Feature Articles
May, 2007
From Our Sales and Marketing Issue

"Today, business networking is poised to take the tremendous advantages that technology has to offer... the smart businessperson will use these technologies to his or her advantage. -Mike Marcellus, Founder of Rochester-based Tip Club

Networking today is colorful and vibrant. No longer  is it effective to simply stuff a few business cards in your pocket and hand them out, hoping to create a sale. Rather, the common denominator for successful networking is all about people and relationships. The key is finding a connection to expand your business horizons that suits your style. 

Time—
A Precious Commodity
The general consensus among business owners and executives today is that their time is precious and limited. People must be very discerning and choose from a mirage of networking organizations—hoping to meet people and make connections that could simultaneously foster their careers, increase business, and, in some cases, give back to the community. It's a delicate balance, especially with so many community and national organizations to choose from.

"Business networking is the effort of individuals to expand their 'sphere of influence' or personal business contacts for specific purposes, such as generating sales referrals, establishing strategic partnerships, hiring personnel, or just getting business advice," says Mike Marcellus, president and founder of Rochester-based Tip Club, a professional networking organization. "Successful business networking is building long-term relationships, rather than just seeking the so-called quick sale. The result: win-win situations."

People meeting people in business can naturally occur on many levels and within a variety of venues. From Internet communities to social gatherings (ranging from breakfast to cocktail hour to dinner to blogging), networking is a connectivity tool for people to exchange business information and to help each other with referrals and ideas. Structured organizations and networking clubs help business people do this everyday.

For example, Business Network International BNI, is one of the largest business networking organizations in the world.The organization offers members an opportunity to share ideas, contacts, and most importantly, give qualified and credible business referrals.

Area member Sue Cloen explains that BNI has helped her with her client/customer-based Nikken business, a wellness product and consulting company.

"The BNI motto is 'Givers Gain,'" says Cloen. "It's all farming, not hunting."  Cloen reiterates that the weekly meetings are about building relationships to give high-quality referrals. Ideally, members go to a BNI meeting to give to others in the form of information and time.

"It's the old saying of what goes around comes around," she notes. A member of BNI for over five years, Cloen's business is based in Pittsford. She explains that the nature of her product-based wellness business is person-to-person sales without using media advertising. 

"We track inside and outside referrals [through BNI]," she says. "Professionals help professionals on a personal level every week.  I keep my ears open for people who may have needs that someone in our group could provide.

"The point is to develop personal and professional relationships  so that you feel confident in referring others to these business peopole. We are each other's sales force." -Sue Cloen, Business Network International Member

Every week my goal is to give a qualified referral to at least one person. The point is to develop personal and professional relationships so that you feel confident in referring others to these business people. We are each other's sales force."

The Rochester Business Alliance (RBA) is composed of 738 active company business memberships in Upstate New York. According to its Website, the RBA is the chamber of commerce for the nine-county Rochester region, which includes Monroe, Genesee, Livingston, Ontario, Orleans, Seneca, Wayne, Wyoming, and Yates counties. The RBA creates value for its members by delivering important business services and by advocating for an environment essential for member success.

"We provide information, advocacy, human resource services, and networking to help employers grow," according to Sandy Parker, president and CEO of the RBA.

Networking Tools, Using Technology
While we know that communication and connections can be made with face-to-face meetings, technology has taken us way beyond the meet-and-greet approach. Online activity, phone calls, direct mail and e-mail augment our connectivity. The most successful people in networking understand that numerous business networking tools are necessary for better networking, points out Marcellus.

Many of the world's oldest business methods are not replaced by technology, but rather are enhanced by it. Examples include:
· Finding information through search engines such as Google and Yahoo!, a transition from brick-and-mortar libraries.
· Purchasing and selling products online through auctions, such as eBay.
· Marketing by creating and viewing video blurbs through Youtube.com.
· Continually job searching through sites such as Monster.com.
· Expanding business processes with companies such as Microsoft.
"Today, business networking is poised to take the tremendous advantages that technology has to offer," notes Marcellus. "And, the smart business person will use these technologies to his or her advantage." 

"Come back again and follow up. Remember, you're not there to close the sale, but to open a relationship." -Tom Collins, Vice President, Windsor Media Enterprises

Business blogging is another avenue to network and meet people via the Internet. "Blogging enables us to do all those [networking] things. We can meet people all over the world and raise awareness of ourselves and our businesses," says Thomas G. Collins, vice president of Windsor Media Enterprises (WME) of Rochester. "Blogging is a way to display our expertise and do that 24/7/365 worldwide."

