How often do guests visit your networking group yet ultimately never join? Why do they come in the first place? What are they expecting? What are they leaving with each meeting? The last question is critical and that is where you should begin if your group is willing to try something new.

Start by giving your guests a printed “group bio” which includes the group’s mission statement, members, activities, rules and meeting times. Make sure all your members have read these documents.

Since most guests leave their first networking meetings without referrals you should send guests away with fresh marketing ideas. Your group likely has a few people bubbling with ideas to share, more than you think, with valuable experiences. Begin by asking your guests how they market their businesses. Then let your members suggest new avenues for marketing. During the roundtable of ideas, one of your members may offer to cross-marketing with the guest, increasing the likelihood of the guest returning.

Over 90% of the groups I visit feature a “15-20 minute nuts-and-bolts showcased member”. During these speeches, I’ve consistently notice 50% of the audience focused elsewhere, particularly the longtime members who have heard most of this information before. Why not take that approach with guests and apply it to your members?

Here’s a format I use which you may tweak as you wish:

For two weeks every month in your group, attendees sit 5-6 people per table. 45 minutes of meeting time are devoted to the roundtable discussions. Each table brainstorms for 15 minutes on one business, then another business for 15 minutes and then a third business for 15 minutes (15 minutes x 3 businesses = 45 minutes). If you have two full tables, six businesses (3 business x 2 tables = 6) will leave that meeting with new marketing ideas in addition to any referrals members bring that week. Long-time members no longer feel guilty coming to meetings without referrals since they may contribute in other ways.

To keep meetings within an hour, shorten introductions to start the meeting. Members could introduce themselves in less than 15 seconds by following this order: fun tag line, first name, business name and then, business buzzwords. After introductions and announcements, dive into the brainstorming roundtables.

If you hold four meetings per month, spend the other two meetings doing various activities (reviewing each other’s business cards, improving each other’s taglines, etc).

To share the nuts & bolts of each member’s industry I recommend one of two solutions. Either create a website with a page for each member (it helps to have a web designer in the group yet Microsoft Frontpage is simple for many people and a domain name + hosting costs ~$50 year) or have each member fill out an application with contact info, industry description, industry tips, testimonials, have one member type up the applications and then hand out in three-ring binders for reference when needed. Either approach will look impressive to guests.

Lastly, I’m not big on fines or membership dues yet do think charging $5 per missed meeting (often less than the cost of attending and paying for breakfast/lunch) is acceptable if the collected funds are used to pay for group marketing costs.

People join groups to get referrals, to get ideas on how to grow their business, to help others and to socialize. You’ll find the above approach maximizes your group time to improve productivity and growth of the group and its members.

Jamie Kahn is the leader of several Arizona marketing groups at www.azeps.com and is owner of www.fourpeaksplanning.com Send your questions or comments to jkahn2eb@yahoo.com

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