Part Two: (i) Getting it on with Networking Groups

So you already know that it might seem difficult, it may be made difficult and yet there’s gold to be had and you want in with a networking group.

Groups of varying size, quality, timing and expense have meetings going on and you need to cut through the maze and find what suits you best. The bad news is that I don’t believe there’s a hard and fast, consistent rule or list of questions that will conclusively give you the answer … but counter that with their typically warm and often helpful welcome and you’re off to a good start. Finding a group where you feel you will both fit in and achieve your own aims is essential, and only you will know what that feels like. Avoid any pressure to decide on the first or even fourth variant in terms of committing, but tackle it like any project where you are discerning what feels good and will work for you. Distance, time, the day of the week or month, how many people you meet, the average attendance, the venue, the quality of breakfast if it’s a breakfast group, will all be potential factors in your decision. Ask questions of existing members as well as the leaders, they are a great source of information.

Whilst preparing this article I spoke with John Welburn, who’s both a personal friend and the founder of the networking group Refer-On. John shared:

“There are considerable numbers of opportunities to network, maybe too many. I see the beginnings of a backlash in the Thames Valley. Why? People are appearing at too many events, not focusing on those that attract the right type of people to grow their own network.” He added  “If you do anything half-heartedly you begin to find that it becomes boring. Humans need to feel that change is happening to feel fulfilled. If you keep going to networking events dishing out business cards and selling, you will not be the centre of attention for long. Too few people follow up. We are lazy, we prevaricate, we are afraid of being told 'no'.”

I don’t intend to list, through risk of perceived endorsement or omission, what groups exist and I don’t know where you are geographically either as you read this. I encourage you to try, to attend, to see what works for you … with one caveat - do not fall into the trap of thinking that a once-weekly meeting is the total sum of networking activity. It should be your focus, if that’s what you decide, your chance to try new things with people you get to know well, recruit ambassadors and become an ambassador for others. But there’s a big world with lots of people who don’t go to your or other groups, so be open to connecting with them too, and learn how.