Do you know someone who you think would be a great addition to your networking referral group? Here’s how to bring up the subject and important questions to ask before you make the final invitation to join the group.

“I’m glad I’ve had the chance to build a business relationship with you. You’ve got a great networking philosophy. Are you part of a leads group right now?”

If they are part of a leads group, you have the choice of wishing them the best in their group or trying to “steal” them away. Stealing them might not be the best approach if you’re taking a long-term networking perspective. The leader of that group is someone you might want to network with in the future. Don’t upset them by taking a member from them. You wouldn’t want it done to you.

They might say that they’re already in a leads group, but that they don’t like it or that it’s not working for them. Before you blurt out an invitation, find out a few things. How long have they been in the group? Less than a couple months may mean they haven’t given it a chance to work and they don’t have a long term perspective. Is this their first group? Hopping from group to group suggests they are skimming of business and then moving on to a new group. How many leads do they usually take to the group? No leads, then no wonder it’s not working. They haven’t figured out that you have to give first.

If you’ve spent time with the prospective member and you have seen evidence that they are a patient, give first networker, it’s not likely that they’ll have these kinds of problems. Their current group may simply not be a good fit for them either due to the member dynamics or the time and location. Offer them a spot and encourage them to part their old group on good terms.

They may say that they are not in a leads group right now, but they have been in one previously. As with the person who is already in a group, ask some questions. How long have they been away from their old group? Why did they leave their old group? Have they been searching for a new one? Again, you want to find out right away if they are just visiting groups long enough to get some business. If their past experience with a group was good but they had to leave due to relocation or a new job, you’ve found a double gold mine. This is someone who knows the value and could help you build up your current group once their on board.

The final answer that you are most likely to get is “I don’t know what a leads group is.” You should be prepared with a good, short description of a leads club and how it works. You are their first teacher when it comes to referral groups so make sure you emphasis the relationship building aspect, the need for patience, and the give-first strategy. If they’re already a good networker, they will probably be eager for the opportunity to take their business and their networking to another level.

Now that you feel confident that this person is a good addition to your group, don’t forget the most important step in sales: closing. Ask them if they like what you’ve told them about the group. You can say “assuming that the time and location is convenient, should I go ahead and add you to the member list?” Or, another closing statement is, “I think we both agree that this will be a great fit for us both. Here’s the membership application. You can fill it out now or bring it to the next meeting.”

However you say it, don’t let the conversation end without a clear invitation from you to them to join the group.

Are you making one of these five networking mistakes that even experienced sales and business people make? Visit business networking site to find out (without cost or obligation) if you are.

Looking for more networking tips, tricks, strategies & advice? Visit MeetingWave’s Networking Motivator Blog

About the Author: Beth Bridges is The Networking Motivator ™ and creator of the 5 Part Networking Success Plan ™, a simple networking system that can help anyone from business owners to sales agents to college students develop a powerful network. Subscribe to the weekly Networking Motivator Newsletter at http://www.thenetworkingmotivator.com/ for a quick boost of networking inspiration, information and motivation.”

If you liked this article, tell all your friends about it. They’ll thank you for it. If you have a blog or website, you can link to it or even post it to your own site (including the author’s bio and the links www.meetingwave.com).

Are you the organizer of a professional networking group? New members are important, especially if you want to keep the energy up and the business leads coming. Here are some tested strategies for making sure that you are finding people, recruiting them and getting them to stay involved in your leads club.

Find Them at Networking Events

People who are “good” networkers understand that it takes time to build relationships to the point where business can be done. Look for people at events who seem to be more interested in the other person. Their focus will be how they can help the other person and not how they can immediately qualify them as a prospect or sell them on the spot. These people will already have a philosophy that will contribute to their success in the referral group. It takes time, patience and a giving attitude to be successful in a leads club.

Find them by Referral

Your existing members who are enjoying their result are your best source of referrals for new members. They are probably either well connected or excellent at asking questions (that’s how they bring in many of their leads). They’ll be eager to show off their success with the group. Dedicate a part of each meeting to training your existing members how to find potential new members. Use good referral group language: “A good lead for this group is…” You may have specific categories that you want to fill. Or you might tell you members that a good lead for the group is someone who is a patient and giving networker who is looking to take their business to the next level. Make it a countable lead to bring appropriate (meaning their category is open) guests to the group. Recognize and reward your top referring members and encourage everyone in the group to refer.

Recruiting

You may have been part of the group for several years so you’re familiar with how much business gets done behind the scenes, but a first time guest will have no way of knowing. This may be one of the few times the meeting runs late, the leadership is sloppy, or members had a bad week with hardly any leads. But this will be the first and perhaps only impression your guests will have of your group. It is hard to tell someone that “It’s rarely like this” when 100% of their experience is like that. A well-run, consistent meeting with good strong leads passed is one of your best recruiting tools.

If your group is new or small with few leads being passed, emphasize education in the meeting. Show a new guest that you are working on helping each other learn and that you are all actively seeking to improve your lead-giving. It can be good to be on the ground floor as long as the group is actively working on building their foundation.

