Joining a networking group can be like joining a Gym

A couple of people have asked me recently, "What will I get if I join one of your networking groups?". My answer is that we concentrate on recruiting quality people and facilitating quality networking. What you get will be a direct result of how you follow up and the effort you put in. Consider the analogy of joining a gym or fitness club.

We are approaching the time of year when many people join a gym with the aim of getting fitter or losing some weight. However, we all know that paying the money is not enough. You only get results if you put the effort into training, and often you need a personal trainer to really get going. The same is true of networking and you have to put the effort into getting to know people and investing in relationships first. Understanding how networking works is a good start. As Bob Burg said:

"All things being equal, people will do business with, and refer business to
— those people they know, like and trust."

Business Networking is about finding other business people who operate in similar markets to you, and building relationships to earn that trust. Once you understand and commit yourself to making it work you can actively do the things that will make your networking effective and productive.

Over the next few posts I will revisit some of these things for you:

http://business-networking.blogspot.com/2008/12/do-you-know-what-you-want-from-your.html
* Have you got a System?
* Who do you know already?
* What is your Target Market?
* Is your Proposition clear?
* Who is in your Inner Network?
* How do your grow your Advocates?

Good Networking!
Dave Clarke
Get 7 networking secrets for business success

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