will you freeze up and suddenly find yourself unable to explain what it is you do every single day? You need to have a short prepared introduction that lets people know who you are, what you do, who you do it for, and who you want to meet.

Prepare to engage in small talk with some opening lines and get-to-know-you questions and answers. It's easy to start with questions like:
* What brought you to this event?
* How does it compare to other events that you've been to?
* I'm new here, what can you tell me about this group?
* Hello, I don't think we've met yet. I'm Cindy and you are?

Plan answers to questions like "How's business?" and "What's new?" You could talk about a great new resource you've found, a client you've helped, a win you've just had, or a challenge you are facing in your business.

Pack Your Networking Toolkit

What do you need to bring? Business cards, and lots of them! Donna recently attended an event where one person told her he had left his cards in his car, and another person said he was down to his last card. Don't let this happen to you. Without your card, the people you meet have no way to contact you; they're dependent upon you choosing to or remembering to contact them.

Bring a pen to make notes on the back of cards you receive, paper in case you want to jot down some ideas, your business name tag if you have one, your calendar, your self-introduction, some conversation starters, a few exit lines, and a positive attitude.

You're On Your Way!

While you're traveling to the event, put a smile on your face, engage in positive self-talk, and remind yourself of your purpose in going to the event and the commitment you made to yourself about it. Then when you arrive, you will walk into the room with an air of confidence and calm, and will get the most possible out of the event.


Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Donna_Feldman

As you begin to find success in networking you will undoubtedly expand your network to include more than one group. Becoming active in several networking groups focused on varying interest, geography, or industry is a wise move that will broaden your exposure and increase your effectiveness. We encourage and highly recommend that you are involved in more than one group, chamber of commerce, or both.

With expanded exposure comes the opportunity to share your network with a wider variety of people. You will provide more solutions to more people and they will provide you with more connections. Your network will grow. This benefits you, your network, and your new networking partners.

However there is one rule that you must never violate if you are to succeed in multiple groups. Never under any circumstances give two people in the same business the same referral. If your friend Sam is buying a new house, you cannot refer Sam to two mortgage brokers in different groups. That is just like double-dipping chips at a party; you just shouldn't do it. It is not cool and everyone gets hurt when you share the same referral with two people in the same industry.

Your friend Sam gets a mixed message and begins to feel like he is just a number to you. He is likely to think you are not trying to help him as much as you are trying to help yourself. The two mortgage brokers end up embarrassed and looking like little more than glad-handing salespeople. And you end up with a loss of credibility that will lead to fewer referrals and potential expulsion from both groups.

But do not be confused. It is appropriate and desirable to share the same referral with solution providers in similar but different industries. You most definitely should share Sam's name with one mortgage broker, one realtor, one insurance agent, and one moving company provided you know that Sam has an interest or need for these services. Your knowledge of Sam's needs is a direct result of your relationship with Sam.

Your relationship with Sam may not be close enough for you to know all his needs and interests. You may have recently met Sam and you only know he is in the market for a new home. It stands to reason he may have a need a mortgage broker, insurance agent, realtor, and mover. But you are not close enough to Sam to know for certain. You should still share Sam's name with one provider for each service from your network. In doing so be clear with each person that Sam is a lead, not a referral. In either case, sending resources to Sam that can solve his problems helps him, the referral partners, and you.

Understanding how and when to share referrals is essential to your success in networking and in life. Observing the law of "no double-dipping" will ensure you have greater success.


Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Glen_Gould

In business networking is key. You do not want to burn any bridges. Your business contact will often mean a leg up or a leg down on your path to success.

You should stay in contact with your business associates at least once every couple months. Here are some tips to stay in contact with your business associates.

1. Send a holiday greeting. Holidays are a great time to say hello, and just see how your business friend is doing. Sending a greeting card is inexpensive and shows you care.

2. Stay on top of the news about your business contact's businesses. Subscribe to their blog, and watch out for their name in local newspapers or industry journals.

This way if you see their name in the paper you can cut it out and mail it to them with a little note. This again shows you care about them and their business.

3. Call them up once and a while and chat. This doesn't have to be business related, however if they are busy, be sure you have something to talk about. Do you need their expert advice on something?

If you ask for their advice they will feel flattered. Be sure to thank them, a thank you card would be nice, if they spent a lot of time helping you.

The key is to stay friendly. These people are your friends, and will be happy to talk to you. People are often times too busy to stay in contact, if you take the first step and organize a networking strategy, you will have a leg up on the competition.

Next to staying in contact with your customers, staying in contact with your business associates is the next most important thing. Remember to not burn bridges and just stay friendly.


Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Quang_Van

Have you ever tried to invite someone to visit a networking group and felt like you'd driven straight into a rock wall? After all of your efforts to help this person build their network of business people, all you walked away hearing was, "NOT INTERESTED!" Yeah, I'm thinking most of us have experienced this at one time or another.

No matter whether it's a networking organization, a local volleyball or softball team, or the local Parent's and Teachers Organization, most of us are basically tapped out on extra time. One more commitment to join or visit a networking event just might be the final straw to break social interaction.

