There are many reasons why business networking can be such a successful marketing tactic, most of which have to do with the fact that people like to do business with people they know, like and trust. However, not all business networking groups do an equally good job of helping their members expand their reach and increase their sales. 

In fact, chances are some of the groups near you are worth joining and participating in, and some are not. Whether you’re evaluating whether to join a particular business networking group or looking for ways to improve the business networking group you’re already in, here are some of the things to consider: 

Group size – Generally speaking, more people equals more opportunities for referrals. After all, each person in the room knows a lot of people, so your opportunities grow exponentially as the group expands. If there are only seven people in the room, the amount of business being passed will be quite limited. But if there are 35, the opportunities will be far greater. However…if the group is too large, members really cannot get to know each other, so the whole know, like and trust effect does not happen.

Meeting structure – The two main types of business networking meetings are “mixers,” where everyone just stands around meeting and greeting, and agenda-based meetings, which are far more structured. I personally find that structured meetings are more successful. The structure usually includes giving everyone a chance to promote their business to the group, which makes it easier for members to get to know each other.

Meeting frequency – It’s hard to really get to know, like and trust someone if you only see them once a month. Weekly meetings lead to greater success.

Attitude toward visitors – Ideally a business networking group is warm, friendly and welcoming towards visitors. Given the natural attrition that you tend to see in any group, regularly attracting new members is a must for the group’s survival. It’s never a good sign if visitors are ignored.

Group expectations – Some groups have strict rules regarding the number of referrals that each member must give each month. While this may seem like a good idea on the surface, as it requires everyone to be fully committed to and engaged in the group, it also has a downside. Some people will pass low-quality leads, introducing members to people who are not actually interested in the given product or service, just to meet their monthly referrals quota. 

Statistics – What gets measured gets managed. Successful groups track their statistics and announce them at every meeting. How many people were in attendance? How many referrals were passed and how many dollars in closed business were attributed to these referrals during the past month/quarter/year? 

Energy – When you step into the room of a successful group you’ll feel the buzz of positive energy. People are smiling, genuinely happy to see each other and be together. The person leading the meeting does so with energy and excitement. And most participants are fully “present.” They’re not fiddling with their phones or laptops. It’s “oh boy, today’s our meeting,” not “oh yuck, I guess I have to go to that darn meeting.”

Quality of commercials – Many groups have a point in the meeting when they go around the room and give each person a chance to deliver a “30-second commercial” about their business. Successful groups help their members to do this well. They understand that if half the people in the room get up and mumble their way through a rambling, nonsensical message, that portion of the meeting will be painful to sit through…and those members of the group will be hard to refer to.

About those business networking commercials…

If you or the members of a business networking group that you belong to struggle with those “30-second commercials,” I highly recommend you check out my course, “Nailing Your 30-Second Business Networking Commercials.” 

This on-demand, video-based course will give you all the tools you need to craft and deliver compelling commercials with confidence. The course takes less than an hour, is just $99, and even comes with an amazing file of 30 sample commercials for a wide variety of businesses that you can copy from. Click here to learn more.