The Five Types of Business Networking Organizations
Networking is the perfect way to help take your business to the next level. However, putting your eggs in one basket and depending on one networking group to satisfy all your needs won’t work. So, which business networking organizations should you join?
We all select different people in our lives that satisfy various needs that contribute to our well being; our parents provide comfort and guidance, our close friends provide support and cheer, our business relationships provide trust and honesty. While these satisfactions may overlap from group to group, it’s important to have more than one person you’re leaning on for all your emotional needs.
It’s the same with your networking groups! While you may find cheer and honesty in more than one group, it’s important to spread your interests to gain a varied support system. Business professionals who don’t have a lot of spare time often ask us which networking groups provide the biggest bang for their buck. There are five main types, and what works best depends on the business they’re in and the prospects they want to meet. Therefore, when selecting your business networking organizations, you need to understand which types are available so you can make an informed decision.
Here’s a quick rundown of the most familiar types.
The Five Types of Business Networking Organizations:
1. Casual Contact: A gathering of people from many different professions, usually in a mixer environment
2. Strong Contact: Usually only allows one person per profession, get together very regularly
3. Community Service Clubs: An opportunity to rub elbows with other very successful people
4. Professional Associations: Trade organizations that are very specific in purpose
5. Online: Social Media such as Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn, where networking is constant
To better understand which business networking organizations fits you best, watch the video below.
Thanks for the insight into Business/social networking. I belong to BNI and the Rotary and also participate in Facebook/Instagram, and totally agree with you that there are benefits unique to each group. Well stated!
Excellent post Dr. M ! Net”work” not Net “sit” or Net “eat!” LoL I’ve been in BNI for over 5 years, been a President of a million dollar Chapter for 2 years. Recently changed chapters to increase my business because of the “nuances” you spoke about. BNI is MUCH better than Chambers of Commerce, but I liked your comments about Professional Trade Orgs and thought of the Power Team concept we know and love from BNI! Also, because I’m a Google Agency Premier Partner I like how you’re using YouTube a Google property. Good job Ivan. I’m sure your staff has told you that has benefits vs just posting on your own blog site. However, you should secure your https://ivanmisner.com site with HTTPS because as of July 2018 Google Chrome browsers are warning people that information they enter on unsecured sites like yours may be compromised! This is a disincentive for people to leave comments! And we don’t want that – right?! Getting HTTPS on your site is only a couple hundred dollars and your webmaster can easily take care of it in 24 hours.