Business networking organizations 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 and set you up for inside prospects with those on the business networking organizations web site. These relationships can lead to new customers and suppliers for your company.

You can participate personally and ask some of your staff to network through a business networking organizations website. Have your staff follow the trend of using online communities to do their business while participating in social networks. Professionals who practice business networking attend the online meetings and live events of the networking groups for the same reasons as you do and expect to find business opportunities through the relationships they build. Use business networking organizations in a number of different ways.

1. Ask employees to join a business networking organizations website

2. Take advantage of a business networking organizations list

3. Sponsor a business networking organizations vendor

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

Find a business networking organizations web site

Turn socializing into a business opportunity through a business networking web site. 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: Advancing Women is a growing business networking organizations vendor that focuses on women business professionals and entrepreneurs. Facebook recognizes the inherent value of online networking and offers the business community the Visa Business Network..

Select business networking organizations

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: Membership in a local BNI group gives you access to online networking and events with an international community of business professionals. The local groups meet weekly for lunches where members get an opportunity to talk about their business and make valuable connections. The group charges annual dues for membership into the popular business networking organization. The National Association of Female Professionals is a growing group or women business owners and executives from a wide variety of industries. There is no charge to join the business networking organizations website.

Spend marketing dollars with a business networking organizations vendor

Many 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 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. Business Builders is a formal referral and marketing network that provides unique business networking opportunities through its web-based network of members.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  When you can, support the members on your business networking organizations list. Your business will be noted and the other members will recognize your participation and work even harder to send you reciprocal referrals.