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My father always told me that it wasn't what you knew it was who you knew. In the 5 years of teaching, I have met many parents, teachers, and others in education.I never felt like I really "knew" any of them. In fact, only one has ever invited me to anything outside of the school.
In the 1 month I have spent networking, I have many many more wonderful people who are all very much like me! I have attended four separate networking events or functions so far and some of the same people spill into each of the groups. Each group has a very different format but all are centered around getting to know other business owners and finding out what they do.
The very first one I ever attended I found on facebook. I searched facebook with my town's name. I was primarily looking for other local businesses so we could share "likes" to our page. One of the businesses pages was for a networking group. There was no phone number, just a statement that said they met every Friday morning at a local hotel.
When I arrived my first time, a gentleman getting coffee heard me ask where the group met and offered to take me there. I was a few minutes late, and they had already started. It was a small conference room with a U shaped table and almost every chair filled. I slipped into one in the back and watched everyone with wide eyes.
They had pulled a card from a hat and the lady it belonged to stood up. She described her business and the room started flooding her with marketing ideas on how to gain more customers. After words we all stood up one at a time and gave a 1 minute commercial. Finally, we passed our business cards around for people to collect with the idea they would pass them on to others who could use our services. The overall feeling from this group was warmth and lightheartedness. I was hooked.
I brought my $30 advertising fee the very next week and met even more people at this meeting. This time the leader gave us a 15 minute class on network marketing. A week later someone gave us tips on effective branding. This group is really my favorite.
By attending these functions, I found out about others. I was invited to a chamber of commerce luncheon (free and yummy!) and found out about InHouston and Third Thursdays. Now the chamber is something I believe is important, and so does my insurance mentor. He said he will pay for me to join once I start producing (thats another story.) It cannot and won't be my only networking source. There were lots and lots of insurance agents there!
InHouston was a refreshing event. They have meetings all over the city and I went to one close to me. No pressure, no cost (except for anything you order from the venue where it's held.) Business owners from all over came to meet other business owners, and all had a fabulous time.
Thursdays rock my world. I have discovered that on various Thursdays, there is a free meal waiting for me near-by. Here is how it works. One or two business owners sponsors the meal (served buffet style) and in return we listen to them speak about their business for 20 minutes. After they have had their say, we all get a 30 second commercial and door prizes are given. I won a bottle of wine!
As an insurance agent, I now have lots of local resources to share with my clients. I can also tell my dad I know lots of people:)
In the 1 month I have spent networking, I have many many more wonderful people who are all very much like me! I have attended four separate networking events or functions so far and some of the same people spill into each of the groups. Each group has a very different format but all are centered around getting to know other business owners and finding out what they do.
The very first one I ever attended I found on facebook. I searched facebook with my town's name. I was primarily looking for other local businesses so we could share "likes" to our page. One of the businesses pages was for a networking group. There was no phone number, just a statement that said they met every Friday morning at a local hotel.
When I arrived my first time, a gentleman getting coffee heard me ask where the group met and offered to take me there. I was a few minutes late, and they had already started. It was a small conference room with a U shaped table and almost every chair filled. I slipped into one in the back and watched everyone with wide eyes.
They had pulled a card from a hat and the lady it belonged to stood up. She described her business and the room started flooding her with marketing ideas on how to gain more customers. After words we all stood up one at a time and gave a 1 minute commercial. Finally, we passed our business cards around for people to collect with the idea they would pass them on to others who could use our services. The overall feeling from this group was warmth and lightheartedness. I was hooked.
I brought my $30 advertising fee the very next week and met even more people at this meeting. This time the leader gave us a 15 minute class on network marketing. A week later someone gave us tips on effective branding. This group is really my favorite.
By attending these functions, I found out about others. I was invited to a chamber of commerce luncheon (free and yummy!) and found out about InHouston and Third Thursdays. Now the chamber is something I believe is important, and so does my insurance mentor. He said he will pay for me to join once I start producing (thats another story.) It cannot and won't be my only networking source. There were lots and lots of insurance agents there!
InHouston was a refreshing event. They have meetings all over the city and I went to one close to me. No pressure, no cost (except for anything you order from the venue where it's held.) Business owners from all over came to meet other business owners, and all had a fabulous time.
Thursdays rock my world. I have discovered that on various Thursdays, there is a free meal waiting for me near-by. Here is how it works. One or two business owners sponsors the meal (served buffet style) and in return we listen to them speak about their business for 20 minutes. After they have had their say, we all get a 30 second commercial and door prizes are given. I won a bottle of wine!
As an insurance agent, I now have lots of local resources to share with my clients. I can also tell my dad I know lots of people:)
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