Many of you are likely to be reading this because you are already sold on the concept of networking, but perhaps you’re unsure of where to start in picking the right group for you. In this blog, we’re looking at seven steps to picking the right networking group in Wiltshire. We hope you find it useful…

Go to free taster meetings.

Many networking groups in Wiltshire offer a free session to those attending the group for the first time. Take advantage of these sessions, attend a few different networking groups in Trowbridge, Melksham, Westbury, Chippenham etc and see which ones you like best. You probably won’t want to sign up for all of them, but at least you’ll find out which groups work for you and which don’t. Plus, even if you don’t end up signing up for the group, you might meet valuable contacts who you stay in touch with. If you’d like to try a breakfast meeting in Melksham, then you can contact us for more information about attending our networking group.

Identify which group contains your target audience predominantly.

If you are selling a product aimed at men, then going to a women’s networking group probably isn’t going to benefit your business. However, at first glance it won’t always be this obvious where your target audience are networking. This is why the taster sessions are so important. Before you go to these sessions, try and identify if there are many people within your target market in attendance. A networking group with a large number of people you would like to target is probably going to be a good pick and think ‘through the room’. There may be many businesses at the group who are well connected to your target market.

Talk to people within the groups, learn about their businesses and identify if there are pain points that you can help them with.

Talk to people within the group, particularly those in your target audience. Don’t discount those who aren’t part of your target market, as you may still be able to help them in some way but focus most of your energy on the people who are likely to be potential clients. Don’t instantly try and sell your business to someone. Take a genuine interest in what it is they do and have a think about what it is that you can do to help them. What are their pain points? Who are they trying to target? How big is their team and how long have they been in business? The more genuine interest you show, the more likely it is that they will want to work with you.

Are there a large amount of people within one particular networking group who you can learn from?

Networking isn’t just about meeting new clients. A lot of networking groups have workshops and demonstrations from their members to help local business owners excel. Speak to people within the group who you think you may be able to learn something from. This might be something about finances, business growth strategy, or hiring the right staff. If you identify a lot of people within one networking group who you can learn from, then this would be a good group to consider. At BGG, we encourage 1:1s amongst our members so that we can all learn from each other.

You could join more than one group.

Once you have worked your way through the above steps, you will probably have identified two or three networking groups that you are interested in joining. Remember that you don’t have to limit yourself to just one group. You may be looking to target two different types of client who are each present at two different groups. Or, you may have found potential clients at one group and people you would like to learn from at another. That’s great! If you have the time to join more than one networking group, then go ahead. If you’re interested in joining a breakfast meeting and our group in Melksham is a good fit then take a look at our website for information on how to visit us or join.

However… don’t spread yourself too thin.

Consider the time and commitment needed to join multiple groups. It’s far better to join one networking group that you make a commitment and add something to than joining five groups that you never attend and add nothing to. Block out the time for networking in your calendar as you would do for a meeting and commit to it. You will be valued by the members if you are in regular attendance and commit to helping people within the group. If you need to, then consider partners and members of staff as resources to represent your business.

How often does the group meet?

This is something to consider when deciding how many networking groups to join. You might be able to join one monthly and one weekly networking group, but two weekly networking groups would leave you feeling stretched. Make sure you have all the information you need before making a commitment. It’s better to spend more time considering your options than to jump into something that you later realise you don’t have the time for.

So, there it is, our seven steps to solving the dilemma of which networking group to join. We hope you’ve found this blog post helpful, and if you would like some more information about our networking group, then get in touch or tweet us.