Collins analogizes blogging in terms of real-world networking. "If you join the club and show up at the next event, dressed for success, that's the blogging equivalent of signing up for a Web hosting account, designing a nice page, and writing a few posts," he explains. "To get the most out of the real-world event, you have to target a few people, walk up, give them a big smile, shake hands, and introduce yourself. Then, engage in conversation. The goal at that stage isn't to close a sale, but rather to open a relationship. If all goes well, you'll likely exchange business cards."

According to Collins, blogging isn't just writing an entry on the Internet. "The most important lesson we try to teach our clients is that half of their 'blogging time' should be spent browsing, reading, and commenting on other people's blogs. The best way to open these relationships is to visit the blogs of people in your field of expertise, referral sources, or likely customers, and give them a big virtual smile and handshake by engaging in the conversation on their blog," Collins says. "Contribute something useful to them and their readers. Come back again and follow up. Remember, you're not there to close the sale, but to open a relationship."

Network! People can access www.TipClub.com  to do the following: · View the profiles of the respective business people you want to meet or have met to better determine if there is a matching of interests · Follow up with e-mails for inquiries, thank you notes, or meeting requests · Continue dialogue and share business information or ideas that you might  not have had the time to share at face-to-face meetings · To communicate specific business opportunities sought after and, at the same time, to establish accountability · Provide a site for testimonials

Listen Closely
A key purpose of a networking group is to eventually increase revenue, translating to an enhanced bottom line. This tends to rarely happen at a typical meet-and-greet type of event. Rather, more and more networking groups are professionals of similar business backgrounds getting together to share and exchange information and ideas and to give bu siness support. Listening becomes the first and most important networking skill. The key is to concentrate on how you can help the person who is talk.


"As with all sales processes, good listening is a critical element to effective business networking," explains Marcellus. "Successful business people listen for questions like:
What is your target market?
What is a good business opportunity for you?
How can I help you?"
"Next, listening establishes rapport between two people as they get to know each other," Marcellus says. "Through rapportÉ trust starts to grow. Trust is a key element to a successful business relationship and often results in a long term win-win business relationship."

To increase your networking success, take note of the Ten Commandments of Networking. Thou Shalt... 1. Thou shalt eliminate the attitude of "what's in it for me?" 2. Thou shalt listen. 3. Thou shalt build a relationship. 4. Thou shalt give the first referral. 5. Thou shalt not tell others of the referral you require; rather, thou shalt "show them" via telling a story. 6. Thou shalt be specific when giving the type of referral. 7. Thou shalt reciprocate when appropriate. 8. Thou shalt participate in network executive functions, and give network time. 9. Thou shalt thank the person who gave a referral. 10. Thou shalt follow up on a referral within 24 hours.

Within the Tip Club, for example, there are two distinct focus groups of business professionals. One group is comprised of those within sales and marketing type of work, while the other group is management leaders and owners of companies who can share issues related to growth, profitability, and other management challenges. With locations expanded to Syracuse and Buffalo, N.Y.; Phoenix, Ariz.; Atlanta, Ga.; and Washington, D.C., members can also participate in regional and national targeted meetings and conferences.
Marcellus reiterates that the Tip Club, like many networking clubs, uses the Internet as a powerful online tool to boost the effectiveness of the face-to-face meetings.

Networking While Doing Good
While technology has certainly augmented our connectivity with each other, nothing completely replaces the original face-to-face meeting and solid handshake that historically has brought people together.

Service clubs and civic organizations have had a long-standing tradition of giving back to their communities while networking with each other. Additionally, serving the community often has a side benefit of building business relationships.

"Service Above Self" is the Rotary International motto, but Rotary and other service clubs have had to redefine and nurture the concept of networking as part of their organization's process to remain viable in today's fast-paced society. The networking component is vital to the future, according to Tracey Dreisbach, executive director of the Rochester Rotary Club.

"Our members enjoy many social events focused on building relationships [with each other]. Our organization is different than other networking type of clubs, as by joining Rotary, members become part of a worldwide, international organization as well as a member of the local club," says Dreisbach. "You build friendships while doing good works for the community."

Whatever mode of connection you choose from the hundreds of options available, business networking is a process that can be specialized, focused, energizing, and simply good for business.

BSM

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