I was recently asked to speak at a business networking organizational meeting based on some charitable work that I do. This particular business networking organization had about 100 member businesses which was decent for the size of the community that it supported.

In talking with those who were involved in it, I realized how important it was from a networking standpoint to be involved in these types of organizations because it really helped you to have the opportunity to network in ways that you might not have thought of.

Business networking organizations can help with fresh ideas, target markets, industry knowledge and things that are going on in areas you might not have thought of. Also, the more involved you are and get to know people, the more everyone can be of benefit to each other when it comes to various business elements.

What experiences have you had with various business networking organizations?

I'd say about 90% of my clients came from business networking. I highly recommend that everyone go out and network. Not only can you get new business, you are in a better position to know what's going on in your area, can refer other businesses, and learn a lot.

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Sue L Canfield
AwesomeAssistant.info
My Blog

The key is to find the right one that works for you. I'm involved in quite a few.. Some of them I've joined some of them I jut go to some events. I've gotten 30% of my clients from such opportunities.

But for you, speaking to a group of business owners is a DREAM.. they are your target market. Take full advantage.

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Tamika R. Johnson, MBA, Principal
administrative partners, llc
www.administrativepartners.net | http://adminpartners.blogspot.com

Most of my first clients came from Networking groups. It was a great way to get to be known in our community. If you take the time to get to really know the people in your networkign groups with follow-up coffee chats, e-mails etc, they will remember you the next time they are having a conversation with someone else.

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Bette Creek
http://bettecreek.blogspot.com/
www.ashbusinessservices.com

I love networking. It's only effective when you are actively attending meetings. I'm starting to see a lot of success because I've been going to the same events consistently for the past 6 months and people finally think of me when they need the services I offer and I've built the relationships with others. A business relationship starts off so much better this way.
Word of mouth is the best advertising, but it only works if people know your name.

I network with several groups and enjoy meeting members in my groups. However, make sure you research your groups to that you are not wasting time or spending money needlessly. You need to be patient though and it will payoff.

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Lee Drozak
My Office Assistant

I remember when I started my business before. It was a BNI group. They wanted a couple hundred dollars or so to join - and I always felt bad because I could never give anyone else any leads - plus it was expected. I think they even would have "disbarred" me if I didn't produce. Since we are not out and about as much as people in other types of businesses, it seemed kinda hard to have those opportunities to refer others.

Does anyone have any suggestions for the types of organizations and/or how to handle the problem of not being able to refer?

Thanks! Pam

Thank you ladies for this advice I am in the midst of starting my business. I am very interested in networking the proper way to better my business. Its also good to know an estimate on the amount of work that you all have received from networking with these groups or at gatherings.

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Miranda
My Busy Assistants

I agree with everything that has been said! I sound like a broken record, but I always recommend face-to-face networking in your own community and the surrounding area. It takes time to form local relationships but pays off big time in the long run.

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Virtual Assistant 3.0

I also belonged to a BNI group for about a year. I also had the same problem of not having many referrals to give back since as Pam said, we are pretty much working alone at home.

I gave whatever referrals I could and just didn't worry about it.

However, I finally decided BNI just wasn't for me. Why you might ask? Well....they just couldn't seem to grasp the concept of exactly what I did.

Every week, BNI members give a 60 second "commercial". I gave really good commercials, taking one facet of what I did (like e-newsletters) and explaining EXACTLY how I did that virtually. And still I looked around at the blank faces.

There were two specific things that caused me to actually decide BNI wasn't for me, the first was when a temp agency was invited to join the group. For those who don't know, BNI groups only have one member of a specific profession in them. The leaders of my group just couldn't understand why I felt the temp agency was a conflict for my business. Even when I explained that we were basically targetting exactly the same people. They felt I could "work for" the temp agency.

The second straw was when one of the members called me and told me that he thought he heard me mention that I purchased small businesses! How the heck he heard that one, I will never understand.

I also didn't really get much business from them anyhow.

I now belong to my local Chamber, but I'm still not sure even that's a positive thing.

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Kathy Harmacek, Your Virtual Aide
http://www.your-virtual-aide.com