~
I'm from the school of "Dont put all your Eggs in One Basket", and that also applies to networking.
And whereas there has been a HUGE shift towards online networking in the last year, there is still a place in most people's Business Plans for "Real Life Networking".
Now that can be in many shapes and forms, but because it takes more time from your schedule, and you cant just do it in your pajamas like Online Networking, often people overlook it, and dont make the effort to get out there and expand their visibility.
Now I know for a fact that this is a grave mistake for many, as I have lived both sides of it - not doing much of it, and now doing TONS of it !
... can you guess which has produced more business for me ?
Real Life Networking can be in many ways. The following are just some that you may want to consider if you are not doing so already.
1) A Business Network Group. examples: BNI, LeTip
This is BY FAR the biggest source of leads for me of anything I do. I am approaching 20 deals closed for the year and 50%of the closed clients have come from referrals from this group that I belong to. It doesnt hurt that I am now the President of my chapter, so I get more exposure each week, but like most things, the more you put in, the more you get out. I will be writing a full post on this group next week, but a network group is definitely something to consider. These groups often have anywhere from 20 to 60 members, and usually meet weekly.
2) Chamber of Commerce Groups. Individual by town or Municipality
Another in-person gathering of professionals that can potentially be good sources of referral business. This is slightly different to the Network Groups above, as usually the Chamber Groups dont limit the number of members in the same category - ie: there could be 20 Realtors in the Chamber of Commerce that has 200-300 members, whereas the Network Groups above only allow 1 member per industry.
3) Brokerage Meetings !
Yep those pesky weekly or monthly meetings in your office can be a great way to network with your co-workers. What good is that ? Well guess what, you may have a deal with someone in your office and the better rapport you have with them, the chances are the deal will be smoother. Also, you may be double booked with 2 or more Open Houses on any given Sunday, and with a well built camaraderie, often you can get assistance to cover one or more from fellow members of your office. Finally - we dont know everything !!!! And there may be another member of your office who specializes in an area or situation that you have questions about. Subsequently, your fellow co-workers can have great value to network with.
In addition, getting involved with various types of town councils, rotaries, Elks or Knights of Columbus type groups are all good opportunities to network.
Bottom line, even if you are doing well right now, you have to keep as many options open as possible for consistency, and nothing comes for free.
So as well as your internet leads, website leads, print ads, direct mail, blogging and other marketing angles, you may want to look into whether adding a Real Life Network Group to your endeavors may help your bottom line.
Good luck in the second half of the year to everyone !
Sheldon
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>> Dont miss other upcoming blog entries from "ThatBritishAgent" !
Sheldon Neal is a Realtor® with RE/MAX, specializing in Homes For Sale in the Bergen County, NJ area.
If you are looking for Bergen County Realtors, call local expert Sheldon Neal for all your Bergen County Buying & Selling needs !
Sheldon Neal ~ RE/MAX REAL ESTATE LTD.
cell: 201-481-2891
email: SheldonNeal@remax.net
website: www.SheldonNeal.com
Comments(40)