People often ask me for tips on how to get better results from their networking groups. In today’s post I am going to share an idea, which is seldom covered regarding networking. Yet, it’s the core reason why networking groups fail for so many business owners.

Let’s start by being very clear about why small business owners attend networking groups. The primary reason they give me, is that they want to connect with people, who may be a source of referrals or connections, which lead to new clients or customers.

That’s what I’m going to focus on here. I’m also primarily addressing physical networking groups, though the concept works for online networking too.

Getting the word out

When a business or project is new, it needs a push. The word can’t spread until you, as the business owner, start talking. In the early days, connecting with people who can help you spread the word is absolutely essential.

However, once a business is established or a project is no longer new, you shouldn’t need to keep attending networking groups, in order to get leads. There should be no need to keep pestering people to recommend you.

Here’s why:

• Remarkable services spread.
• Remarkable stories spread.
• Remarkable resources spread.

Once you get the word out. Once people have heard about what you do. Once you start delighting your first clients or customers, the word will spread. And you will attract regular enquiries from eager, prospective clients.

The remarkable problem

Of course, the typical small business owner chooses not to build a remarkable business. They want to play it safe.

That’s is why the following scenario is so common.

Think about the service providers in your town, who are in the same industry as one another. They will offer a very similar range of services, to the very same prospective clients, make very similar promises and charge very similar fees. They’re totally, utterly unremarkable.

So, instead of attracting high quality enquiries from eager clients, they need to push, push, push.

This is where networking groups come in.

An unremarkable business has no legs

No matter how well the owner of an unremarkable business “works the room” at networking events. No matter how aggressively they push members of their networking group for leads… there’s a limit on what they can achieve. It’s a pretty low, uninspiring limit too.

They may, just may, manage to make an average living, doing average work, charging average fees to average clients.

Eating soup with a fork

Focusing on the best way to attract great clients via networking groups, is like seeking the fastest way to eat soup, using a fork.

Yes, with practice you may be able to eat soup faster with a fork than the average business owner. But any business owner using a spoon, will make 100 times more progress than you.

When it comes to building a successful business, we already know what works: Focus on offering a remarkable service. Then market it correctly.

Here they are in no particular order.

So, let’s get started.

1. They value their time. Time is your most valuable asset, yet many people surrender control of it. Guard your time. If you do, you’ll always have enough time to do all the things that matter each day.
2. They are approachable. If you want people to get in touch with you, they need to feel comfortable doing so. Some business owners are distant. Others are snarky. Warm and approachable is way more effective.
3. They are brave enough to risk being wrong. They know that the only people who never fail, are the people who lack the courage to try, (which is failure in itself).
4. They avoid costly detours. Don’t waste your time on shortcuts or growth-hacks. Shortcuts to success fail you on 2 fronts: Firstly, they’re seldom shortcuts. Secondly, they never lead to meaningful success. Instead of looking for shortcuts or hacks, look for the most direct, proven route.
5. They demonstrate leadership. Leadership is something you do. It isn’t something you self-proclaim. It’s an ongoing habit. So lead. And be very suspicious of anyone who calls themselves a leader.
6. They listen with intent. They listen to their clients. They listen to their marketplace. They’ve figured out that the more they know, the better their decisions will be. This allows them to create better products, better services and massively better relationships with their clients and future clients.
7. They are useful. They’ve figured out that the more useful they are, the more the marketplace will value them. This is closely linked to number 9.
8. They know that they can either be criticized or be ignored. There’s no middle ground. Every decision you make either helps your business stand out or camouflages it.
9. They turn up. If you want to remain relevant to your clients, customers and marketplace, you need to turn up regularly with something useful. A newsletter, blog, vlog or podcast are proven ways to achieve this. Bonus: By showing you can be relied on to regularly share ideas, you start earning the trust of your marketplace before they even speak with you.
10. They commit to lifelong learning. They read the books. They get expert advice. To see the effectiveness of this approach, we only need to look at those who take the opposite route. Those who don’t study and think they can do everything themselves, place a very low ceiling on their potential.

I hope you found these ideas useful, my friend. If you did, get to work on at least one of them today.

Would you like to get far more, highly targeted client/customer enquiries?

If you just answered yes, then I have a suggestion for you. I want you to consider a more deliberate approach to your marketing. It’s about intentionally choosing what your business stands for, then acting in accordance with it.

Here are just a couple of examples.

