If you are looking for a way to get more customers and gain help with some of your most pressing problems, then you need to be a member of a small business group. These teams of people all work together to benefit each other. Read on to find out how you can give your business the best chance of success with through networking.In order to create a network you first will need to decide what kind you want to create. Are you a virtual, on-line business where you want to only talk with members through the internet? Are you a bricks-and-mortar business where you would like to only meet with local companies that can help you, or are you looking for some kind of hybrid between the two? Once you have the type off group picked out, you will need to start recruiting members.
There are many different ways to get members, depending on the design of the group. Try working close to home first. You can contact your local Chamber of Commerce and see if you can attend one of their meetings, or you could canvass local business owners that you trust and see if they would like to join the team. If you have a customer list, you could put a note out to people and see if there are any business owners would like to work with you. Stick with only 5-10 members at first, in order to
Once you have the members, you will need to meet and decide how you will want to operate the group. You may need to create a code of conduct, or perhaps you will want to leave it as informal as possible. There is a lot of room for flexibility when developing a network.
Once the team is established, now comes the good part, swapping leads. One of the biggest benefits for joining a network is that you can now add services to what you can currently offer your customers. If you have a car repair shop and one of your customers needs an accountant, you now have that person that you can give a referral to. This whole process is all about giving to each other. You have to give before you can get. You will not get leads every time. This is definitely not a completely fair process, but over time each member should benefit heavily from belonging to the group.