Business Networking

With all the talk about business networking and how it can positively effect your bottom line I thought I would revisit this very important subject.


We all know that business networking is important, but you might not realize just how vital business networking is in today's business environment. To say that it's vital is not an overstatement! With so many businesses going under everyone should realize that you have to do everything in your power just to stay afloat now-a-days, let alone prosper.

So the question comes to mind "How do I become effective at business networking?" Here are a few things that you can do that can really help your business networking efforts.

• Join a few business networking groups.
  Business networking groups are out there, we know there are many of them, so get out there and be active. You'll get out of them what you put in. Sure it's going to take a little time to see the results, but just like everything else, if you don't plant any seeds you aren't going to reap any crops!


• Attend some business networking functions.
  While online business networking is useful, people like to do business with someone that they can put a face to, someone they've spoken with face to face and have gotten a good feel for. Attending business networking events can help you a lot more than spending your days in front of the computer! while you're there, try to have a little fun. People are drawn to those that have a penchant for laughter as opposed to the "doom and gloom" types.


• Work on that "elevator speech".
  The first 15 seconds are by far the most important, this is your "first impression". Craft a well rounded message that is very short and to the point and at the end turns the conversation back to the person you're talking with. Everyone loves to talk about themselves and their business and you can uncover opportunities this way.


• Always, always, always, remember to listen.
  Many people think that a great sales person has the "gift of gab" but in reality the greatest sales people have the "gift of silence". Learn to really hear what people are talking about. You will find yourself presented with all sorts of opportunities for your business if you spend more of your time listening than talking.

The main thing is get out there, talk to people and get busy with your business networking!

Business Referral Group

Business Referral Group

When looking for the best business referral group for you, what should you be looking for?

All of us have been in a place where one of our clients has needed services that we can't give them. We want to be assured that our client is going to be well taken care of and we want to put ourselves in a position to be their trusted advisor. Moving forward our client will look to us for all sorts of different revenue generating work. Belonging to a business referral group allows you to refer the client to someone in the group that can help them. Referring out business benefits you in several ways:

• This allows you to screen who your client is going to use for these services. You can feel assured that your client is going to be taken care of.


• It increases the level of service that you can provide to your client. This way they will come back to you for advice on many other services that they might not have known you provide.


• It creates goodwill among your fellow business persons and gives you a better chance to win their referrals in the future.


• It strengthens the bonds within your business referral group. You get more referrals not just from the business person that you referred business to, but also from business people that might be close to them.

A business referral group is basically a circle of people coming together to create a win-win situation. True, it takes a little effort to become a trusted member of a business referral group, but the benefits are never ending. Just think of what it would mean to your business if you were part of a network that allowed you access to thousands of other business people in hundreds of different industry verticals. Once you are a participating member you could see a dramatic increase in referrals, and we all know that a referral is much stronger than a lead. Having someone else identify the opportunity and give your name as the person to assist the client with their need is a slam dunk in any sales environment. We all know what the financial crisis has done to our businesses and I think we all know that we have to start thinking outside of the box in order to secure the future for our companies.

The days of isolation among businesses is over, you have to be willing to partner with other businesses in order to achieve success in the market of the 21st Century. This is the goal of any good business referral group.

Business Networking

We all know that business networking, is important, but how do we get the most out of it?
The first thing is you have to be present! It's real tough to get anything out of a resource if you don't use it. There are a lot of people around you that have a lot to offer, reach out to them, connect with them, ask them for referrals. Don't be shy because that won't get you anywhere, you have to be a persistent self-promoter to get the most out of any business networking environment.
The second thing is take a good look at the articles that are available and see if anything sparks your interest. There are many topics to look at and while some of these may not apply to you and your business the ones that do may carry a valuable tip that will really help you and your business grow.
The third thing would be to use the tools that are available to you, like the blogging platform. This is a good way for you to promote yourself to the larger community, again remember, don't be shy! Just get on and start writing.
The fourth thing is to reach out to other people you know and ask for help.
Good luck with all your business networking.

Business Referral Group

Business Referral Group

So, what are the things you should be looking for in a good business referral group?

When your client needs services that your business can't provide what do you do? Simply tell them that you can't handle their business? Of course you want to take good care of your client and you want to position yourself and your business as the trusted advisor in the eyes of your client. Moving forward your client will look to you for all manner of possible revenue generating work. If you are a part of a business referral group you then refer your client to someone in your group that can help them. This creates many benefits for you and your business.

• It lets you to screen who your client is going to use for these services. This way you can be assured that your client is going to be well taken care of.


• Increases the amount of services that you can provide to your client, they will end up coming back to you for advice on many other services that they might not have known you could provide.


• Creates goodwill among your fellow business people, this gives you a better chance to win their referrals.


• Makes the business referral group itself stronger by your participation in it, you'll get more referrals not just from the business person that you referred business to, but also from business people that might be close to them.

Think of a business referral group as a circle of people all scratching the back of the next person in line. Everyone comes out a winner. Now you do have to be a present member in order to receive any of these benefits. It takes a little effort to become a trusted member of a business referral group, but the benefits never end. Take a moment to think of what it would mean to your business if you were part of a network that allowed you access to thousands of other business people in hundreds of different industry verticals. Once you are a participating member yourself you could see a dramatic increase in referrals, and we all know that a referral is much stronger than a lead. Having someone else identify the opportunity and give your name as the person to assist the client with their need is a slam dunk in any sales environment. We have all read about the financial crisis and have seen what it's done to our businesses, I think we all know that we have to be thinking outside of the box in order to secure the future of our companies.



Running your business with a 20th century mindset no longer works in the marketplace of today, you have to be willing to partner with other businesses in order to achieve success in the market of the 21st Century. This is the goal of any good business referral group.

Thanks for reading!

Business Networking Group

I really love being a part of a business networking group!

I have participated in several and to be honest, there's some good and some not so much. The ones that offer a powerful set of tools to really allow the best business networking group opportunities are relatively rare, but they are out there. We all want to be part of the crowd, humans are social creatures. When we were children we felt the a great desire to "with it" and did everything we could do to be with that in crowd. I can tell you that being a part of the Perfect Networker business networking group has been wonderful. From the first day I was greeted warmly and felt like I was a part of the community, not just another person signing up. The management team over there has done a great job in making the platform the most awesome business networking group on the internet today!

There is so much for us to think about now-a-days and it seems sometimes that if one more straw is added to the "camel's back" it's going to break. With the the economy imploding and sub-prime mortgage disaster it almost seems as if the only "news" is bad news. So every day I tell myself "Illegitimi non carborundum"! (don't let the bastards wear you down).

When you really feel like a member of a business networking group like Perfect Networker you can stay focused on gaining some ground in your business efforts instead of the mess that is the world today. Don't get me wrong, you still have to pay attention to the day to day details, but if you think more about the good stuff happening in your life it's easier to get through the day.

Having a business networking group that can give you some hope that not only is your business efforts going to pay dividends, but you'll have some fun along the way as well.

If you need any advice on working a business networking group let me know!

Thanks for reading.