Measuring Value for a Networking Group

How do you measure a group's worth to your organization?

It is sometimes necessary to measure the value of a group. You may be asking yourself why you would want to measure the value of a group whose purpose is business. You would want to measure the price of membership vs. the business you will get out of the group through either referrals or direct business with members. There are several ways that the measurement can be taken. First, you will need to assess the current membership. You should develop a scale of 1 to 10 and give each member a rating based on a set of predefined criteria. What criteria should you use? That will depend entirely on your goals for belonging to the group. For example, if you are selling services for repairing computers, you may rate members by the number of computers they have at the workplace, and you may also add a factor for who they are currently using on the servicing side. It is best to define at least 3 criteria for a sampling of the members. You will not want to measure every member, but a small cross-section will do. Second, you should measure the amount of business each member (or a sample of members) has received by joining the group. You may also want to know how much business they do with other group members as well.

Once you have the measurements, these same criteria should be applied to each of the groups you are interested in. Next you will want to do a comparison of the groups and then make your selection based on facts rather than emotion.

Now that you have thought out and used a measurement tool for deciding the value of a group, you will want to test as many groups as possible. You may decide to join only those groups that measure in the top 20% of your scale. One thing you may want to consider is the time and place of the meeting. Your calendar must be open and flexible enough to deal with attendance requirements.

Bette Daoust, Ph.D. has been networking with others since leaving high school years ago. Realizing that no one really cared about what she did in life unless she had someone to tell and excite. She decided to find the best ways to get people's attention, be creative in how she presented herself and products, getting people to know who she was, and being visible all the time. Her friends and colleagues have often dubbed her the "Networking Queen". Blueprint for Networking Success: 150 ways to promote yourself is the first in this series. Blueprint for Branding Yourself: Another 150 ways to promote yourself is planned for release in 2005. For more information visit http://www.BlueprintBooks.com

---

Ebooks, Scripts, Websites, and more...

Adsense websites

How to Turn Water into Lemonade by Giving a Flavored Answer to a Fruitless Question

I remember the first time I opened the fridge to... Read More

Mobile Car Wash Companies; Trading Tips

If you run a mobile car washing firm we recommend... Read More

Networking for Wallflowers: How to Profit from Getting into the Crowd

The two most common complaints about networking are: 1) I... Read More

Network Marketing Secret: On Becoming the ?GoTo? Guy

For years we've been taught to identify ourselves as reps... Read More

A New LinkedIn Discussion Forum for High Power Dealmakers

For those of you interested in international business transactions or... Read More

Networking

Networking: Is it who you know or what you know... Read More

The 4 Actions of Awesome Hospitality

These Actions of Awesome Hospitality? will help you manifest the... Read More

Lesson 69 - When Networking Events Fail

The StoryIn a quest to create strategic alliances, coalitions, and... Read More

Networking: Is Your Approach Too Self-Centered?

It's a classic mistake by networkers: their approach is focused... Read More

Measuring Value for a Networking Group

How do you measure a group's worth to your organization?It... Read More

Acknowledging Referrals! What?s in It For You?

I grew up in a household where saying thank you... Read More

Marketing Essentials: The 15 Second Elevator Speech

You're at a conference. Someone steps in the elevator, notices... Read More

7 Step Plan To Get Going With Networking

Whether you're an introvert or an extrovert, feel like you... Read More

A Vital Habit For Selling Big Ticket Items

I hope the title of this article aroused your curiosity!... Read More

Networking Know-how

Successful networking requires the understanding from the get-go that it... Read More

Develop a Great Network - Pay It Forward for Maximum Success

Who needs a network of people to talk to about... Read More

Why Cant I Remember Your Name?

You're terrible with names. You forget someone's name within ten... Read More

Building Bridges - The Importance of Being Connected Where You Live

As a Young Professional (YP) in the up-and-coming city of... Read More

Networking in the Change Room: 5 Ways to Network Effectively While Getting Undressed

There's a time and place to network with people in... Read More

Networking to a New Life

Research shows that talking to strangers -- not people in... Read More

Talk Isnt Cheap

The most successful organizations have good communication skills. Survey after... Read More

Mother Said - Wash Your Hands

Think health articles are boring? This one isn't, so read... Read More

Create a 10 Second Introduction From Your USP

You can generate a ton of business by networking, whether... Read More

Networking: Strangers, Friendship, and Business Growth

You already know that uncomfortable feeling, that knot in your... Read More

How to Announce a New Product

How can the introduction of new products affect the way... Read More