CARQUEST Auto Parts

WORKING YOUR NETWORK

How joining a local small business networking group can drive in profitable referral business

Every Friday morning, John D’Avico wakes up 90 minutes early to have breakfast with a group of friends. John is the only repair shop owner in the bunch because that’s the rule. You see, this is no ordinary get-together to break bread and shoot the bull. It’s the weekly breakfast meeting held by the small business networking group that John joined in 2009. And it’s paying off big time!

Networking groups are specifically designed for members to exchange qualified prospects in order to produce a consistent stream of profitable referral business. These organizations generally meet either before business hours or during lunch to accommodate busy schedules. Some groups provide an open forum to mingle and swap business cards, but those with a more structured format can really make a huge impact on your business.

John belongs to Business Networking International (BNI) and has benefited considerably from his participation. “I get about 10 referrals a week at BNI and they all turn into actual business for my shop,” he said. “We’re accountable for the quality of the leads we give out so there’s never a concern about someone handing me a potential customer that doesn’t have a genuine need for our services.”

Something else that works in John’s favor is that BNI allows only one member per business type in each chapter, so he’s never competing with other shop owners for referrals. Not every group imposes this restriction, but it’s something to consider when researching your networking opportunities. “Competition is a challenge we face every day as a small business owner – especially in my profession. It’s nice to be able to work a room knowing that I’m the go-to guy for auto repair,” he said. “In addition to collecting a handful of referrals every Friday, many of the members have become regular customers as well,” he added.

There is typically a cost associated with joining a networking group. But just like any marketing effort, you should consider it an investment in your business. Here are some tips to help you determine the organization that’s best for you and how you can get the most out of your participation:

Do your homework
Not every networking group may be a good fit for you. Before joining one, consider the cost, location, meeting time, size, and structure. Many groups will let you sit in on a meeting and observe how they function before making a commitment. It’s important to treat networking like any other business decision and conduct some research on your local chapters before jumping in.

Make the investment
Joining a networking group is an investment of your time as well as money. If you don’t feel that you can dedicate the time to regularly attend meetings, you may not want to add networking to your marketing mix. Some organizations will even limit the number of allowed absences to encourage attendance, increasing your opportunity to build relationships and exchange profitable referrals.

Don’t be shy
You don’t need to be a dynamic public speaker or the life of the party to succeed at networking. However, you should enjoy meeting new people and talking about their business as much as you like sharing your own story. Referral relationships are built on trust and the more the members get to know you, the greater the chance they will provide you with qualified prospecting opportunities.

Give to get
Networking is a two-way street. It’s great to receive referrals, but it’s important to get to know the other members of the group so you can provide referrals to others. It may be a slow process at first, but your active participation will attract interest from other business owners and their willingness to seek out new customers for your shop.

Make some friends
Networking is all about building professional relationships to grow your business. But that doesn’t mean it can’t be fun. There’s always a social aspect to any business function. Beyond exchanging referrals, this is a chance to make some friends and share ‘war stories’ about the challenges of running a business ─ and even pick up a few tips on what marketing or service practices are working for others.

If you’d like to explore the networking opportunities in your area, some good places to begin are your local Chamber of Commerce, as well as larger organizations such as LeTip (www.letip.com) and Business Networking International (www.bni.com) which may have chapters near you. Once you find a group that makes the most sense for you and your business, get to know the other members and you’ll find that the results are well worth the investment. Or in John D’Avico’s words: "You can’t beat it!"

Need fresh ideas on how to grow your business? Click here for our free brochure: "10 Low-Cost Ways to Jump Start Your Marketing." Then be sure to visit ‘Business Builders’ in future issues of our online newsletter for simple, plain talk suggestions on how you can promote your shop and drive in more business.

─Matt Cascarino
Director of Marketing
www.carquestdirecthit.com 

Matt Cascarino joined Identifix with nearly 20 years in advertising, sales, and marketing experience. He has been helping independent auto repair shop owners improve their visibility and customer experience since 2003. Matt landed his position at Identifix and relocated to Saint Paul, Minnesota as a result of professional networking, but still misses the cheesesteaks in his old hometown of Philadelphia. Matt can be reached at mcascarino@identifix.com.