Networking - Pros and Cons

Is your networking group filled with a bunch of pros or a bunch of cons?

Do you attend professional networking groups and meetings that are filled with sincere networking professionals that know the value of those relationships...

OR

Are your networking groups filled with a bunch of con artists that are there just for the food and to see how many business cards they can hand out or collect. Are they there to gather "prospects" to fill their data bases for some generic marketing effort?

Do you even attend networking events at all?

I am pondering this question after having time to consider what happened a couple of weeks ago to me as I invited a couple business acquaintances to my BNI visitor day. Now I understand that small business people are busy - particularly independent small business owners that also juggle jobs, family, kids, school, etc. So I am not picking on people that are "too busy."

But some of the responses I got when I asked people to join me were just plain - funny.

• "Those things never interest me. It's always the same people over and over. Why would I want to build a relationship with them?"


• "I have to spend time working on my business, I don't have time to add another activity to my to-do list."


• "I don't have the money to join those groups."


• "It's too early in the morning..."


• "I don't have my new business cards printed yet."


• "My business is growing so fast...I don't have time."

Those were just a few. I am wondering if you knew that you were going to a meeting with professional networking people if it would make a difference if you attended or not. I bet it would.

Today's coaching directional...look for real professional networking groups to belong to. Pick two or three that you can attend monthly, be sure they are filled with quality people and not con-artist networkers. And when a fellow business associate invites you to attend, don't make up an excuse like those above. You just never know who your business friend wanted you to meet in their group or who you might have met through another connection made at the meeting!

Checking your brain at the door...

Today's topic.....

Dumb sales people say the stupidest things to paying customers......

We are in the process of making some changes to a fitness membership that my husband and I have.

So let's be clear on the facts:

We have a joint membership to a gym
It expires in May 2008
We want to split the membership
keeping my husbands the same
deleting mine
we are paid current and have met the terms of the contract on our end

BUT and here's where it gets good...
The fitness center is being extremely difficult in assisting us with what we want to do. WHY? That I am not sure accept that I think that with the recent grand opening of a newer, bigger more advanced fitness center in town this place is scared to lose customers.

OH yeah...and then that's what a salesperson actually said to me over the phone...that they are not able to discuss letting contracts expire because they are losing too many people to the competition.

Nice.
This poor treatment also shows in how we have been treated and the run around we are getting. I often think in these situations, how can I handle this better? Is it me? Am I not communicating? Am I not seeking to understand the other side?

Well in this case I am confident in my answers...yes to all.
Is fear of competition a reason to get dumb in business? I don't think so. I hope that as business people we are better able and prepared to handle it when a little competition comes our way. If not I guess we are just left with checking our brains at the door.

In this case the brain is one muscle that is not getting a 360 degree work out with these employees!

What's in your wallet?

I have two businesses and due to the nature of each business, two separate business cards. Today I had the opportunity to attend a very nice Chamber of Commerce meeting, one I had not had the chance to attend in the past. As I was chatting with the people at the meeting, making new friends and getting to know some new people I realized I had a dilemma on my hands.

Actually, the dilemma was in my pocket. As people asked me what I did I couldn't decide which business to talk about first. The concept of having two businesses is new for me and I have to admit, I fumbled all over the place with my introductions and my message.

Lesson learned here - regardless of how many businesses you have or how many different hats you wear, target markets you think you serve or people that are potential clients, have a game plan BEFORE you walk in to a new meeting. Have it in your head what you want these new people to know about you. Only take one set of cards with you and have them handy.

Don't make the same mistake I did and not know where to reach and which card to hand out.
Know what's in your wallet.