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The Business Igniter: Networking

Networking is a vital part of marketing most businesses. I’m sure you have heard it many times; “People do business with people they know, like, and trust.” This has been proven true time and time-again. The question for most of us is “how?”. The answer is that you need to create opportunities for people to get to know you, like you, and trust you. The best way to do this is to spend some time in a personal networking environment.

I strongly recommend you make a networking a regular part of your marketing efforts. You should attend at least one networking event every single week, and in most cases more often than that. If you don’t know where to start, here are a few excellent networking recommendations:

BNI
Visit a local BNI chapter near you and see how this highly professional and effective referral-based organization works. Chapter meetings are held weekly, usually in the early morning (i.e. 7:30 – 9:00 AM), and only one person per profession can occupy an official seat in the chapter at a time. We have three chapters here in Utah Valley, one that meets in Springville, one in Orem, and another in American Fork. Visit www.bni.com for more information.

Corporate Alliance
If you do business in Utah Valley then you must visit a Corporate Alliance Jumpstart. Lunchtime meetings are held once each month with choices of dates through an entire week from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. The philosophy behind Corporate Alliance is “Just Because”. While quite different than BNI’s focus on directly referring business to fellow chapter members, the idea here is to build relationships without the expectation of receiving business from the time invested. However, it has long been proven that as you build solid and lasting business relationships it will only benefit both parties in the long run. Visit www.corporatealliance.net for more information.

Provo/Orem Chamber of Commerce
Yet a third, and still different networking organization, the Provo/Orem Chamber of Commerce is one of the finest in the country. You can visit them on the web at www.thechamber.com (of all the Chambers in the nation how did they get that cool URL?). The Chamber provides a variety of opportunities to network and connect with other business leaders and the community. I recently attended a very enjoyable and successful “Speed Dating” event for getting to know other business leaders. It was a lot of fun and very productive.

Facebook
Social networking online is fast becoming a great way to stay in touch with business associates. Sure, a lot of social networks are oriented to the fun and frivolous; however a growing number of business people are finding ways to leverage online connections to find new contacts, rekindle older relationships, and spawn new business opportunities. The fastest growing segment of Facebook users is adult business people. Give it a try; you will be surprised at the number of business professionals you will connect with. Visit www.facebook.com for more information.

Don’t forget to join the Utah Valley Business Group on Facebook; our companion initiative in social networking.

One last recommendation… Educate yourself and become the best networker you can be. I have two book recommendations: Read The Little Black Book of Connections: 6.5 Assets for Networking Your Way to Rich Relationships by Jeffrey Gitomer, and City of Influence: A Business Tale from Corporate Alliance. These two books can be of tremendous help in your quest to build better relationships and positively impact your business through networking.

To Your Success,

Kip Kint
Business Success Coach
Mission Ignition

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