know many of the local movers and shakers and the local mayors, my state
assemblyperson and my congressperson.
Several years ago, the California State Assembly was considering passing a
bill that could put regulations on the dental plan my network marketing
company was selling. (I am no longer with that company). I emailed my
contact at the company and told him I knew the assemblyperson who was
the chair of the committee that was considering the legislation. We knew
each other because we had both been involved in the same chamber of
commerce.
A few hours after I got a call from the CEO of our company asking me to
call her and give her the company’s position on the issue. He gave me an
outline of what to tell her. I put in a call to her assistant. The next morning,
she called me back, and we spent almost a half hour discussing the bill. She
thanked me for giving her a perspective that nobody in Sacramento had
considered. That is another benefit of being involved in your local chamber
of commerce. My connection helped our entire company, and it made me
feel important. It’s nice to feel important, isn’t it?
Join a Networking Group
Networking groups are clubs that meet once a week for breakfast or lunch.
They allow only one person from each business category to join and
participate. A networking club, for instance, may have 1 dentist, 1 lawyer, 1
plumber, 1 chiropractor, 1 insurance agent, 1 florist, 1 banker, etc. They
may have more than 1 network marketer, if the network marketers are
selling different products. Most networking clubs have about 20-30
members.
Networking group meetings are somewhat similar to chamber of commerce
breakfasts or luncheons, with a few differences. They focus on getting leads
for their members, and they expect you to bring leads for other members
regularly.
You will have the opportunity to get up and give your 60-second
commercial. During your commercial, you will tell your fellow members
the types of people or businesses that are the best leads for you, in the
hopes that the other members will know and refer them to you. Of course,