Networking gives me a warm fuzzy feeling…

Hi again. It is Fall again. I have a love-hate relationship with Spring and Summer. I love the weather, being able to go outside again, see my neighbors after months of being locked up inside, taking the daycare kids to the playground, etc. But I suffer from terrible seasonal allergies. It starts with a droopy nose, which is bearable, but once my eyes start to itch… I am not a happy girl. Fall. No more pollen that make me sneeze. Maybe I should hold my next networking event outside?? Hmmm, let me think about that.

I take organizing my networking group (http://entrepreneur.meetup.com/883/) very seriously. I spend a lot of time posting other networking events that can possibly benefit the members, I try to find useful articles and ebooks to pass on and I am always on the look out for the perfect location for the next meeting. But it also gives me a lot back. I love is making connections between people.

The most recent example is the interview David (www.516ads.com) did last month with Sami FitzGerald (http://www.SamiFitzGerald.com), the cutest and youngest entrepreneur I have ever heard of. I handed out her business card to the members of my local networking group after I received the cards from my Ryze friend, Sami’s mom. Ryze.com is my favorite online networking page. And the group of women I met at Women In Networking (WIN) can be seen as my closest circle of friends. Therefore I always request business materials of these women to hand out at my local event. I called the bags I give out my WINning bags.

Networking really works. Not only did David connect with Sami, Tonya Ramsey, a member of WIN (http://lifebydesignsite.com/), has a radio show called Journey to Self. On the WIN network I talked about the wonderful Law of Attraction products a member of the Long Island Entrepreneur group, Marcy Neuman (http://www.heartlitesinc.com) has developed. Tonya picked up on it and invited Marcy to be interviewed on her radio show. If you would like to listen to the show, this is the link to the recording http://journeytoself.info/show-notes/march-13th-journey-to-self-bringing-love-into-your-life And this month they had a second interview.

And my last example is for an event called the Spring Fling, which took place on Ryze on May 19 on the Women in Networking group. The organizer of the Spring Fling was looking for a Grand Prize and I know a woman who has an online travel business. I advised her to contact Ginger, the organizer and now the Spring Fling has a wonderful prize to offer: a 2-for-1 Cruise certificate with a value of $1,200.

I love it!! Those connections give me a warm fuzzy feeling. I was able to help these people connect. That feels good. There are a lot more examples I can give you about how my local and/or online networking has helped people connect. And that is exactly what networking is about. Give and you shall receive.

Do not go to a networking meeting expecting to immediately receive referrals for you business. Be open, be giving and it will come back to you. That is the best advice I can give you. Bring you business cards and a smile. Mingle, listen and give advice on subjects that are close to you or that are your specialty.

Every networking group has a different format. But all gear towards connecting people. People buy from people. Have you ever received an estimate from two different companies for the same job or service? And still you chose to go with the one who was a little more expensive? Why did you do that? If you look back, was it really because you thought the higher prize was better quality? Or was it because that person just clicked with you?

Go out, take the time to network. It is the best advertisement for you and your business. Always have your business card in your pocket and always have you 30-second elevator speech in the back of your mind. You never know who you might meet.