In BNI, the world's largest referral organization, members are taught not to invite people to "join" BNI. We just want to invite you to "meet some local business professionals that we feel would be a good connection for you and your business." Once you are at the meeting, you are capable of deciding if you want to make a commitment to the group and apply for membership. You are also probably considering if you can handle the extra business.

Introducing someone to visit other organizations should be approached basically the same way. Every day we drive into that rock wall trying to find a new way to get people interested in joining us at our networking events, church socials, or even scrapbooking clubs. An idea that I'd like to offer is that you become more open minded and start thinking of ways to get people interested in your organization, but still leaving enough to the imagination that is a call to action and makes them want to experience what they may be missing.

One great example is a video about BNI that was recently posted on YouTube. Created by Richard Swan for International Networking Week 2009 in London, Richard takes the classic song "American Pie" and adds his own twist to create a great marketing tool for BNI and its chapters.. Richard uploaded the video on February 5, 2009 to You Tube and within 2 weeks it has an excess of 5,000 hits.....not to mention what hits have been driven to his personal website as well!

And, I personally met one visitor at a BNI meeting this week who admitted that he had been sent the link to Richard's video and he was so intrigued by the video he said he "just had to come and visit a meeting and see what BNI is all about."

The link for Richard's YouTube video is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPZetC8jPhY

Richard for created a buzz. He capitalized on one of his talents and turned it into a marketing tool for his business and his organization.

You can do the same. No matter what organization you are in, you need to create a buzz if you want to get anyone to slow down long enough to hear your message. I challenge all of you to tap into your pool of talents and resources and see what you can do to create a buzz that focuses on you and your organization. You will be pleasantly surprised at how easy it is to market your organization when you're doing something you enjoy doing.



Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jerry_W._Williamson

Have you ever asked yourself the question "How did they find that business?" or "How did he find that job?" because you didn't hear anything about it.

The answer is probably by Networking or through 'the grapevine.'

The old adage 'it's not what you know but who you know' still holds good today and in these difficult times probably even more so - this is the basis of Networking - building relationships with like-minded people, that can lead to mutually profitable business partnerships.

Networking is a critical skill for anyone who is looking to succeed in business. All companies lose approximately 30% of their customers each year - so you continually need to replenish your sales pipeline.

What can you gain from Networking?
• Meet new clients and grow your business
• Create new opportunities for you and your business
• Become known as an Expert in your Industry
• Provides a support network where you can go for help and ideas

Business Networking may be informal such as a meeting with colleagues over a coffee, or a more formal Networking Event to which you have been invited or found out about through the Internet or a friend.

Before attending an event, whether an organised group that meets regularly for breakfast or a one off event arranged by local business associations, always have a plan and ask yourself a few questions:
• Why am I going to this event?
• How many new people do I want to meet?
• Am I looking for a specific category of client?
• Am I looking for an introduction to a certain prospect?

When you have a plan and know why you are going, it's easier to stay focused and you will be able to measure the outcome. Just showing up at an event is not the best use of your time or money.

Attending a Networking Event can be more productive if you follow a few guidelines:
• If you are unsure, go with a friend but separate once you are there.
• Wear your name badge.
• Smile; smiling will make you seem friendly, approachable and confident.
• Introduce yourself, your company and how you can help people.
• Always use people's names.
• Carry plenty of Business Cards and make sure they are clean and have all your details on them.
• When talking with people, listen for the hidden message and the unspoken opportunities.
• Never try to sell at a Networking Event.
• Remember to follow up with any contacts you have made.

Be sceptical of people telling you that Networking is a waste of time. It is a process, not an end in itself and networking consistently will always bring results.


Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Paul_Ashbury

Networking is a very simple process. Unfortunately today's business environment does not make it easy. We've got to work through our time-crunched schedules, unrealistic expectations and negative stereotypes before we can make networking a regular and productive part of our routine.

One of the biggest stereotypes of networking is that it is a very complex process requiring extreme social skills. There are only four very basic steps:

* Go places
* Meet people & get to know them
* Do something for them
* Follow up

You will repeat these steps over and over again, sometimes within a short period of time (even within the timeframe of one event), but usually spread over a few days. These steps will apply to your overall networking cycle, but also apply to each one of your contacts, new and established.

Go Places

Going places can be something as big as a regional trade show or as personal as coffee with just one or two people. The key is that you are somehow getting yourself in personal contact with other people. Yes, there is a rapidly growing trend toward Social Networking where people do business with someone they've met digitally, but if it came down to doing business with them or a person you've met and seen personally, chances are you will do business with the people you know in person seen. Face-to-face networking is still going to be the dominant form of business partnering for many years, especially if you live or work in a small city that is not on either coast of the U.S.

For some people, this is the most difficult step of all. They have a negative image of networking events, build up excuses in their mind, and allow their time-constraints to keep them away from events.

Unless you can figure out a way to meet people without going anywhere (and going online IS going somewhere), you are going to be severely limited in your networking results.

Meet People and Get to Know Them

Your goal in going places is to make face-to-face contact with like-minded people. Like-minded does not mean "the same," in fact some of the most productive networking is done with groups of people you have never explored before. "Like-minded" means they also believe in networking as relationship building and as an investment in their long-term future. If they are like-minded, then you do not have to worry whether it is appropriate to approach someone you've never met.

