subject: How to Network With Highly Qualified Business Prospects [print this page] Author: Jonathan Taylor
One of the best and least expensive ways to market your business is by networking with people. The problem is that many business owners fail to network with the right people. They join organizations that have a mixture of different industries. I've never liked this approach. I recently discovered a better way to network. I listened to an audio called Networking with Millionaires by Thomas Stanley. Stanley interviewed several professionals from different service industries, and what he discovered was that the best networkers were those who focused on certain affinity groups. In other words those who targeted certain niche organizations. One example was a financial planner who had become a member of the food service industry. Now you're probably thinking "Why is a financial planner becoming a member of the food service trade organization?" Well, ask yourself this- How many other financial planners do you think were in the food service industry? You guessed it; none. Now being the only financial planner within that organization, who do you think most of these members came to when they were ready to invest some extra earnings? The lesson here is simple- if you want to network effectively, target well defined niche groups. Meetup.com is a great organization for networking in your local area. It's a combination of Web 2.0 social networking and local area networking. So you can go to the site, look up your town and see all of the local organizations in your area. It's really an amazing medium for meeting people in your target market. You'll find Meetup groups in your area for just about every topic under the sun. Here's my suggestion for any business owner is this- Look at organizing meetups in your local area.If I own a car repair shop, I might consider starting a meetup for car enthusiasts. These are people who are truly passionate about the vehicles they drive. You might find Mustang enthusiasts, Corvette enthusiasts, or even Rolls Royce enthusiasts! Using the site's search engine, I found some organizations in different areas of the country. I did another search in my area for Ford Mustang groups, and while there was no official group listed, I found enthusiasts listed in my area who were looking for such a group to start up. That's the other great feature of Meetup.com. If you can't find a car enthusiast group in your area, you have the option of starting your own organization. It only takes a few minutes. It takes no marketing on your part to get new members. If you own a car detailing business, think of the benefits of organizing a group that loves to discuss their cars. These are the same people that pay big bucks to have their vehicles polished immaculately. A car insurance agent could benefit as well. Isn't this the market you want- passionate customers with a lot of disposable income to spend?About the Author:
Jonathan is the author of the new book The Official Small Business Guide to Marketing 2.0.Not only does this author specialize in marketing and business success, you can check out his latest website on Big Bear Rentals, which reviews Big Bear Cabins and other vacation cabin rentals.
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