Networking Will Benefit Your Cleaning Business

Joining networking groups is one of the best decisions I have made to improve our cleaning business.

Here are some of the benefits to joining that I have experienced.

• You meet great people
• You make friends.
• You grow your business over time.
• It gets your name out in the community.
• Your friends refer you to other members you may not have met yet.
• It gets you away from your desk and out into the community.
• You find businesses that you can call on for your own needs. Whether it be plumbing, painting, remodeling, graphic arts or printing. You now have a group of trusted contractors to call on when you need help with something.

There are many networking groups to choose from, I belong to a township business association and a few that are small in number of members that are run by business people much like myself. We meet for lunch and discuss our problems if any, get suggestions for improving our business and it is nice to just socialize for an hour and a half.

Chambers of Commerce are a great place to start, although a little costly, depending on the number of employee it ranges from $350.00 to about $450.00 in my area. Many towns, counties and regions have chambers that you can join.

There are also BNI’s (Business Networking International) This group requires a lot of commitment, meaning you must always show up or send someone in your place and you can only miss like one or two meeting before you get booted out. They start very early in the a.m. Like the 6:30 to 7:30 range. Sorry that is not for me, but if you are an early riser then it could be a place to start.

I have made new friends and receive a lot of business from the groups I belong to. You must throw yourself out there, don’t be afraid, if you can talk to your family and friends then you can talk to your networking group. Pretend you are in a long supermarket line, most people strike up conversations there (I do), so what’s the difference.

It’s a a good idea to know what you are going to say at a networking function in advance. Have your sales pitch ready and always remember familiarity does result in friendships and sales. In other words people must get to know you before they trust you and give you their business or referrals.

You also want to be an active member and go to as many meetings as possible. The more people you get to know the more people get to know you!!

DO NOT BE AFRAID to speak to strangers in a networking group, and be a good listener, they have as much to say about themselves and their business as you have to say about yourself and your business.

Get out there and just Network, Network, Network, before long you will really enjoy it, and make lots of new friendships (and money too).