For many businesses, networking is a great way of
getting new business. It can be much more effective than advertising,
and the costs are mostly your time.
However, lots of people are put off going to networking groups,
and miss out on this opportunity. Here’s what to expect
and some tips on how to get the most out of networking groups.
Why network?
Firstly remember that you are there to build relationships.
You are not there to sell to people. If people think that you
are only interested in selling to them, they will be put off,
and ultimately won’t want to buy from you, or recommend
you to others. If you can understand that networking is a long
term game and that the rewards will only come after you have
invested some time in getting to know people, then you will
reap rewards.
Types of networking groups
Networking groups vary enormously. There are what called
the “hard networking” groups
such as BNI, BRE and clones of these groups. These groups
usually meet once a week at some ungodly time in the morning
and are closed groups. This means that they only have one
person from a particular industry or sector, so only one painter
and decorator and one florist can join. You have to pay a
fee to join, and you get breakfast each week. The format of
the meeting is that everyone introduces themselves and what
they do for one minute each, and everyone can make a request
for the sort of referrals that they are looking for. A referral
is a potential customer for one of the other members. So if
you are a search engine optimisation specialist, you might
say something like
“I’m Patrick and I help people to get customers
coming to their websites from the search engines. I’m
looking for referrals of people who are currently putting
together a website.”
These groups are based on referrals – if you get referrals
for the other members, they will look for potential customers
for you.
They work well for people who:
- Like getting up early (you can probably tell that this isn't me!)
- Can very easily explain what they do, so if you do
some very esoteric or technical kind of work, a BNI type group
might not be for you
- Can bring in referrals for other people.
Networking events
There are other “soft networking” groups around. These are usually in the evening, and are often
based around an event. If you go along to the Brighton
Chamber of Commerce, or other groups like this, you will find
around 50 people in a room all in small groups chatting to one
another. It can be quite daunting to just walk in and go up
to complete strangers, but remember that everyone else is doing
exactly that, and that they are probably just as nervous as
you are.
I find that just going up to someone who is on their
own or a group of three people and saying “hello, my name’s
Julia, can I join you?” always works well. People are
usually very inclusive and friendly and if they’re not,
just move on to the next group of people. It’s perfectly
okay to say “It was lovely to talk to you, but I really
should mingle” and then move on to talk to other people.
Networking in your area of expertise
There are other specialised networking opportunities, such as
local groups of the Chartered
Institute of Personnel and Development, or groups that organise
workshops and talks such as Wired
Sussex, which specialises in events for new media companies.
Going along to a workshop always gives you something to talk
to other people about, and makes it easier to find out about
people’s interests.
Top tips for going to networking groups
Practice a 30 second introductory speech before you go, and
make sure that it tells people what you want them to hear about
you and your business.
Relax and enjoy yourself – networking is fun and most
of the people that you will meet will be lovely.
Take your business cards and be ready to give them to people
If you do feel nervous, take a couple of deep breaths before
you go into the room.
On the way there, think of how you would like people to see
you. Practise that aura of success and believe in it yourself.
Don’t be afraid to talk to lots of people – if someone
is especially interesting, or you think that you might be able
to do business with them, get their card and suggest getting
together for a coffee sometime.
Do not stick with the people that you know already. If you go
with someone else, agree to split up and go and talk to people. If you spend the evening chatting to a friend, people will be
less likely to come and talk to you.
Be a host – if someone is stuck on their own, go up to
them and make sure that they’ve got someone to talk to.
Be interested in people, even if they’re boring, there’s
always something there that is fascinating, even if you have
to dig a little to find it.
Be ready to do people favours – if you can help someone
out, then they will be much more likely want to help you in
some way, including recommending you to potential customers.
Come and say hello
If you are at a networking group in Brighton, and you see me,
then please do come and say hello – this
is what I look like!
Networking groups in Brighton and Sussex
Here's a list of the networking groups in Brighton, Hove and Sussex, and what I think of them. Feel free to let me know about other groups that I may have missed.
Julia Chanteray
back to top
back to resources page
|