phases of networking | Dr. Ivan Misner®

All networking groups go through cycles over the years of their existence. There are Up cycles and there are Down cycles. Some of the best groups in the world have struggled. And a group that is on top of the world right now may not be on top a year from now. The key is to know the different phases and recognize when the group is going through a down cycle.

I have identified four phases that I have seen with BNI® chapters over the past 36 years. These phases can apply to ALL networking groups. These phases are not necessarily chronological, and they can last for different amounts of time, depending on the group and its members’ response to the critical points in the cycles.

The Supercharged Phase

The first phase is what I call the supercharged phase; these groups are at the top of the cycle. They are the biggest. They are the best, and the most productive. Their leadership teams are committed to implementing and following the established systems and processes for success.

The members in these chapters are fully engaged, investing their time to build relationships that can lead to extremely lucrative connections and referrals. The excitement level in these groups is simply electric. They are not willing to settle for mediocrity when excellence is an option.

The Engaged Phase

The second phase is called the engaged phase. Groups in this part of the cycle exude high energy and a positive attitude. They operate in a friendly environment with a great culture of support. They have more members than average and enforce accountability in the group.

They also do more business than the average chapter because they stay within the structure and systems while developing close business relationships and having fun. This is a very effective and productive phase.

The Status Quo Phase

Groups in this part of the cycle have become somewhat complacent. They might have been in the Engaged phase and lost some of the spark that made them successful. Or they may be a smaller chapter that has begun to give up on growth and has accepted mediocrity. They think things are okay as they are, and they feel like the amount of business they are getting is alright.

They are not motivated to make improvements or to develop the quality or quantity of their members. They may or may not follow the established systems and processes for their organization. The members have lost their enthusiasm. The Status Quo networking groups are the poster children for accepting mediocrity when excellence is an option.

The Stagnant Phase

In this phase of the cycle, networking groups have numerous problems: attitude problems, referral problems, poor attendance. Most of the members in these groups seem to focus on problems rather than on positive solutions.

These chapters follow the path of least resistance and think it is too much work to engage in the process required for growth. They do not follow their organization’s established agenda, system, or policies. They resist coaching or assistance from the resources available to them. Some members lose interest and feel like it is not working for them, so they leave the group. Which can be okay.

I call this Addition by Subtraction. Sometimes you have to actually reduce the size of a chapter in order for it to grow. It is like rosebushes. You have to cut them back in order for the rosebush to grow and bloom. If a chapter loses some members, particularly negative, problem-focused members, it can be an opportunity to grow and thrive.

Almost all networking groups go through these Up and Down cycles. Successful groups spend more time in the Supercharged and Engaged phases because they have gotten very good at recognizing when they are near a down cycle and quickly start to make positive changes.

Groups in the Status Quo and Stagnant phases can benefit from identifying where they currently are in the cycle so they can work on solutions to their problems and get back to basics. They don’t need to reinvent the wheel; simply follow the proven system established for their organization.

Last week I wrote a blog explaining the VCP Process, which is a huge part of the foundation of networking. Because this process is so crucial to effective networking, I promised to write a blog entry for each of the three phases (visibility, credibility and profitability), and today I’m going to talk about why it all starts with visibility.

The first phase of growing a relationship is visibility: You and another individual become aware of each other. In business terms, a potential source of referrals or a potential customer becomes aware of the nature of your business–perhaps because of your public relations and advertising efforts, because of your social media presence or perhaps through someone you both know. This person may observe you in the act of conducting business or relating with the people around you. The two of you begin to communicate and establish links–perhaps a question or two over the phone or via e-mail messages about product availability. You may become personally acquainted and work on a first-name basis, but you know little about each other. A combination of many such relationships forms a casual-contact network, a sort of de facto association based on one or more shared interests.

The visibility phase is important because it creates recognition and awareness. The greater your visibility, the more widely known you will be, the more information you will obtain about others, the more opportunities you will be exposed to, and the greater will be your chances of being accepted by other individuals or groups as someone to whom they can or should refer business. Visibility must be actively maintained and developed; without it, you cannot move on to the next level, credibility.

I’ll talk more about credibility next week, but it’s important to understand that visibility brings the opportunity to build credibility, and credibility is what will get you to profitability, where you’ll actually benefit from your efforts. So many times people try to jump straight from visibility to profitability, and that’s not real networking; it’s just an obvious ploy to get something from your new contacts. That’s nothing more than a bad attempt at direct selling and a big waste of time.

So, how do you go about creating more visibility for your business? What are some strategies that have really worked out well for you? I’d love to hear your comments.