Often said in business 'You need to get out there and network!' The problem with this statement is it is not that helpful for those who haven't done it before. 

In a recessionary market, the way forward is to get out there and market, not retrench and pull back. "When in Hell, don't stop! Keep going." often attributed to Winston Churchill 

Yes, you may have been to a conference or two, but if you haven't been in a sales or relationship role previously, networking can be daunting, especially when you're trying to get your new venture off the ground. 

Great idea, product or service. You're busy getting going, so adding more to the load isn't easy to contemplate. Even if you've been in business for a while, you need new or more contacts, but you're not sure how or where to spend your time.

Your anxiety

This adds up to quite a bit of anxiety and no real answer to how to do it. Especially if you need word of mouth to generate business for you.

After more than twenty years of involvement in business development, business advice, and my own business, the simplest, most effective way to generate word-of-mouth business is to join a closed networking group.

Contacts

Before you go, that restricts my audience; funny it's the opposite, here's why.

Because you're in a group where you are the only one in your speciality, you'll build more direct supportive relationships.

These supportive relationships will open up their networks to you, with an average of 240 contacts in an individual's referable network, which makes for a lot of people from that one contact. Most NZ groups have 15-25 members, so that's some 4,800 potential contacts.

Those same people will become your go-to specialists for what they do, so it is reciprocal. To unlock this, you will have to build and nurture the relationship; it won't get handed to you.

These people in your group become your sales team; they refer you to their contacts and anyone else they come across, where there is a need, likewise you for them. 

Spray networking

Contrast this to a large open networking group. You turn up like everyone else, circulate, and poke cards at each other. You might make a few contacts, but your audience is limited to the group that's there or the few regulars you get to know, not all of their network. Because the relationship is limited, they won't open up and let you in, just as you won't to them for your network.

The other side of this is when your contacts and clients ask you about people to solve problems, being more connected you'll be more confident about referring someone to help. 

For many customers, this is valuable. You, being the go-to person, are more comfortable approaching you when something is needed. 

In my networking, I've got to know, and I'm comfortable referring quite a number of people, some of whom are accountants, lawyers, general insurance, investment and financial planning, marketing and PR, business systems and support, digital marketing, trades and infrastructure.

Grab the opportunity!

So where do you find this? Locally. If you're on the North Shore in Auckland, drop me a line, and I'll arrange a meeting so you can see how it works.