Business owners today tend to lean more towards social media to market their products or services. While social media can be a powerful tool to get your name out there, not everyone enjoys using it. Sure, you can force yourself to make posts and upload content, but if you don’t genuinely enjoy it, it’ll probably show. There are other options out there. Options that are designed to get you in front of your target audience. Networking groups offer opportunities and advantages that business owners can use to grow their company. Exalto Designs has seen firsthand how engaging with these groups can significantly increase your marketing reach and how it has helped us grow our business. Let’s look at some advantages on how networking groups can help grow your business:
Building Authentic Relationships
One of the best ways to market your business is by building a salesforce for it. Networking groups allow you to partner up with like-minded professionals that know where your target customers are. Taking the time to build an authentic and trusting relationship with these professionals can lead to building that salesforce. Think about it, once you talk about your business enough to these professionals, they will talk to their network about you. Especially when they hear of someone needing your product or service. Now, let’s make one thing clear with networking groups: if you go into a group with the mission to only get leads, then networking groups aren’t going to work for you. You need to go into it with the idea that you want to give more referrals than you get. When you go into it with this mindset, you will reap the full benefits of a networking group.
Word of Mouth Marketing
If you run a service-based business like Exalto Designs, then you know that some of the best marketing is word of mouth. When you regularly engage with a group of business owners, they will become more familiar with your services. At Exalto Designs, many of our clients have come from referrals from previous clients or professional colleagues. We work to make sure we take care of our clients so that when they hear of someone needing our services down the road, they will recommend us. This works in networking groups as well. When you create those authentic relationships that we spoke about earlier, your group will extend your word-of-mouth marketing. This form of marketing is invaluable because it comes with a trust factor. Recommendations from peers carry more weight than traditional advertising. This network-driven marketing not only brings us clients but also helps establish us as a trusted service provider within our industry.
Spotlight on AmSpirit Business Connections
The networking group that has been particularly impactful for us at Exalto Designs is AmSpirit Business Connections. They operate networking groups in Arizona, Florida, Illinois, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. Each chapter has its own set time and place to meet. Each chapter meets weekly and has only one member in each separate and distinct business category. We spoke with Frank Agin, Founder of AmSpirit Business Connections about what it takes to be successful in business. This is what he had to say:
“To be successful in business, you need to network. You just do. And while you don’t need to be part of a formal group to do that, a formal group – such as AmSpirit Business Connections – consistently brings you shoulder to shoulder with others who are serious about the networking process as well as intentional about sharing referrals. For many of our members, coming to their weekly chapter meeting is the only networking they do… the only networking they have to do, year in and year out.”
Frank Agin -Founder of AmSpirit Business Connections
Feedback and Improvement
Networking groups also provide a direct line for receiving constructive feedback. By discussing our services and projects with peers, we can gain insights and suggestions that help us improve. This allows businesses to continually refine their services to better match their target. This culture sets a growth mindset, pushing business to constantly improve. As business owners, we are always trying to look for ways to improve our offerings. We are consistently asking for reviews and then use those reviews to make improvements. But let’s face it, as many of you know, most people only review if they have something negative to say. Reviews aren’t always as constructive as we may like. Networking groups provide a way for your colleagues to give you that constructive criticism that you are looking for.
Conclusion
Luvvie Ajayi Jones said in a TED Talk, “Get comfortable with being uncomfortable”. Many people over the years have said this, and for us at Exalto Designs, we think about this quote a lot. As business owners, we sometimes get in a routine that feels safe. Maybe it stems from working in corporate America where our workdays are planned from 9 AM to 5 PM, or maybe it stems from our childhood in school where again our day was planned from start to finish. We need to break out of that routine. For most of us, that’s why we went into business ourselves, to get out of the monotony of the typical 9 to 5. The most effective way to grow your business is by putting one foot in front of the other and getting uncomfortable. We are willing to bet that once you do it a few times, you will more than likely become comfortable.
