Business Round Table
Networking essentials
by Cheryl Baumgartner Medical Billing/Coding/Insurance
Cheryl Baumgartner 
Medical...
One of my commitments is business is going through my contacts and prospects. In can be very helpful in keeping a steady supply of warm market contacts on the horizon. It is much easier to work in a warm market than a cold one. So the first step is finding a warm market. In most cases this is the infamous "list". You know the one, friends, family and co-workers. There is a better way to get a warm market list and that is through networking.
I am a member of BNI. Business owners join together in chapters to meet, fellowship and pass business in the form of solid referral to each other. This group of strangers have become friends. Each of us learns the basics of each other's business. This way when someone has an issue we can pass the referral on. So what I and the others are doing is going through each other to get at warm markets. Yes we do business among ourselves also so we are all each other's prospects. Everyone benefits.
If you are going to network look at the size of the group. In smaller groups you get to know each other much better. That translates into trust. In larger groups you may have too many contacts to get to know. Start small 20 members or less. Once you get to know these people find a larger group to move on to. You see some of the faces you know in this larger group. You won't be a stranger trying to break into the group but an associate who is bringing something to the table.
The other problem with large groups is you must complete with others. The larger group I am a member of has 7 to 10 air conditioning companies on any given week. That means they must compete with each other to make the connections that will bring in business. In a smaller group, they may be the only company there.
The last must to effectively networking is showing up. It's just like here at APSense. The people who "show up" in the form of posts, blogs and group activity become known and trusted. The ones that run in, join a group, and post an ad then disappear will not get any true benefit from being here.
Nov 2nd 2007 08:51
Medical...One of my commitments is business is going through my contacts and prospects. In can be very helpful in keeping a steady supply of warm market contacts on the horizon. It is much easier to work in a warm market than a cold one. So the first step is finding a warm market. In most cases this is the infamous "list". You know the one, friends, family and co-workers. There is a better way to get a warm market list and that is through networking.
I am a member of BNI. Business owners join together in chapters to meet, fellowship and pass business in the form of solid referral to each other. This group of strangers have become friends. Each of us learns the basics of each other's business. This way when someone has an issue we can pass the referral on. So what I and the others are doing is going through each other to get at warm markets. Yes we do business among ourselves also so we are all each other's prospects. Everyone benefits.
If you are going to network look at the size of the group. In smaller groups you get to know each other much better. That translates into trust. In larger groups you may have too many contacts to get to know. Start small 20 members or less. Once you get to know these people find a larger group to move on to. You see some of the faces you know in this larger group. You won't be a stranger trying to break into the group but an associate who is bringing something to the table.
The other problem with large groups is you must complete with others. The larger group I am a member of has 7 to 10 air conditioning companies on any given week. That means they must compete with each other to make the connections that will bring in business. In a smaller group, they may be the only company there.
The last must to effectively networking is showing up. It's just like here at APSense. The people who "show up" in the form of posts, blogs and group activity become known and trusted. The ones that run in, join a group, and post an ad then disappear will not get any true benefit from being here.
Nov 2nd 2007 08:51
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Cheryl Baumgartner
Medical Billing/Coding/InsuranceI did promise to share the knowledge I got at my class. Nothing earth shattering but a reinforcement of things we should have picked up on if we have been marketing for a while: 1. Givers gain- By helping others you help yourself 2. Trust takes time- The move visible and involved you are the more people learn about you. The more they know, the more apt they are to trust you. 3. Put together a good "elevator speech"- Figure out a short, sweet way to let people know who you are and what you do in 30 seconds. Use your speech in conjunction with a business card or other promotional material. As you talk hand the prospect something with your name and contact information Nov 7th 2007 19:28 |
Off to a "networking class this evening. I'll be taking notes so don't be surprised if I start sharing!
Nov 5th 2007 14:58