In today’s digital world, the hot topics in the small business marketing industry tend to be things like SEO, responsive web design, pay-per-click advertising, and of course whatever the latest fad in social media happens to be in any particular week. Of course all of these things are important and have a role to play in successfully marketing a small business, but while all of these constantly changing and evolving areas have been dominating the conversation, one time-tested marketing tactic has continued to quietly provide good results for those relatively few small business owners who have truly mastered it - good, old-fashioned networking!
On a local level, it is one of the most cost effective marketing methods available to a small business. Unfortunately, it’s also something that very few people are good at. Just visit any chamber of commerce luncheon and in no time, you’ll quickly see numerous examples of bad networking - like that guy who passes out business cards to everyone in the room and yet can’t seem to tell you the name of a single person he talked to an hour later.
What I am recommending as a way to grow your business is developing long-term, meaningful relationships with quality business professionals whose intentions are to contribute to the success of each member’s business. By participating in local business networking groups like The IDEA Club, business owners can not only improve their networking skills, they can also meet strategic partners and get referrals - lots of referrals.
What Is The IDEA Club?
In 1981, a group of entrepreneurs in the greater Orlando area formed a professional business association with one another. Their goal was to simply collect and exchange business information among themselves. They began meeting once a week, exchanging stories, jokes, trivia, experiences, and referrals and it was then that the Industry Development Exchange Association (IDEA) Club was born.
We are a true local business networking group, meaning that we abide by the following criteria:
The IDEA Club only allows one representative from each profession to join.
New members must go through an application and screening process to join the group (i.e. we don’t simply allow anybody who can pay the membership fee to join).
The primary purpose of the group is to facilitate the exchange of business referrals between members.
The group meets in person on a regular basis.
We have a structured format so that members get equal consideration and you won’t have to fight for attention.
Members are expected to adhere to a code of ethics and/or meet quality standards.
Now that we’ve clarified what a local networking group truly is, let’s get you those five specific tips for getting the most out of the group once you join!
#1 Be Specific When You Request Referrals
Members are expected to refer business to one another, however for us to know what type of referral you’re looking for, be as specific as possible. Are you interested in a certain demographic of client/customer, are you targeting certain business types, are you currently offering a specific set of services that provides a solution for a dilemma? Many members of our group share stories of how they have helped their customers/clients or to provide the members in the group with words of wisdom on what to do or not do in a particular situation.
For example, the tax accountant in the group might remind everyone of the tax filing deadlines at the beginning of the year or any other pertinent filing dates that are approaching. Or the personal injury lawyer shares a story regarding a case where security cameras and onboard cameras were paramount pieces of evidence and the importance of obtaining the footage shortly after an accident.
This is much more effective than a generic request such as “I’d like to meet small business owners” - and let’s be honest, it’s much more fun listening to the individual stories from the members on how they were able to help someone in the community!
#2 Don’t Forget About Strategic Partners
The only thing better than receiving a referral is connecting with someone who can send you lots of new customers/clients - i.e. a strategic partner. Unfortunately, all too often people in local networking groups tend to focus only on asking for referrals to new customers. This is probably because referrals to strategic partners take more time and energy before they result in cash flow. Don’t miss out on this potential gold mine for new customers/clients.
#3 Use The Group To Help Promote Your Content
Sometimes, it might be hard for other members in the group to refer business to you, but they might be able to help you out in other ways. For example, let’s say you have a blog that you post an educational article to at least once or twice a month (which you should). Why not ask your fellow members to share it on their personal Facebook pages, Twitter accounts, or LinkedIn profiles? If each of our members has a few hundred “friends” on Facebook, and even half of them share your article with their followers, you’ll get tons of free exposure, at least a few clicks to your website, and - with a little bit of luck - maybe even a new customer or two.
#4 Have Members Of The Group Write You A Review
Positive online reviews for a local business on sites like Google, Yelp, and Facebook are very important, but getting them from customers can be a challenge. Once you have gotten to know members of the group, ask if they’d be willing to write you a review or LinkedIn recommendation from the perspective of a business associate. In some cases, this can be even more powerful than a review from a customer, because it’s coming from someone who has a long-term relationship with you. Of course, when you make this request you should offer to do the same for them in return.
#5 Use The Group To Help Your Customers
The last tip will apply more to business-to-business members - for those of you who have clients who are small business owners, think about who in the group might be a potential customer for them. Then, invite them to attend a meeting with you as your guest and introduce them to that member. It may or may not lead to a new customer for them, but even if it doesn’t, they’ll probably appreciate the fact that you are thinking about them and trying to help them out. Who knows - if they’re impressed by our group, they may even become a member and turn into a source of referrals for you and the other members!
Now that you know how to get the most our of our local business networking group, it’s time to take action. Make a commitment to pay us a visit sometime within the next month. Don’t be shy about reaching out - we LOVE visitors and will treat you like royalty, because we understand that every visitor is either a potential customer or referral source!
You can learn more about our member’s benefits such as our Industry Expert Listing, your own personalized biography, the delectable breakfast courtesy of the Tap Room at Dubsdread, and more by visiting our Member Benefits page.
“You can have everything in life you want if you will just help enough other people get what they want.”
Ready To Grow Your Business?
Be our guest for breakfast one Thursday morning and see if we might be the local networking group for you!
