Networking Goals?
Most business professionals have some goals. Fewer have written goals. Fewer still have a written plan on how to achieve those goals, but almost no one we talked to had any networking goals.
Then why do you do it?
It’s not just a social hour, it’s not the sometimes free coffee or bagels or donuts, although many go for this reason.
You network to build your database, you network to receive referrals, you network for leads, you network to connect to other business professionals, you network for recognition and you network to market yourself.
Why not attach obtainable goals to this?
Why not determine the amount of business you would like to receive from a given activity. If you want referrals, how many? How many referrals from one networking group do you want?
Here’s a simple idea for you to help.
- How much is your time worth? (let’s say $50/hr)
- How much is your average client/customer worth? (let’s use $500)
- How much time are you planning on networking each week? (3hr)
- Let’s take the time times the hourly wage ($150) a week.
So, per month it’s costing you $1,200 to attend networking events and meet with people. So you need at least 3 referrals per month from your efforts to break even with a little profit too.
What if you don’t get 3 referrals is your time wasted?
No, you might make a few connections that could lead to big business later on. That’s what networking is all about. However, that’s why you must be INTENTIONAL about your networking so that you don’t waste $1,200 a month or $14,440 a year!
