On the Road in the Southwest

By Bette Daoust, Ph.D., Southwest Bureau Chief          Bette's Bio

It seems that we often have great ideas about networking.  Everyone I talk to is interested in gaining more and more business.  When I mention that I wrote a book on networking, they have all kinds of comments about what has worked for them while at events.  I generally just smile and politely ask if they want to read a copy of the book.  What has this to do with the Southwest?  Plenty!  I have been doing some traveling this month into Southern California and into Nevada.  One of my first questions is about what groups do you belong to for networking?

The answer is not all that surprising.  Most tell me about the Chambers of Commerce and that they have met many great people.  My next question is then, who did you meet at a Chamber event that brought business to you?  Unfortunately, most of them stumble as they forgot to follow-up with the potential customer.  The people I talk to also join more than one group in order to stir up more business.  Groups in the South West have been growing with great velocity.  BNI seems to be leading the pack because of its structure.  They are followed right behind with boutique style exchanges.  And what about the follow-up?  Read on…

The boutique style groups are being formed in both the San Francisco Bay Area and in Southern California.  These groups tend to focus more on niche markets rather than the generalities you often find in larger network groups.  Chambers tend to lean toward the general while private boutique groups are certainly more focused.  There are two specific groups I hear about the most.  The first one is called B2B Power Exchange.  This group (there are several chapters as of this writing throughout California) focuses on Marketing but certainly allows others to join.  There are no B to C members as the leads are from mid-sized organizations.  Check out www.B2BPowerExchange.com for more information.

The second group has just recently started and you will have read about them in last month’s edition.  They actually generate leads from tele-surveys.  Jim Fagan, who started these groups, has now received requests from across the US to do the same.  He has not only formed several groups in California but is looking at creating “specialties” for each group he forms.  He is certainly in big demand.  Email Jim Fagan:  fagan@advbusdev.com for more information.

The boutique exchanges try to prevent the no follow-up syndrome by making the member accountable for the follow-up.  BNI is also very good at keeping track as well.  But how about a group follow-up?  Bringing more than one member to a potential client meeting?  Next month, you will hear more about the groups that are hitting the streets to gain business.