Brenda Thomson's BLOG

The end of one year and the start of another is a great time to review your networking for the past twelve months and determine where you should be investing your hard earn dollars and precious time for the coming year. If you are looking for new places to network a great place to start is with the Networking World directory. A number of our subscribers have asked me “How do I make best use of the directory?” So this week I wanted to answer that question.

Successful networkers suggest that if networking is a key part of your marketing strategy then you should join at least three quality networking groups which are right for your networking goals. In addition you should attend at least one new networking opportunity every month. However one of the first problems facing new or growing businesses seeking Networking opportunities is “Where do I go?” In fact that is how the idea for the Networking World directory was born.

There are literally hundreds of Networking opportunities available in each state in Australia. You can find them on government and council websites, on search engines and by talking to other business owners. We spent over 6 months compiling the Networking World directory. There are currently over 1400 organisations listed and during the course of the year we have had thousands of events posted in our calendar.

So when you are looking at list of groups in the Networking World directory or checking out events in the calendar – where do you start? The first thing to do is to compile a short list of groups which you wish to visit.

Some of the things which you should think about in compiling your shortlist might include:

• Do I want to meet people from a particular profession- either my own or one with which I have potential to develop synergistic relationships?

• Do I only want to meet people from my local area or do I want to expand my Network geographically?

• Am I eligible to attend? o Some groups are closed and only allow membership from particular professions. o Other groups are limited to one person from a particular industry – check to make sure there is a vacancy for your profession.

• Does the membership of the group match my networking goals – if you need to meet decision makers from large corporations there is not much point joining a home based business network.

• Is membership of the group realistic in terms of your marketing budget? – Remember networking is a serious business activity – you need to be able to generate a positive return on your investment.

• Can I meet the membership commitment – some groups require that you attend every week for breakfast – can you realistically make this commitment?

• Location – can I easily attend this groups events without spending hours driving to and from.

This is only a beginning, your short list may include other criteria specific to your goals and circumstances. Some of the answers to these questions will be apparent from the Networking World directory, for others you may need to visit each groups website, talk to their contact person and talk to other members.

Once you have determined that the group caters to your business and networking goals and meets all of your selection criteria the only real way to determine whether a group is right for you is to try it. Different networking groups and opportunities will suit different people depending on your networking goals, your business, the relationships and synergies between the members of the group and your own personality.

Finally you need to critically evaluate the return on investment you receive from each group. At the end of each year review your memberships – drop off the groups which have not been working and add new groups to replace them.

Remember the return on investment from Networking is rarely immediate – it is not about making sales but about building long term mutually beneficial relationships.

If networking has not been effective for you, talk to other successful people from your industry to determine their marketing mix and if and how they have incorporated networking into their business strategy.

The Networking World Directory is just that – a directory! We have done the searching for you and brought together literally hundreds of networking opportunities in one place, but it is not a magic solution to all your networking problems. It is up to you to work out the groups which are right for you and most importantly put in the work required to build your business network.

For more information about finding the right networking group for your business and your personality download our complimentary special report here http://www.networkingworld.net.au/networkinggroupreport

We wish you successful networking!