Don't Look A Goldmine in the Mouth
Make The Most of Your Networking Opportunities.
The Cost of Wasted Opportunities in Networking
There’s a saying I picked up many years ago. It goes, “Having books and not reading in the information age is like having seeds and not planting in the agricultural age.” If that statement is true, then it also follows that joining and paying for a networking organization, and not attending, is just like throwing money down the drain. Unfortunately, that’s what I see so many entrepreneurs do when they start getting busy.
Why Entrepreneurs Stop Networking – And Why It’s a Mistake
Most entrepreneurs will join a Chamber of Commerce or a networking affiliation early on and will be more inclined to attend those mixers until they get to the point where they feel they are too busy to network. This is a colossal mistake! The busier you are, the more you should be networking so that you can tell everybody how busy you are!
Discovering a Goldmine: The Power of NRG Networking
About a year and a half ago, I stumbled onto what I considered a goldmine. Several of my clients mentioned NRG to me. NRG stands for National Referral Group, and its founder, Mike Weiner, really impressed me the first time we met. I watched him conduct one of his many weekly Zoom networking sessions and rattle off referral after referral — not only to his paid members but also to his invited guests who were prospective customers interested in finding out more about his business.
Don’t Pay for a Network You Never Use
When I spread the word about Mike’s business to my client base, many of them signed up as members. However, I was shocked to learn that some of them rarely or never attended any of the networking sessions. The value of any system or service is only as good as the amount of time you spend using it. Networking is the most reliable and cost-effective way for you to grow your business.
The Key to Business Growth: Consistent Networking
As long as you’re in business, you’re never going to get to the point where you can afford to stop networking. I made this mistake once when I was running my business and stopped networking for about five years. It almost put me out of business. The key to my turnaround was that I started networking consistently and regularly until I got to the point where virtually my entire client base was coming to me as a result of my networking efforts.
Make the Most of Your Networking Investment
If you’re serious about growing your business, make a commitment to get the most out of your networking investment. If you won’t do it for yourself, do it for all of those prospects going to networking events hoping to find someone like you who can solve their problems.
“You're either networking or not working." – Dave Romeo
For more on this topic, please check out our course, Survive and Thrive V: Ramping up Referrals.
More Referrals, Please!
Who doesn't love referrals? If you love networking, but prefer to connect from the comfort of your home or office, definitely check out NRG, and tell Mike we sent you his way! Your first meeting is completely free, and you even get three guaranteed referrals on the spot just for giving it a try. Give Mike a call, or shoot him a text, at
(443) 756-9656.
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