Workin’ It: How To Make Networking Groups Work For You

The first time I went to a formal networking meeting, I thought, “Hmmm… This is pretty cheesy…” It was so structured. So unnatural… “Why can’t we just have lunch and talk?”, I thought. On the advice of a friend, I joined, but still didn’t really like the format. And the worst part was that it didn’t seem to benefit my business. On the average, it managed to pay for my lunch each month and that was about it. I don’t really know why, but I stayed in that group for a few years. And about six months after I quit, a man came in who was referred to me by one of the members of that group. He became a regular weekly client and has remained so for the last two or three years. So in the end, that group paid off . …big time.

But then I joined another group, where one of my friends was a member. She had a lot of experience with networking groups and did a great job of mentoring me. I remember that my first day there, she leaned over and whispered to me, “With this group, I bet if you offer a big discount to group members for their first massage, you’ll get a lot of takers. And they’ll be more likely to refer you if they’ve already had a massage with you.”

She was right. Even though I had to pay an initial $300 or so to get started in this group, (registration fee and the first year’s dues), by the end of the very first six months, I had not only recovered the initial starting cost and weekly lunch fees, but also made a profit of about $200-300. (That was more than I had ever made in the previous group!) The first year my profit from the group was about $600 or $800. The second year, it was about $3,000! Now in every group I’m in, I offer a 25% discount to members on their first visit and 10% for every visit thereafter. I finally learned how to “work it” in a networking group.

So let’s take a look at how and why networking groups work. (or don’t work in the case of a not-so-good group!) The basic premise is that word of mouth advertising is stronger than any other kind. So if all the members of the group plug your business while they’re out and about and doing business of their own, your business should benefit. You in turn, are out plugging their businesses, so everyone begins to benefit.

OK. So how do I as a massage therapist plug the business of my group’s Information Technology guy for example? It’s tough! I don’t know anything about that kind of business! And he doesn’t know anything about being a massage therapist, what a trigger point is, or how to get rid of shooting pains in the leg from sciatica. So we need to educate each other. We need to educate each other about our businesses to a certain degree, but we also need to build a relationship where we learn what makes the other person special within his field – what sets me apart from other massage therapist and him apart from other IT guys. We need to know about the other person’s hobbies, strengths, character, etc. If the IT guy knows for example that my hobby is Aikido, then when he finds out that his friend does Karate, maybe he’ll think of me and say, “Oh. I know a massage therapist who does Aikido. How is that different?” Then perhaps the topic will change to massage. …And maybe not. But anyway, there’s the chance. The more the other members know about you, the more chance there is of your name coming up in conversations.

So you need to start building relationships when you join the group. Here are some ideas to facilitate that:

• See if anyone wants to carpool to the meeting. It’ll give you another chance to get to know that member better on a personal level and you’ll be helping the earth at the same time.

• If you normally eat lunch out alone, try to have lunch with one of the group members once a week or so. You’ll get to know him or her better.

• Offer a hefty discount to members for the first time they use your services. This way, they’ll be more apt to make an appointment with you, and thereby get to know your professional side better.

• Use the other members’ services as much as possible. This way, you find out how professional they are and whether you feel safe referring them to friends. You also may learn that there’s something unique about how they do business as opposed to others in their field, making it easier to refer them.

• Hold a mixer/party at your home or office. Invite group members and other people if you like.

• Send a substitute when you can’t make it to the meeting. Most groups allow only one absence every month or so. But if you send someone to represent you, it doesn’t count as an absence. Send someone. It can be a client, a friend, a colleague. I’ve heard sub’s give fantastic testimonials for the people they’re representing. They’re often much more complimentary than you could be yourself without being thought arrogant.

Don’t forget. It takes time to build relationships. So don’t expect to make any money until after at least six months. Be patient. Don’t give up.

Another thing that makes a networking group work is the principle, “givers gain.” When you help people either by referring business to them or in some other way, they think of you. And they think of you in a positive light. There’s more chance of them referring you if you’re in the forefront of their mind. So give! Here are some ideas:

• Use the other members’ services as much as possible.

• Think about other things that might help the business of another member. Maybe the graphic artist in the group has mentioned how he really needs to hire someone, but can’t quite afford it yet and you just met a university student majoring in graphic design who needs to do an internship next semester. Introduce them!

And before we finish here, there’s one more thing we need to address. Not all groups are created equal. It’s important to pick a good group to make the most of your precious time. Most groups will allow you to visit once or twice before making your final decision. Take advantage of that and go check out a few different groups. Here are some things to look for and compare at each meeting:

• Are many leads/referrals being passed?

• Do you get the sense that they are quality leads? (“I put 10 of your brochures in a coffee shop.”, as opposed to, “My friend’s back went out. I told him you would call. Here’s his number.”

• Are the members paying attention to each other? Do they seem sincerely interested in learning about each other’s businesses?

• Ask someone on the leadership team if they track the actual income generated by the group. If so, ask if you can take a look at the chart.

• Do people seem professional?

- Does the meeting begin on time?
- Do all the members stay till the end of the meeting?
- Do they stick to the structure of the meeting?
- Do they end on time, respecting the members’ schedules?

You’ll notice that cost of dues, lunch fees, or meeting frequency wasn’t mentioned. My advice is not to worry too much about the various fees. That may seem strange, but when I compare the groups I’ve been in, the one with the lowest fees (We paid only for our lunch – no dues, no registration…) brought me the least revenue. One could come up with various theories as to why that was. Maybe when people pay less they take it less seriously. Maybe that group brought me less because we only met once a month. Maybe it was a coincidence. Who knows…? But the point is, if the answers to the questions above are “Yes” and you take the meetings seriously, then you should be able to recover your fees 10 fold.

So far, in this article I’ve covered the topic of networking groups in a very broad way. Now I’ll give a few tips for massage therapists specifically.

Networking groups have two or three speakers spotlighted at each meeting. They’re typically given 10 minutes or so to give a “talk” about their business while the other members listen and enjoy their breakfast or lunch. When it comes time for you to give your “talk” make sure you don’t make the “talk” the focus. Instead, make “touch” the main point.

For example, whenever I join a new group, the first time I give my “talk”, I ask one of the group members beforehand if they’d be kind enough to be the receiver for a massage. (No one has ever said no.) If you do table massages with oil, you’ll probably want to ask one of the men in the group and just work on the back and shoulders. That way, you don’t have to worry so much about nudity, etc. Then with everyone watching, give the person massage and say a few things about what you’re doing while you’re doing it. Don’t worry. You don’t have to talk much. When you finish, the receiver will get off the table all dreamy-eyed, stumble back to his seat, and tell his neighbors how great it was. Everyone will see how “out-of-it” he got in just 10 minutes of massage from you.

Another thing I’ve done for my talks has been to ask the person timing the 10-minute block to give me a sign every 60 seconds. I begin my talk standing behind one member and giving them a shoulder and neck massage. When I get the 60-second signal, I move to the person next to him and give them a 60-second session. I go around the table giving everyone a shoulder and neck massage, answering questions, mentioning monthly specials, etc. while I go.

As you put these tips to use, the main thing to remember is that it’s not enough to just be a member of the group and show up at the meetings. To make the most out of your networking group, you’ve got to “work it”!