What is at the end of your jetty?

What is your solutions for your sales funnel drying up? Is there a boat coming with potential clients or are you going to row out and find the yourself?

Coming from me you have will know I will always say you have to get out into unknown waters and go and find those new clients and what better way to do it than networking.

But what kind of networking? There are so many different types but lets concentrate on the difference between a membership based compared to non-membership.

Non-membership or rowing out to find your next client would suggest that it may be free or pay as you go which will attract the possibility of a greater number of attendees, it could be more suited to your budget and your diary but is it going to create leads.
In short yes it should as long as you remember to do those ever so important 1-2-1s after the meeting. A quick tip is to collect business cards or make notes on who you have spoken with and always ask if you can follow up with them.
The downside of these events is that it is more difficult to build up relationships and the very important phrase “know, like and trust” comes into my thoughts as the aim of networking is to be recommended to your connections clients.
This is where a membership based networking group comes in. Which could be the ship you have been waiting for captained by your networking host.

You immediately have something in common with your fellow members and you are seeing them on a regular basis whether it is weekly, bi-weekly or monthly.

It doesn’t necessarily mean that you will receive as much as you give or from the person you gave an introduction you. You may receive less or may receive more but as a collective you are all helping each other.
If you have read one of our blogs before you will know our hosts put a lot of pressure on themselves to find introductions for our members and as the captain of the networking ship to steer you to alternative ports you may not have normally visited which is another consideration for choosing the membership model.

So when you are stood at the end of the jetty don’t simply jump in and swim towards the nearest island think about alternative ways, yes the boat maybe the best alternative but will be more expensive and require regular attendance.
The rowing boat will definitely be a cheaper option but you will have to do a lot more work to find the right people.

After saying this which ever route you decide the fundamental rule is “TURN UP” if you don’t go you will never know!