Still, there's much to be said about old-fashioned, face-to-face networking one can do offline -- business card exchanges, mixers and seminars, for example. But perhaps the most beneficial results may be found via membership in a business and professional organization.
One of the best examples is Business Network International, which touts itself as the largest business networking organization in the world. BNI offers members the opportunity to share ideas, contacts and most important, business referrals.
Dr. Ivan Misner, chairman of BNI and New York Times best-selling author, founded the organization 25 years.
Called the "Father of Modern Networking," Misner is considered one of the world's leading experts in business networking and referral marketing.
One of the major operating rules mandates that only one person from each profession may join a local BNI chapter, whose membership is generally capped around 30, so groups remain smaller and easier to manage.
How does limiting membership help? Well, BNI members in your chapter make a point of recommending your products and services wherever they go. It's akin to having a large and diverse sales department working in your behalf because they hand out your business cards.
There are many BNI imitators out there, groups whose members represent diverse professions, products and services within the context of a regular social gathering in the community.
But without the proper structure, these imitator groups can fall into what can be called the "cult of personality," in which the leadership appears to be more interested in building their business than helping member businesses. What happens in such cases is the quality of referrals is too diluted and scattered to be of real value to the majority of members.
Additionally, imitator groups may not provide a system for follow-through on referral interactions -- for example, did both sides find the B2B or B2C meeting satisfactory? Why wasn't the business deal/proposal sealed?
BNI, to its credit, tracks such things with the aim of improving business referral outcomes. The organization also encourages "power teams" of members whose businesses provide compatible services, for example, a graphics designer and a writer. What a great concept for clients seeking a complete package!
Is BNI perfect? No, but in today's shaky economy with customers always hard to find, it's reassuring to know business owners have a system of professional support, probably in their own backyard.
As for me, I practice what I preach at writenowworks.com.
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