If you are a solo-entrepreneur or a small business owner, whether you just started you business or have been running it for years, you know that you need to network in order to increase your clientele.

But do you network effectively?

How do you select which event to attend? Do you check online with Crain’s, Bernardo’s list or other websites and attend events because they’re free or inexpensive, or do you decide according to your target market?

If you’ve heard of Biba4Network you may know that I organized networking events in New York City for five years and specialize in small events where I personally introduce people & connect them together, assisting them in creating business partnerships. Yet it always amazed me how many people attended my events without researching my target audience, or without checking my website to learn more about my business. They simply came because they saw it advertised.

From experience, I know that networking is one of the best ways to meet new clients, after all, I based my business on networking and have consistently doubled my revenue year after year. However, if you don’t strategically choose the right functions you may end up wasting your time and money. Each event takes at least a couple of hours, and costs between $25 to $50, sometimes more, not to mention membership fees.

How to make sure you choose the right groups?

I recommend you select a minimum of 2 or 3 groups that complement each other and make your selection based on your target market and your niche. By the way, do you know who your target market is, or are you like most people who say “I can sell to anybody.” Do you mention your target market in your elevator pitch? Be specific when you introduce yourself and your business by indicating; first your target audience and second, the benefits of working with you and using your products and services. This will facilitate finding potential clients when networking.

How to make money with networking? How to get new clients in record time?

Search online for 6 to 8 organizations that coincide with your target market. Check their websites, call and investigate their audiences, ask about the attendance of their events and membership is required. Enquire about new attendees, the frequency of their events, monthly, weekly etc. then choose five that would be in the best interest for you and your business.
Attend at least 3 or 4 times and don’t look at other events? Join 2-3 groups, keeping in mind only those that fit your business needs, and I advise 2 or 3 because you need complementary sources to reach your target market. Once you join the membership it is very important to commit to those groups, by attending all events even if you don’t get a client the first 3 months. Don’t give up by thinking that the group is not working! The only way you will increase your clientele is by getting to know new people by learning more about them and, when the time is right, they will either work with you or refer you to others because they know you and trust you.

In a survey I asked some of my members why they stopped attending after just a few months, some of them said they liked to meet new people each time. My question was, do you get clients when you meet people the first time? Of course the answer is, No.” So what is the sense of paying a membership, only to attend a couple of times, and not commit to the group? It is definitely not the smartest way to run your business.

Recently I read an article from Ivan Misner, who started BNI 20 years ago, and is now in approximately 30 countries. If there’s an expert in networking it’s definitely him. He conducted a survey which states, I quote “When businesspeople begin developing a referral-based business, they receive a small percentage of referrals their first year. After the second year, the statistic is about twice as high as the first, and after the third year, it really jumps.” The World’s Best Known Marketing Secret
Networking is about patience and the benefits don’t appear overnight. This is why you need to be consistent and committed and follow up with your contacts.
In networking, as in marketing, consistency is the key. If you send postcards to prospect only once, you have little or no chance of selling your business, however, a series of postcard mailings, with the same marketing message, will increase the possibilities that someone will remember you when they need your product or service.
It is a well known fact that we need to see or hear the same message at least 7 times before noticing or retaining it, and a few times more to act on it. It is the same with networking. Attending each and every event in the city, with no goals, no crystal clear message, expecting that you will get a new client each time is a waste of time AND money. As a solo-entrepreneur or small business owner, you can’t afford to lose money by wasting your time speaking with thousands of people, hoping that one of them will

Make sure to choose few groups but the right ones.
To people who say “I like to attend big events” my response is, “Would you rather meet a thousand people, one at a time, or meet a few people who will each introduce you to a thousand”?

Here is a smart way to network and get a return on your investment.

Find people in your market that are not competitors who offer complementary products and services and working with them will be a great opportunity to access their clients and mailing list. You can cross-promote each other, organize events together, do mailing campaigns together, conduct teleclasses together, etc. Join my newsletter and find out about my Free monthly teleclasses. Partnership is a win/win situation. Through your new partners you will get exposure for if they have one thousand, two thousand, or twenty thousand contacts on their mailing list, you will have instant access to them.

Think about this next time you attend a networking event. Look for partners instead of trying to make a sale on the spot and you won’t have to run from event to event and using this strategy will give you a great return on your investment. By networking this way you won’t need to meet everybody in the room you only need to find a couple of potential partners. Look for quality not quantity.

So stop wasting your time attending every event and start to boost your business with networking.

Networking works when you work it well.

(c) 2008 Biba F. Pédron

Biba F. Pédron, also known as The Connection Queen, is a marketing consultant, founder of Biba4Network, that specializes in networking for small business owners. Biba helps entrepreneurs to maximize their networking results to turn more prospects into clients in a record time. Biba is the author of “Power of Networking secrets” a 5 step program to maximize your networking results. www.powerofnetworkingsecrets.com

For more information or to receive free tips like this one, please visit
www.biba4network.com