Simple... one usually involves lots of coffee and chatting, the other helps grow your business with genuine business introductions.
Having fallen foul of many an unfruitful networking event and been handed more business cards from solicitors and accountants than I care to remember I finally decided to try something a little different... a business referral network!
Isn't that the same thing dressed in different clothes you may well ask? Exactly what I thought and with great scepticism I went along expecting the usual hard sell and walking away with hands full of business cards I didn't want or even need... wrong! What I actually encountered was a room full of likeminded business men and women, all with a common goal... to help and support each other by providing genuine opportunities to do business with their own extended network of contacts.. in other words a referral group not a networking group that is dedicated to mutually beneficial business relationships based on the if I help you, you will help me principal.
Three months later our little band of entrepreneurs is slowly expanding and proving to be a valuable source of business for all concerned and something I have come to look forward to on a Tuesday morning at my Stockport meetings.
So what does make the group different? Well firstly we only have one representative from each profession e.g. one web designer, one accountant, one printer etc. and in my case one marketing consultant a slot I'm glad I got to fill before anyone beat me too it..
Is it for everyone? In a word no... You have to be prepared to put in as least as much as you want to get out. As with most things in life you reap what you sow.
With the right attitude and professional approach you can effectively build up a virtual sales force of referrers as keen to help you as they are to help themselves, greatly enhancing your business reach and exposure... how much would you be prepared to pay for a sales force of over 20 people?
If any of this sounds in the least bit intriguing and Stockport is within easy reach for you, just drop me a line via LinkedIn or at mark@themarketingcounsel.co.uk and I can arrange for you to come along as a visitor and see for yourself the support that's available to help you grow your business.. Rest assured you won’t be pressured in any way and if you decide it’s not for you then you've lost nothing, but hopefully gained a few introductions you otherwise would not have got.
Nothing ventured, nothing gained.....
Extensive experience in the advertising and marketing industry covering all aspects of the marketing mix. A driven marketer constantly adopting and embracing new methods to achieve the ever changing…
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