How should I choose my networking groups/events?

Karl Smith - TheNetworkingGuy
MOTIVATIONAL BUSINESS SPEAKER/EXECUTIVE COACH/NETWORKING, PERSONAL BRANDING, REFERRAL MARKETING STRATEGIST/AUTHOR

Everyone has different networking aims, it may be to find a job, suppliers, staff or business. During my first few months of networking to grow my business, I even discovered that some people attend these events because it makes them feel busy, socialize, have breakfast etc. Over time I have mastered the skill to scan networking groups/events. Today, I invest 80 % of my networking to grow my business time on one-to-one meetings.


So what are some of the main reasons why most people choose to go business networking. It very very simple. You are going because you want to either:
• profile build – create visibility for your personal brand and teach others to trust your brand
• brain build – learn and grow by listen to speakers or “pick brains”
• referral build – find strategic contacts to build relationships and teach these contacts to refer specific opportunities to you
• community build – find contacts to broaden your own community for support and other purposes

Firstly, before I join a group I want to know about its purpose and membership – and which of the four reasons to network it is set up to help with. I need to make sure that there is a match between the group’s purpose & my objectives. I then want to look at the membership of the group. If I have a very tightly defined target market, the membership of the group needs to be well connected to this target market.

I then look at the time and frequency at which the group meets. If you are going to attend a networking group you want to be available to attend 95%+ of all the meetings. Consistent visibility and credibility is a key requirement to win work via formal networking groups.
I then will aim to speak to some of the members who have left the group in the last six months and find out why they left. I will also find out whether the membership of the group is growing or declining. If it is declining, I will avoid it… I will also want to find out how successful members are in the group – are they achieving their objectives. I will be looking for evidence of long-term members. Moreover, I will search for commitment in the organizer or founder.

I will attend as a guest thrice and see whether I feel a connection with members of the group, and whether it is fun and enjoyable. If I’m going to be spending a lot of time with these people I want to feel relaxed within their company.

If everything looked good and it is in line with my objectives, only then would I commit to membership. As I said earlier on, I don’t attend many networking group meetings or events. I focus (and teach my audiences at conferences and in coaching) on strategic relationship building. Our most valuable asset in this world is our time …Time is irreplaceable and irrepeatable. Use it wisely!