When professional services firms are looking to increase awareness in their community, professionals often seek out associations to join. Sounds like a solid recommendation, but are you reaching the goals you set out to achieve by joining these groups? Are your staff members getting tangible results from their networking efforts?
You can improve the effectiveness of networking and association involvement in a few different ways:
- The 30 Second Commercial: It’s important to ensure all staff members are conveying a consistent message when they are representing the company at professional events. It’s very common that staff members are unclear on the company’s points of differentiation and positioning. To be sure everyone is on the same page, first develop a base template “30-second commercial” for your firm. This is a short summary used to quickly and simply define your organization’s value proposition. That’s not to say, everyone should have a canned “script.” The idea is that each staff member develops their own individual version of the 30-second commercial (personalized to their own voice).
- Set Goals: Set a goal for the number of contacts each staff member should meet at networking events, as well as goals for solid leads, new clients, and referral sources. Setting quantifiable goals can help give staff structure and motivation to make their way around the room, and make the most of their time. It also encourages individuals to get out of their comfort zone at events and approach new faces, zone in on the types of contacts they want to meet, and most importantly creates some concrete accountability that can be tracked and evaluated.
- Volunteer: One of the best ways to get more value from professional associations is to get involved beyond attending meetings and events. If you are new to a group, one of the best ways to get exposure is to help with registration at a few events. Some of the advantages are: (1.) you can often check out attendees before the event and really zone in on who you eventually want to meet, (2.) you are sure to speak to a greater number of people in a short amount of time; attendees begin to recognize you; (3.) and it also serves as a way to “ease into” networking for those who may be uncomfortable. Once you get familiar with the regular attendees, it’s much easier to approach them for actual networking.
Once you are a bit more established (have met members, have decided the association is a good fit for you and your company), join a committee and eventually seek a leadership position. Board members are often charged with setting up the programs, conferences and newsletters and being able to give some direction in this area is a great benefit. Also, in my experience as a board member of an association, it’s a great opportunity to make close connections in your industry.
- Take Your Networking Beyond the Professional Association: Networking through professional associations can be a great way to make connections, however for a more targeted approach consider what types of firms you can develop mutually beneficial relationships with. Target one or two of these firms and invite each to a separate meet-and-greet event. This is a great way to get a personalized introduction between staff members of each firm and also serves to help younger staff members get their feet wet in developing referral source relationships.
- Set a Process for Follow Up: I often find that clients of ours are more than willing to get involved and attend events, and have great things to say about the associations they have joined. However, after the event a busy professional often gets caught up getting back to their regular work and follow up doesn’t happen. Don’t lose track of these valuable contacts.
It is a great idea to create a company-wide standard for follow up after an event. For example: after an event, make a list of the contacts you should speak to again. Connect with them on LinkedIn. Follow up with each of these contacts by sending a personalized email, and, if appropriate, set a meeting. Add the contact information to your CRM system, noting the appropriate mailings they should receive.
Effective networking often takes a bit more commitment than simply showing up at a few events and it can be much more effective when the process is structured and trackable. We would love to hear networking strategies you have found to be helpful.