Are you autonomous enough?

On one end of the spectrum, we have the business networking chapters and members who follow procedures and go through the motions throughout their networking life. After all, certain methods propagate because they work. Or we follow them because we’re told they work.

On the other end of the spectrum, we have the members who simply must go their own way and (often) rail loudly against the establishment. For whatever reasons, they need to do their own thing…hopefully with a careful look at their motivations and the repercussions. Whether the urge to strike out for new territory is born of ego or creativity will remain to be seen.

Your chapter needs a mix of both worlds. Use the proven methods as a framework…most of us need this framework…but don’t assume that the frame is the final work of art. Take creative liberties where it makes sense for the growth and strength of your group.

Dynamic groups are better suited to weather times of attrition or turnover. Who would want to join a stale group that’s procedurally correct but lacks an entrepreneurial business spirit?

In a way, your group must be self-seeking, or self-protecting. You fight for each other and turn away even your own parent organization if its activities take you away from your business focus. (Their goals will not always mesh with yours. For example, have they ever started another networking group right on top of yours? Or take over your meeting with a long sales message? Is that helpful to you, or do they compete against you?)

You can push back and still have a healthy relationship with your organization. You can play by the rules and venture out of the box. You can…you must…be loyal to your business family and still maintain some autonomy. Try it, and you will be a stronger, more profitable group for your members and your parent organization.

You may annoy them at times, but you’ll make your parent proud.

You know you like to count your money

Some people look at the ChapterTracker.com program and say, “We wouldn’t use that. Tracking numbers isn’t fun.” 

Nonsense!  Here are three reasons why… 

1. Please…Don’t tell me you hate to see your investments increase in value.  If your next portfolio summary shows a 50% increase, you’d probably break into tears while falling on your knees and thanking God.  Right?  When you’re making money, it’s fun to count it. 

2. Many of us truly enjoy analyzing numbers.  Aren’t you glad your CPA, financial planner, IT guys, etc. like numbers?  So…instead of ignoring the benefit of tracking your chapter’s performance, encourage your “numbers people” to jump in and do the tracking.  If they’re good at what they do, they’ve probably already assumed this task.  Tell them about ChapterTracker. 

3. Even if you insist that tracking numbers isn’t fun…and for some reason you don’t involve your “numbers people”…you need to track anyway.  Refusing to measure your business is a copout that will lead to mediocrity at best.

If your business networking chapter isn’t tracking revenue and referrals member-to-member, then visitors (and the members themselves) are left to wonder why.  The two most likely answers are that you’re either ashamed of your group or you’re too unprofessional to measure your performance.  Please don’t leave that impression! 

Ask any business coach: “Should we track our business, or should we muddle through blindly?”  (If they say you should muddle along, please don’t hire that person as your coach.)  Yes, you need to measure your performance.  You need to pay your taxes.  You need marketing.  This is Business 101. 

Measuring your networking group’s performance is a business basic.

Print a chapter business card

Your chapter is a business. Do you have a chapter business card for members to share with interested parties? (The same way you pass out business cards for your other endeavors?)

Not to place emphasis on BNI…because the chapter came up with this on their own…but here’s a nice example. The GwinNettworkers are a consistently outstanding group north of Atlanta.

Full-color digital printing on one side. Nice, and very inexpensive on a per member basis.

Matching banners or graphics in the meeting room enforce the look and message: You should visit…we mean business!

Spiff up your chapter image

Since your entire chapter meeting is one big presentation to partners and clients…you will want to check your image.

Ivan Misner, networking guru and founder of BNI, teaches us that our profitability hinges on building our visibility and credibility. He’s talking about steps in a process related to an individual’s networking efforts.  But the same words might be applied to your chapter as a whole.

Show me the money!

For your chapter to sell itself, though, a sense of profitability must come first.  Show me your profitability…how well your chapter functions…and I will believe that you are a credible group.  Then I’ll join…or just feel more comfortable doing business with you.

On the other hand, if you can’t deliver specific financials, then your performance may be questionable.  Or you’re telling me that you don’t know what you can do for me if I visit or join.  In fact, if I’m a guest and mine is a common profession, then you should be able to tell me how much revenue the previous member in my occupation gained last year…and the year before… 

At the very least, each meeting you should be able to stand and say what your average referral is worth. Cash money. 

Prove your value

Only by promoting your winning ways will you prove the value of your business philosophy and process (both at the chapter level and for your entire organization).  With a brief focus each week on a different slice of statistics, you will keep your members engaged and educated about chapter and individual results and goals. 

Note: Let’s stress the word “brief.”  Don’t bore folks with unending numbers…get to the point and drive it home.

This information is a type of visibility, but it’s more than seeing a bunch of bodies.  More than seeing that members are present.  This is an inside look.  Seeing the inner health of the group.  And then the cycle repeats.  Visibility into your results will quickly boost your credibility…and further profitability.

Dress the part

Here’s a short tangent on the topic of chapter image…

Someone, please wear a suit! If your occupation allows you to dress down, or if you need to dress appropriately for a job where you get dirty, you don’t have to change what works best for you. In fact, your marketing friends should be able to help you promote your business with company-branded apparel.

But the men in the group should occasionally wear a dress shirt…and you’ll make a stronger impression if two or three suits make an appearance each week. After all, you only wear a suit on purpose. It takes a little extra. People who walk into the room will sense that you’re serious about business, and that’s the kind of visibility you want.