Author: Annette Lucas
Network Marketing puts more money in your pocket by helping you
overcome the number one biggest problem facing new business owners.
Prospecting for new customers. Business networking events can go a long
way towards making the whole prospecting problem go away. There are two
main kinds of networking opportunities available to the average
entrepreneur. Passive networking and strong networking. Both have unique
benefits and drawbacks.
The most well known example of passive networking is your local chamber
of commerce. You can find a chamber of commerce chapter in almost every
major city worldwide. Your local chamber of commerce gives you the
opportunity to meet with many of the movers and shakers in your local
business community. Through the many events they plan on a monthly and
yearly basis, they offer you a chance to connect with a number of
potential prospects for your products and services.
Weekly network marketing groups or clubs are an example of strong
networking opportunities. These kinds of business networking events can be
found in many major cities worldwide. A strong network marketing group
will meet on a weekly basis for the sole purpose of exchanging business
leads with one another and learning better ways of networking to grow
their business. The most successful networking groups require your weekly
attendance and insist that their members provide fellow members with
referrals throughout the year. They also allow only one person from each
profession or industry to belong to the group. This keeps the quality of
the referrals high. One such group is Business Network International
(BNI).
So what are the advantages and disadvantages of each kind of network
marketing? They both have their place but strong networking groups
represent a bigger commitment than passive networking groups. By belonging
to a strong networking group, you are committed to be on the lookout for
referrals for group members. Strong networking groups also usually meet on
a weekly basis whereas passive networking groups usually meet monthly.
Passive networks can have multiple people from one profession or
industry as members. They also have no requirements for passing on
referrals to other members. Referrals do occur in a passive networking
event but it is not facilitated by the meeting and is totally up to the
business owner to initiate. You can belong to multiple passive networking
groups. Any business you get from passive networking will most likely be a
result of the amount of effort you put in.
Strong networks on the other hand restrict membership to only one
person per industry or profession. This greatly increases the likelihood
that you will receive referrals from participating members. Meetings are
structured in a way to encourage referrals and there is a formal referral
exchange that happens every week. It is strongly recommended that you only
belong to one strong networking group in order to keep the quality of your
referrals high.
In either case, it is important for members of these groups to see you
as professional and competent. Referrals will go to people the referrer
knows, likes and trusts.
Want more business? Start attending business networking events in your
area.
