For a positive networking experience
Surrey Heath Business Networking
If, like many people, you run your own business, can you honestly say that you couldn’t possibly handle any more work at the moment? Is your order book overflowing and your diary full until Christmas? Is your phone ringing constantly and your inbox overflowing with fresh inquiries? If the answer to any on these questions is a resounding ‘NO’ then please read-on.
With all the doom and gloom in the media about the ongoing ‘credit crunch’, the need to promote your business’s products and services to potential customers is more important than ever. Whilst you might have tried calling all of your existing customers to see if they need anything, as well as placing additional advertising locally, do you ever wonder if there’s another easy way to grow your business that you might have overlooked?
One thing’s for sure, and that’s if you change nothing, then nothing will change!
Now, everyone in business will generally have a ‘network’ of trusted contacts that they call upon when they need something. Imagine if each of those contacts also had a contact book with dozens more trusted business contacts. How would you go about gaining access to these potential new customers at minimal cost, and without having to resort to the misery of ‘cold calling?
We are a group of local businessmen and women, based in and around Camberley, and extending across the entire Surrey Heath area. The only thing we do differently from many other business folk is that we make a little effort to get out of bed a bit earlier every Wednesday morning. At 07:30 every Wednesday, we meet for a delicious cooked breakfast in Camberley, and we ‘do business’ that’s worth thousands of pounds to each of us, every year.
Originally meeting under the banner of the Business Referral Exchange for the last five years, we wanted a little bit more from our ‘networking’ than we were getting, and so the Surrey Heath Business Networking group was formed. With a present membership of 15, we’re looking to expand our group, and have vacancies for several unrepresented businesses.
The idea is very simple, and really isn’t anything to be worried or nervous about. I remember when I was first asked to come along as a guest to one of these ‘breakfast meetings’ back in 2004. In my mind, I imagined a bizarre ritual involving a combination of funny handshakes and headgear , possibly even involving the sacrifice of a farm animal. It was with great trepidation that I entered a room, buzzing with activity and a lot of unfamiliar faces. After some hot coffee, a few friendly introductions and a welcoming reception, I started to lose my fear and began to relax. The breakfast buffet of sausages, bacon, eggs, beans, toast, mushrooms and tomatoes was a real treat, and the meeting itself flew-by in a blur of exchanging business cards and new faces, many of whom I can now count as my friends. Although the prospect of having to spend 60 seconds telling the group about me and my business and the sort of customers I wanted to find scared me initially, by the time my turn came around and I’d heard all the others, I felt relaxed and ready to ‘say my piece’.
Afterwards, during the remaining (and to all, the most important) part of the meeting known as the ‘referrals section’, I was pleasantly surprised to be handed a few slips from members wanting their cars repairing, servicing or MOT’ing. I left the meeting with a membership form, a full tummy, a few hundred pounds worth of real business, from real customers, and the feeling that somehow, I’d be going back.
Fast-forward 5 years and it’s very rare that I ever miss a meeting. I plan my week around my Wednesday morning, and always give it priority. The contacts I made then are all now my regular customers, as are the countless friends, family and business contacts that each of them has recommended to me.
Even better, from my network of contacts, I now have a new bookkeeper and accountant, HR consultant, handyman, IT consultant, web designer, financial advisor, solicitor, travel agent, bank manager, utilities provider, mortgage broker and stationery supplier. These are all people I now know and trust, and am happy to recommend their services to any of my own customers with confidence.
The meetings are always a real pleasure to attend, with a friendly and informal atmosphere and a top-quality breakfast buffet. Unlike certain ‘other’ networking groups that you may have heard of (or indeed visited before), we don’t insist on an 06:30 start, nor make you feel ashamed if you haven’t managed to find a referral for a member that week. All we ask is that you arrive around 07:30 and stay until 09:00, and that if you want to become a member, your profession must be one that’s not already represented by one of our existing members.
Places are strictly limited, so if you reckon on being able to handle a sudden increase in business, please take a look at our website, www.shbn.co.uk and drop us an email to reserve your place.
Come Back Soon
