Monthly Meetings: Expanded Networking Opportunities

I’m not sure which has exits clearing faster—Sunday morning church services or an early-morning networking group! You better not be near the door at the end, or you risk getting run over before you’re even out of the parking lot. When you’re meeting before your workday starts, you are going to be in a hurry to get out of there and start checking things off your to-do list. If you’re a business owner, you may have already missed a number of important calls just during breakfast.

This is one reason why we don’t hold early-morning meetings. Though our franchise contract allows franchise leaders to hold meetings when they like, we encourage all of our franchise owners to hold them in the afternoon. Today, 100 percent of the ninety-minute NIA® meetings are in fact being held between 3:00-5:00 p.m. in cities across the country. The impact of an afternoon meeting is that members are able to stay and visit with each other when it’s over.

By holding meetings in the afternoon, usually at the end of the workday, you have the time to visit. You can set up one-on-ones with other members in your group, ask more questions about a referral someone gave you, or just get to know members better in a relaxed atmosphere. You have the time to build relationships, which is ultimately what networking is all about. This means that you have the opportunity to come and more completely do what you came to do.

You see, in many ways, networking is like a big sandwich. The middle of the sandwich is important, but it wouldn't be very good without something holding it together. People and relationships are what is holding your networking success in place. Even though we only have one mandatory meeting each month, we consistently provide other and more personal networking opportunities for our group members each month. We host happy hours, group events, educational lunch series, and more. We offer a variety of avenues for you to form deep relationships with your fellow group members because, again, this is the most important part of networking.

So, what if you actually like those early morning meetings? Well, go find one! Then, come see us in the afternoon. If you’re already in a group you love, then stay—and let us add to the power of your network. You don’t have to choose one or the other, and our model gives you time to do both, and to do them well.

At NIA®, we always put our members over our brand, and we actually encourage you to join other networking groups. Our first priority is supporting your business growth, and we obviously believe that networking has the power to do that. So, go network! Have you ever met any business owners who got all of the business they need out of just one networking group? If you are currently only using one avenue for your own networking efforts, then you are reaching only a fraction of the people who are waiting to help you. However, if you’re going to pick one avenue of networking, I humbly submit that you are likely to find the most qualified referrals in your local NIA® group.