Written by Michael Goldberg
...to network. To make connections. To meet important people. Say important things. Learn important stuff. Make important friends. And to find out about better places to go, more targeted people to meet, and more insightful things to say.
With me?
What are the three most important things about real estate? Location, location, location. Well, the same holds true when you’re networking and looking to build relationships with the right people.
Just to be clear, you don’t have to go to meetings, join a group, attend a mixer, schmooze at a cocktail party, or play musical chairs in a speed networking (think speed dating) event to be an effective networker. But it helps. A lot!
The key to attending networking events and meetings is to relax, have fun, practice great communication, and look to make a friend or two or three. My measure is to meet someone I feel comfortable enough with to share a drink or meal. Yes, food and drink are my measure. If I like someone enough to break bread or a mug of beer with them, that’s saying something. Of course, if they’re connected with my marketplace all the better!
Also, it’s important to think quality – not quantity. It is never about the number of people you meet or how many events you attend; it’s the value of the connections. I know plenty of people that join every event but write very little business.
OK, so where are these places? “Wait for it!”
I can’t list every type of networking event under the sun. But I can list ten types of networking related events and activities to simply get you started. You and Google can handle the rest!
Hard Contact Networking Groups
Business Networking International (BNI) and LeTip are probably the most well known. There are also lesser known organizations and boutique groups that follow the same model. Here’s the concept. Imagine going to a weekly meeting (yes, weekly!) to sit at a table with anywhere from 15-50 business owners (depending on the group) that are looking to write more business? By design, everyone in the group (or chapter) is in a different profession (one CPA, one financial planner, etc.) and you each deliver a 30-60 second commercial (think PEEC Statement from last blog) to request the type of business you want. The members of the group then connect you to true prospects that are expecting your call (referrals). How is that for a concept? The meetings are very structured and organized. They typically follow the same format every week. If you’re a financial planner or advisor, real estate agent, mortgage banker, CPA (among others), you’re insane if you’re not a part of a group like this. Why? Because you’re so easy to refer! Imagine participating in a meeting like this every week. You think you would do more business?
Soft Contact Networking Groups
These are your Chambers of Commerce, Alumni Organizations, cocktail parties, and even Board activities you may be active with in your town, church, temple, softball league, or wherever. Unlike the hard contact groups, soft groups have very little if any format or structure. You must rely on your own format or structure. This is in the form of asking questions, talking about you and your work (don’t forget to talk about them and their work!), making a connection, and ultimately following up. The key, again, is in having fun, being a bit bold, and looking to make friendly conversations that transition into business conversations. Soft events do lend themselves to others attending that do what you do. You may not be the only financial advisor! This is not necessarily a bad thing as there’s value in meeting people that are in the same profession as you. Your motive may be a bit different depending on the way you go about your business. Remember, there’s plenty of pie for everyone!
Speed Networking
Based on Speed Dating groups where you’re face-to-face with a prospective referral source, client – or date. Basically, you get five minutes to compare notes about your business and focus. You can exchange business cards and, at the sound of the bell, one of you moves to the next seat (could be left or right) and you start all over again. These events are fast paced, fun, loud, highly interactive, and should be facilitated by a leader that knows what they are doing. With time for breaks (and rotation) built in, you can meet up to 15 people at a 90-minute speed networking event!
Community Services Groups
Think Kiwanis. Rotary. Lion’s Club. There are many community service groups in your town or community that you may not be aware that are worth a search. Often, service group meetings are lunch meetings every other week with fellow business owners and sometimes corporate leaders. The important thing to remember is that the focus of the club is not networking, it’s getting behind a common goal – raising money for a school district, sending underprivileged kids to college, or some other worthy cause. Your networking efforts should happen as a result of doing good with others that care about the same things as you.
Conferences and Conventions
Most industries have them. Many conferences and conventions (conventions are much larger) are big time regional or national events that take place annually. Often there are general sessions and breakout meetings with speakers discussing an array of topics related to the industry or profession. These events are usually hosted in remote locations that require attendees to arrange and pay for travel, hotel, and other various expenses. The great thing about participating in a conference or convention is they tend to attract attendees that are serious and/or successful enough to be there. It all depends who you want to play with and how you want to play.
Professional Associations
These are my personal favorites. Why? Because every industry, profession, and market segment has a professional association connected to it, which makes the organization very focused (I like focused.). So, if you happen to be a financial advisor, for example, you could join an association in the insurance industry to keep up on trends, exchange best practices, and get to know others that do what you do. Business may come out of it, but education and additional resources are the focus. Of course, if you’re a financial advisor and your target market is the construction industry, you could join an association in that industry where your focus would be to land business. In fact, you would probably be the only financial advisor there! Not necessarily a bad thing. Did I mention associations are my personal favorite venues? Usually the conferences and conventions are the national meetings for professional associations.
There are also Trade Shows, Product Shows, Women’s Business Groups, Young Professionals Organizations, Young Entrepreneur Roundtables, Golf Outings, Client Recognition Meetings, Fundraisers, and of course various Online Platforms like Linked In, Yahoo, and Facebook (if you choose to focus on business). Again, there are others, but you get the idea.