• Do you want your business to be known as a reassuringly expensive, high quality brand or a no-frills provider? Choose. Then set your prices and quality accordingly.
• Do you want your business to be remarkable or do you want it to be similar to your competitors? Choose. Then either offer something amazing or do what’s expected.

The thing is, you need to choose

In the examples above, both options can be amazingly successful.

There are billion dollar luxury providers and billion dollar no-frills providers. These successful brands intentionally choose which end of the market they want to serve. Then, they market their brand accordingly.

There are remarkable and unremarkable businesses, who make billions.

• The remarkable brands put their time into developing something spectacular, which people will talk about, recommend and share.
• The unremarkable brands invest their time developing high-return advertisements, introducer networks and hustling.

Both approaches work extremely well, when done correctly.

What doesn’t work well, is either failing to choose what your business stands for, or choosing, but acting inconsistently with your choice.

Overcoming the main challenge here

Over the years, I’ve found there is a major reason why small business owners get this wrong. It’s that they almost always feel as though they MUST be a high price or remarkable provider. And that if they aren’t, they’re somehow setting their sights too low.

This thinking is totally, utterly incorrect! Your business can thrive whatever end of the market you choose to serve.

McDonald’s, globally, will generate more income and profits today, than the most expensive, high class restaurant in your city will manage, in the next year or 10 years.

So, get intentional. Choose what you want your business to stand for and market it accordingly. This 1 step alone, will give you a huge advantage over your competitors.

And that’s not all my friend.

It will also provide you with massively more clarity and allow you to make better decisions.

Here are 10 inspiring reasons to get things done, for the next time you need a little extra motivation.

1. Do it because it’s the right thing to do.
2. Do it because you care.
3. Do it because you said you would.
4. Do it because it works… beautifully.
5. Do it because it matters.
6. Do it because they matter.
7. Do it because others will learn from it.
8. Do it because you’ll learn from it.
9. Do it because we need more leaders.
10. Do it because you may never get another chance.

And then, do it as well as you possibly can.

There is a powerful success factor behind every great business, which you can implement starting today.

It can be summed up in just 4 words: It’s all about them!

It’s all about them

The most successful business owners have figured it out. They know that their success is always going to be an extension of what they do for their clients. So, they consistently look for ways to be of greater value.

In short: They are more interested in the success of their clients, than they are in their own success.

That may sound counter-intuitive, but it isn’t. Allow me to explain why.

Why the me, me, me approach doesn’t work

The least effective business owners are focused on what they can get from their clients or customers. This mindset manifests itself in many different ways. Here are just a few common examples.

• They talk about closing the sale, rather than opening the relationship.
• They talk about up-selling, rather than upping the value they provide to their clients.
• They focus on what they can get, rather than what they can contribute.

That approach comes across in everything they do. As a result, their client retention is poor and they get few referrals from their clients. That’s because we don’t recommend greedy, self-obsessed people to our friends.

Some ideas for developing the ‘them’ approach to business

It starts with an understanding that it’s all about what you do, not what you say. That’s because every business owner claims to be client focused. So, you need to demonstrate that you are passionate about the success of your clients. You need to step up and walk the walk.

For example:

• Keep in regular contact and if you find they have a problem, offer to help. Over the years, I have helped clients overcome major problems, which weren’t part of the service I provide. I have a huge, international network of top-level contacts, spanning pretty-much every area of business. I can almost always get my client any answer they need, and fast, from a leading expert. So that’s exactly what I do.
• Help your clients to make extremely valuable connections. Think of people you know, who you can introduce them to… then do it!
• Take a little time out every day, to help one of your clients in a way they were not expecting. This can be something as simple as sharing a useful article or video with them.
• Find something valuable, which has a low delivery cost to you. Then add it to the service they receive from you… at no extra cost. My new clients are always amazed at the number of additional things I do for them. And I do this at every possible opportunity.
• Keep your promises. Surprisingly few service providers can be totally relied upon. I started my business in 1995 and today, I’m still in contact with people, who I worked with in my first year. Deep, long-term relationships are a cornerstone of every excellent service provider. So, keep your promises and be there when they need you.

22 Years after starting out in business, I can confirm that Zig Ziglar was right: “You can have everything you want, if you will just help enough other people get what they want”.

This isn’t just an effective way to build a successful business. It’s also a wonderfully rewarding way to build a business you’re proud of, my friend!