Do You Ever Graduate From Networking?

Yesterday I was meeting with a young man who is new to networking.  He is a writer and editor, the Writer Junkie.  He asked, "Do you ever graduate from networking?"  It made me think about what our goals are when we go to networking meetings, like the one we had just attended, Contacts N Coffee.  It is about building relationships that go on, even when you don't attend.  It's about knowing how you can help others as well as acquiring clients and customers.  It is about socializing with people you have met before.  And it is about filling your marketing funnel.

A big challenge when you are  networking is to decide to follow up with some of the people you meet, and that can be more involved than it sounds.  You may collect a bunch of cards at each event, especially if you haven't decided before hand to look for specific types of folks to talk to.  Now what?

Let's say you use your smart phone and immediately send them an email requesting a coffee date.  If you have met and followed up with just five people, and they all respond, you will need to integrate five new follow-up meetings within the next week or so.  And it doesn't stop there.  If you decide that one of them is someone you really want to keep in touch with for the long term, then you will put your plan for follow-up into high gear so you don't allow them to get lost in your busy schedule.  As you can see, if you are attending several networking events each month, you could have overlapping meetings for each new group of people you meet.

Since you are building relationships, not selling products or services, then the follow-up just flows.  It has a natural rhythm all its own.  But if you decide you are overwhelmed, like I was today, just so far behind, I needed to stay in the office and pay bills, or work on projects only I can do, then it is time to pull back.

But the truth of the matter is that as long as you are in business, and you want to stay front of mind in the memories of your contacts, customers, and friends, you will need to continue to network.  I know he was asking about face-to-face networking, because it is so time consuming, and can be expensive.  Thank goodness there are other ways to network that you can do from your home, car, or office.  Thank goodness for social media as another networking tool.

Don't worry about graduating from networking.  You will always need new contacts, and new friends, so keep getting out and sharing yourself in your neighborhood.  Remember those folks you are meeting have many of the same challenges you do, and you may just find some unexpected allies.

For some tips on how to classify your networking contacts, check out my free report.

If you have some awesome networking stories, please share with us.

Dr. Kaaren
The Follow Up Doctor
Twitter 

Your Plan for Success

According to stats from the Office of Advocacy at the US Small Business Administration, 2005, only 44 percent of new small businesses last four years or more.  I want to make sure you are in that 44 percent.  

If you are just getting started in business, congratulations.  Were you laid off like I was from a corporate executive position, and have had to rethink what you will do?  Loral Langmeier, in Put More Cash in Your Pocket,  advises you to look at your skill set, and develop a business around it.  Or do you have a passion around a hobby, or service?  Is there a need for what you love to do?  Or are you taking on the mantle of a network marketing company, where the buy-in is low, and a lot of the work has been done for you?  Once you decide what you want to do, it will help you to be systematic in how you approach it. 

My first business was my solo family practice office.  When I finished my Family Practice residency training, all I had was my education, a vision, and debt.  I had to put together a plan:  I wanted to have an office practice, a hospital practice, and a nursing home practice.  And I needed to find an office location, borrow money to buy equipment, and hire people to staff the office.  I had no business training, but attended a workshop that taught me some of the essentials I needed to schedule patients, collect money, and pay a nurse and a receptionist.  I never had to write a formal business plan in order to borrow money, because I could write a signature loan.  That is not possible today.  But I was seen as a good risk, even without a business background.  Through trial and error, the practice prospered, and when I decided to go into academic medicine, I was able to sell the practice to a local hospital.

Today you absolutely need a business plan, even if you are a total neophyte.  If you want a business, and not a hobby, you need to think it through on paper.  I took a course at the Valley Economic Development Center, after I joined the local Chamber of Commerce, and realized how valuable it would have been to me to do it when I was just getting started.  If you need something more structured to help you think through a business plan, look at the Business Plan Template available from the US Small Business Administration. They also have excellent training information on the same site.

Even if you don't think you need a formal business plan, preparing one will help you to review what your goals are, and how you mean to implement them.  Write it down to make it happen.

What is your mission statement?  In other words, what is the purpose of your business?  What is the vision you have for your business?  Who is your target market?  What products and services do you offer?  Do you have the infrastructure (e.g. administrative assistant, family support, cash reserves) to allow for growth? Do you understand what it will take to make money in your business?  Do you have space, time, and social capital to get started?

Through this blog, I will review the essentials of how to set up and run an effective small business.  We will go over the whole process from inception to success.  The goal is to create a business you love that allows you to achieve your dreams.  Whether you are forced out of a JOB, or want to create an income without having to do it on someone else's schedule, I can help you.  Your feedback, and suggestions will help me make a better product for readers.

Trust Me, I'm a Doctor.

Dr. Kaaren Douglas
www.kaarendouglas.biz
http://www.facebook.com/DouglasMarketingConcepts