In the course of business we’ve all heard of the networking groups who meet on a regular basis with the sole objective of referring business to each other.
Rather than hope that they will have a vacancy for an
accounting service member at some stage in the not too distant future, give some consideration to establishing your own networking group – your own marketing round table.
Sounds difficult to implement?
Actually it’s not! However you do need to approach the task systematically by using the following steps:
How to Create a Marketing Group that Gets You Clients
* Reflect on those types of businesses who can send you referrals and for whom you can reciprocate. Professionals in the insurance, real estate, legal, and medical industries, just to name a few, are a great place to start.
* Prepare a list of business operators whom you feel would thrive on this concept and who own and operate the types of suitable business which you have already identified. It’s prudent to have more than one person in each business category on your shortlist as it’s not out of the question that some may decline your offer. You don’t need to already know the people you’ve shortlisted as this is an exercise to cast out your networking further than its present reach.
* Select a suitable venue (restaurant) for a breakfast meeting. The venue owner may also become an informal member of the group as he or she is definitely in a position to refer business to your network members.
* Contact your prime candidates for round table membership, discuss the concept and invite them to the initial breakfast meeting.
* At the initial meeting outline the concept in detail and propose to meet on a regular monthly basis and at the same venue if everyone is happy with it. Emphasize that the success of the group will depend upon the number of referrals each person generates — to get leads, a person must be willing to give leads.
Starting Your Own Marketing Group Gives You an Edge Over Joining an Existing One
The major advantage in establishing your own group is that you are the natural chairperson of the group. With only a minor administrative workload you are perceived as a leader and ‘mover and shaker’ in the business community and, along with other round table members, benefit from the mutual referrals.