When you meet people, your goal is to get to know then personally. This misconception that every bit of conversation you have with someone has to be business-oriented has turn off more people than almost any other. If you believe that every conversation has to be completely business oriented, it will get boring. And you'll feel like you're selling (or being sold) because the conversation will come around to what you have to offer.

We are social creatures. Most of us enjoy our work, but it doesn't define us. We enjoy talking about our personal lives, family, and hobbies. It really is okay to talk about our personal lives (as long as it's not too personal) because this is how we discover what we have in common.

Finding common ground is the foundation of most relationships. Whether it's a sport you both enjoy, the same hobby, or growing up in the same city, having something in common makes it much easier to build rapport and develop a friendly relationship.

Do Something For Them

While it's nice to get to know someone and talk about the things you enjoy in common, the real depth of a relationship is created when you help the other person out. This is the source of the saying "Givers gain." In networking, it is vital that you give first and give often.

Giving creates a sense of gratitude. It brings you to the attention of the person you helped. They will start to think of you as helpful and as a resource. If they have come to see you as a problem-solver, you will be the natural choice when they or someone they know needs the product or service you provide. You will have become their "go to" person.

Follow Up

"The fortune is in the follow up." If you're in direct selling, you've heard this phrase hundreds of times. If you haven't heard it, commit it to memory. Understand this statement means you realize that the sale is rarely made the first time you meet someone, the relationship is rarely developed at introduction and the event is rarely where the long-term network-building activities take place.

If you want to develop a reputation as being caring, giving, and reliable, follow up with every person you meet and follow up every time you do something for them. Do you have a hard time figuring out what to say in that first email besides "itwasnicemeetingyouIhopetoseeyouagain?" To avoid that, find something you can do for them in that first follow up message. If you got to know even on thing about their background or hobbies, do a quick search on Squidoo or AllTop for a great page of information that they would appreciate. Now your follow up is "It was nice to meet you. I remember how enthusiastic you are about gardening, so I was pleased to find this site that you might enjoy."

Fewer than 10% of people actually follow up after a first meeting. If you use this approach, you will be in the top 1%.

Also follow up when you give something to someone, but not every time. You would hope that when you send an email, a magazine article, or other piece of information, that the other person would acknowledge it with some kind of response or even a thank you. But that may not happen, either their mother didn't teach them excellent manners, or the information you provided got lost. Simply prompt them the next time you see them, "Did you get that article I sent you?" This not only gives them an opening to acknowledge receipt, it also reminds them of what you did for them.

A very appropriate time to follow up is when you give someone a referral. Because you are involved in the process, your reputation is on the line. You either gave that person a reference to someone who needed their product or services, or you helped them find someone whose product or services they needed. Either way, you need to find out if that transaction was completed to both parties satisfaction. A quick phone call or email to say "Did you get in touch with Joe?" is sufficient. If the ball was dropped, you can help them pick it up again, too.

Conclusion

Apply these steps to your networking cycle. Go places, get to know people, give them something, follow-up. Do this for each place you go. When you start going back to the same events and activities, you'll start to see some of the same people. Apply the cycle to each one of them. One time through the steps is not going to create a lasting relationship with anyone. You must continue to get to know them better, do something for them, and follow up.

Networkers who are responsible for sales will find that this cycle can become a positive cycle of increasing trust and depth of relationship. If your product is well-known, an impulse item, low-cost, or has a short sales cycle, you may find that a sales opportunity will come early in your relationship. If you have a complex product, with a long sales cycle, or a great deal of competition, you are going to have to invest more time and make more rounds of the networking cycle with each person you meet.

Keep in mind that the selling process is separate from the networking cycle. Think of networking as four simple steps to keep yourself from being overwhelmed. Don't neglect any portion of the cycle and you'll find that the results of your efforts will come sooner than expected.



Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Beth_Bridges

One of the most effective marketing methods often overlooked by many business owners is personal networking. Your local chamber or referral group (such as BNI) can be a huge source of new business. Here are some tips to help you network effectively:

Don't just pass out as many business cards as possible. What do you think of someone who just puts his business card in your face and quickly moves onto the next person? Don't be that guy. Two or three meaningful conversations are worth more than hundreds of cards passed out.

Join both your local chamber and a referral group. These two organizations are beneficial in different ways. The chamber offers some great "schmoozing"- type of networking events, often attended by 100 people or more, and a referral group offers quality over quantity. There's usually only one person representing each industry, and you get to build relationships with a solid group of 20 - 50 people. Both types of organizations offer great opportunities.

Join a committee. Make the most of a chamber or referral group by joining a committee. This enables you to get to know people and build trust and rapport, and we all know that people do business or refer others to people they know, trust, and like.

Don't go just once. If you think you can show up to one event and get your phone to ring, think again. Networking takes patience, and offers delayed gratification. People need to get to know you, so that means that you need to keep coming back to these groups. It can be months before you start getting business, but when you do, it's guaranteed to be quality.

So get out there and network!



Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Amir_Watynski