Small Business Blog

Many professionals are vested in traditional methods of networking such as meet up groups and business card exchanges. As a small business owner myself, I understand that some professionals may find it intimidating to completely take advantage of emerging technologies. Furthermore, there is nothing wrong with networking with associates you know and trust regardless of the venue, so long as your referral relationships remain reciprocal and fruitful. But for those who are constantly looking for ways to generate new leads and strengthen their existing business network, but who are most comfortable meeting associates over breakfast, utilizing online referral tools in conjunction with your meet up group can be a very rewarding strategy.

It is very easy to begin reinforcing and generating new referral relationships online by leveraging your existing meet up group. You can confidentially invite associates you know and trust from the group to exchange referrals with you. Because it is unlikely that all members in your group will be equal contributors, you should invite only those associates who are willing and able to reciprocate. This strategy will also allow you to effectively exchange referrals anytime the opportunity arises and will keep you fresh in your associates mind regardless of the groups scheduled meetings. Seasoned networkers are probably going to find that they have quite a few relationships which exist outside the group. By managing a strong network of select associates, which exists both within and outside the group, it is also likely that you will become an even more valuable referral partner to your meet up group. As your network grows, so will your revenue. Furthermore, online tracking reports will help analyze your relationships and strategically allocate new leads where they are needed.

When considering digital referral campaigns among other strategies, we realize that this is certainly just the tip of the iceberg. Online tools such as Referral Key provide members with an undeniable advantage. Even power networker and BNI founder Ivan Misner acknowledges this unique advantage, “Over the past few months, I’ve been doing quite a bit of research about online networking. And the more I read (and work on the net), the more I realize that if you’re in business today, you definitely need to be on the net”. Online referral management and meet up groups are analogous to snail mail and email. To unlock their full potential, small business professionals will at least need to become comfortable with utilizing both.