Explain every role, every agenda item and every step…every time. Your potential new member will understand the purpose, format and activities much better than if they were given a written sheet to read and follow. Plus it’s good for your existing members to be reminded and refreshed on the rules and agenda.

Make sure that someone is responsible for talking with the potential new member after the meeting. If they feel it is a good fit, don’t let them leave without a strong “close.” Ask them if they liked what they experienced. Would they like to be part of it? Then tell them what it takes to become a member.

Retention

Members will stay as long as they are getting “enough” business. Everyone is going to have a different amount of business which will be satisfactory to them. This can be tricky if people have unrealistic expectations. At the bare minimum, they need to be making back their monetary investment for dues, travel and meals. They also should make enough to pay for their time. If they could spend that same amount of time doing something else that makes them more money, then they should be doing that.

Of course, if everything we did in business was logically and thoughtfully based on the highest return on investment of the time, then no one would ever watch YouTube at work. Logic doesn’t always rule; emotion and feelings do. If your members FEEL connected to the group and if they get some of their emotional or social needs met by the group, they will be more likely to stay, even if they’re not making a great deal of money.

It’s up to you as the leader of the referral group to not only encourage and train members to find and refer business to each other, but also to make sure that members are engaged with the group.

Are you making one of these five networking mistakes that even experienced sales and business people make? Visit business networking site to find out (without cost or obligation) if you are.

Looking for more networking tips, tricks, strategies & advice? Visit MeetingWave’s Networking Motivator Blog

About the Author: Beth Bridges is The Networking Motivator ™ and creator of the 5 Part Networking Success Plan ™, a simple networking system that can help anyone from business owners to sales agents to college students develop a powerful network. Subscribe to the weekly Networking Motivator Newsletter at http://www.thenetworkingmotivator.com/ for a quick boost of networking inspiration, information and motivation.”

If you liked this article, tell all your friends about it. They’ll thank you for it. If you have a blog or website, you can link to it or even post it to your own site (including the author’s bio and the links www.meetingwave.com).

Referrals are one of the best ways to get new business. They don’t cost anything (outside of the years you spent building your network and your reputation). They usually deliver prospects who are much closer to buying (because the referring person prepped them for you). And those referred clients can become excellent referrers themselves.

A memorable and specific description of your ideal lead is key to getting more referrals. It starts by letting people know that you appreciate and honor the referrals they send you. But they’ll have a hard time sending you leads if they’re confused about what to look for.

Too many people describe their ideal lead as anyone who has skin, or breathes air, or owns a home, or wants to make more money or lose weight. That’s just about everyone. In sales, a confused mind says no. In referrals, a mind with too broad a target will hit none.

Saying someone who “needs” something is too vague. How do we know what someone else needs? Some experienced networkers will approach an event with a specific need in mind, but most people just know that they have a problem that they want solved. Sometimes they don’t even know what will solve it.

You need to give your referral partners a specific, narrow description of people’s behavior so that when they encounter your ideal client, they will instantly recognize them.

Here’s a formula for writing your perfect lead description.

Start with “A great lead for me is… “

Insert a phrase that includes a noun and then a verb that describes that person, place, or business. For example: “…someone who has…” or “…people that say…” or “…businesses that work with…” or “…companies that experience…”

Now state either a problem or a recognizable behavior. This is something that you can solve. For example: “…trouble keeping employees” or “…just started their business” or “…a very high electric bill” or “…they don’t get good results from their advertising.”

Finally, finish with a very brief statement of how you can help them. The more specific the better. “I can help them save up to 50% on their power bill.” or “I can show them where to get the most for every advertising dollar.” or “I work exclusively with businesses who are less than a year old.”

Take the time to write out this statement and refine it until it sounds natural when you say it out loud. Rewrite it and study it until you have it memorized. You should use this frequently in your networking referral leads group and when you spend time with your referral partners. They’ll find it much easier to recognized your ideal client and to promote and refer your business.

Are you making one of these five networking mistakes that even experienced sales and business people make? Visit business networking site to find out (without cost or obligation) if you are.

Looking for more networking tips, tricks, strategies & advice? Visit Meetingwave’s Networking Motivator Blog

About the Author: Beth Bridges is The Networking Motivator ™ and creator of the 5 Part Networking Success Plan ™, a simple networking system that can help anyone from business owners to sales agents to college students develop a powerful network. Subscribe to the weekly Networking Motivator Newsletter at http://www.thenetworkingmotivator.com/ for a quick boost of networking inspiration, information and motivation.”

If you liked this article, tell all your friends about it. They’ll thank you for it. If you have a blog or website, you can link to it or even post it to your own site (including the author’s bio and the links www.meetingwave.com).

Leads are the lifeblood of any professional networking referral group. If you’re the leader of such a group or if you belong to a leads club, here are proven methods for encouraging more lead giving.

1. Create a policy on what counts as a lead and have a reminder statement read out loud at the beginning of every meeting. It is the choice of the group founder as to what counts as a lead, but it should always support the development of business. It will not instill confidence in potential new members (and it will frustrate existing members) if there isn’t real business being done and real money changing hands.

