Business networking groups provide opportunities for you, your senior management team and your sales staff to meet and build relationships with other business professionals who can send you sales leads, set you up for inside prospects with the business networking groups vendor and become customers and suppliers for your company.

You can save valuable time by networking online through a business networking groups website. Have your staff follow the trend of using online communities to do their business while participating in social networks. Members on a business networking groups list attend the meetings and events of the business networking groups for most of the same reasons and expect to find business opportunities through the relationships they build. Use the business networking groups in a number of different ways.

1. Ask employees to join a business networking groups web site

2. Put your business on a business networking groups list

3. Sponsor an event for a business networking groups vendor

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Find a business networking groups website

Turn socializing into a business opportunity through a business networking groups website. Some of the most effective sales techniques can be applied to friends and others who trust you through social referrals. You can make the networking phenomena a part of your corporate culture by encouraging employees to utilize online blogs and business sites to promote your business.

I recommend: Facebook recognizes the inherent value of online networking and offers the business community the Visa Business Network. My Solution Spot is a free business networking groups web site that lets you create a profile of your business and exchange communications with other business people on anything that affects your company.

Join business networking groups

The more exposure your company can get, the better. Salespeople and company executives should find a group in which they can participate on a regular basis to build the kinds of business relationships that pay off and show up on your bottom line. Business networking groups that charge fees for membership tend to have a more committed roster of members, while groups with no membership fees attract a wide variety of participants.

I recommend: BNI is a worldwide network of professionals who meet locally each week to help each other with prospecting and business referrals. This list of networkers is invaluable to for most businesses with a service or product to sell. BBP&E is one of the professional business networking groups that supports African-American business people and entrepreneurs.

Advertise with a business networking groups vendor

Many business networking groups are non-profit organizations and rely on corporate and small business sponsorships to put on large events such as conventions and trade shows. Through the publicity you can receive by sponsoring an event by a local networking group, you can reach all the group members that previously may not have been on your company's radar.

I recommend: Find the local Chamber of Commerce in your area to join a group that is dedicated to promoting the interests of the local business community. This is a group that is always putting on events and creating publications that require financial support. One of the special interest business networking groups that you may find helpful is the Business Alliance for Local Living Economies. Find sponsorship opportunities through the local chapters.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Ask your sales team for reports from their regular business networking groups to share information with each other from the various groups.