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6. Acknowledge that it might take you a year or more -- in
right group -- to build trust others need to have in order to do business with you. Don't expect to walk into a group of people who do not know you and expect them to buy what you're selling or to enter into a joint venture with you. They have to get to know, like, and respect you before they're interested in doing business with you.
7. If you decide to join a group, you need to join a committee or two to get to know membership. Simply showing up once or twice a month to a meeting will not help you get to know other members of group. It is at committee level where real networking occurs and where you will develop deeper relationships with other members of your association.
8. Ensure that groups you join don't have essentially same membership. If you're attending various group meetings and you see same faces again and again, your time and money would probably be better spent diversifying your professional association memberships.
9. Is your industry over-represented in group? I've attended some meetings of groups that were full of real estate agents or financial planners, and group wasn't a professional association of either industry. Make sure your group is well-balanced in terms of member industries and that there is room within group for someone from your industry to join without stepping on toes.
10. Only participate in groups that meet at a time of day when you're at your best. If you're not an early morning person, those "rise and shine" breakfast meetings probably won't work for you. Several groups I joined in Little Rock meet during lunch, and I've discovered that middle of day is most difficult time for me to get away. Consequently, I've reduced number of groups to which I belong who have lunchtime meetings, as that's just not convenient for me.
Joining professional associations can be a very powerful tool for growing your business--if approached with forethought and planning. Take some time this week to determine how this strategy fits into your overall business marketing strategy.
Donna Gunter is a Self-Employment Expert and Small Business Coach. She helps overwhelmed self-employed professionals become masterful managers of their businesses by coaching, training, and consulting with them on 8 key strategies proven to help them work smarter and make more. Visit her website at www.self-employment-success.com and subscribe to her newsletter, Work Smarter Make More.