2. Have members be very clear in their description of what is a good lead for them. Everyone” is not a good lead. “Everyone who… breathes/has skin/wants more money” is not a good lead. They need to describe that potential referral in such detail that others can see that person in their mind’s eye. And when they run into that perfect referral, there is no question that they are a good lead for your referral club member.

Here is an examples of an excellent descriptions of a good lead:

“A good lead for me is someone who always has to apologize for the quality (or lack) of their copies, who prints everything in black and white, or whose business has to produce a great number of copies.”

Do you know what this person does? Do you already know someone who fits this description? This specific description makes it much easier to identify a lead than if the description was “any business.”

Here’s another good description:

“A good lead for me is a professional woman who is very busy, but wants to take great care of her skin. She probably notices other women with great skin and may ask them what they use because she’s not happy with her current results.”

3. Hold a contest. It doesn’t take a huge prize, but everyone loves to win even a small item. An internal contest between members is good, but competing against another group is even better. Members of the group band together instead of competing against each other. The Clovis Chamber has two leads clubs. One recently challenged the other group to a leads-generating contest. The Membership Director even offered the prize of a website banner ad for the winning group each quarter. Leads have increased nearly 20% in both groups.

4. Ask top lead givers to share their secrets. It’s a win for everyone. If the top lead giver teaches other people how to give more leads, they may be the recipient of some of that increased business.

5. Help members remember each other. Even a simple listing of names and companies is enough to job memories. Encourage members to have this sheet with them at all times. Maybe create it in a small booklet form. If they look at it every day, they will find more ways to give leads because their brain is seeking ways to connect.

Conclusion

As your members become more active and more enthusiastic, the momentum will help your group grow. You may not need to do all of these activities all the time, but keep these tools handy whenever the leads slow down.

Are you making one of these five networking mistakes that even experienced sales and business people make? Visit business networking site to find out (without cost or obligation) if you are.

Looking for more networking tips, tricks, strategies & advice? Visit Meetingwave’s Networking Motivator Blog

About the Author: Beth Bridges is The Networking Motivator ™ and creator of the 5 Part Networking Success Plan ™, a simple networking system that can help anyone from business owners to sales agents to college students develop a powerful network. Subscribe to the weekly Networking Motivator Newsletter at http://www.thenetworkingmotivator.com/ for a quick boost of networking inspiration, information and motivation.”

If you liked this article, tell all your friends about it. They’ll thank you for it. If you have a blog or website, you can link to it or even post it to your own site (including the author’s bio and the links www.meetingwave.com).

Professional networking groups (also called leads clubs or referral groups) are a very specific kind of networking organization. Only one representative is allowed from any particular business category. No duplication is allowed, so for example there will only be one real estate agent, one financial planner, one mortgage lender, etc. Groups will meet every week or sometimes every other week with the sole purpose of getting to know other people in the group and then providing leads to them.

Business people join these groups specifically to generate leads, meaning people or businesses who are looking for their services or products and have expressed an interest in finding out more. Membership in a business referral or leads group can be tremendously profitable if you are getting enough leads to make the time and money spent worthwhile.

Here are three ways to get more leads from your referral group:

*Choose the right group. When looking for a group, ask how many leads the pass each meeting. Research the other members to see if there are any complementary businesses to yours. Do they emphasize good quality leads or do they allow nearly anything to count? Find out how long they’ve been around and what the average tenure is for members. A long-term stable group is likely to produce a good result that keeps people around.

*Consistently use the same clear and memorable description of the ideal lead for you. The more vivid you make the picture of that perfect client or person who absolutely needs you, the easier it is for other members of the group to think of you when they encounter that client. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that a broader, more generic description will get you more leads. A generic description that doesn’t create a picture in the minds of other people will mean that instead of everyone, they are imagining no one. In sales, a confused mind says “no.”

*Give more leads. How can you expect to receive if you’re not willing to give? The best way to get a business person’s attention is to give them an outstanding referral. Every time you give them business, they will think more highly of you. You’ll prove that you are interested in investing in the long-term health of the group and their businesses. This will result in great leads and more business for you.

To get the most out of your business networking group membership, apply these three principals. Pick the right group, be descriptive in what makes a good lead, and always seek to give leads first. You’ll find that your referral group will be a great investment of your time and money.

Are you making one of these five networking mistakes that even experienced sales and business people make? Visit Beth’s business networking site to find out (without cost or obligation) if you are.

About the Author: Beth Bridges is The Networking Motivator ™ and creator of the 5 Part Networking Success Plan ™, a simple networking system that can help anyone from business owners to sales agents to college students develop a powerful network. Subscribe to the weekly Networking Motivator Newsletter at http://www.TheNetworkingMotivator.com for a quick boost of networking inspiration, information and motivation.”

If you liked this article, tell all your friends about it. They’ll thank you for it. If you have a blog or website, you can link to it or even post it to your own site (including the author’s bio and the links www.meetingwave.com).