Business Networking - The Will to Harvest More

Written by Dr. Katrina Stopper and Matt Hackett

Business networking groups can help your business. However, many local business professionals are finding out the hard way that referrals don't come pouring in just by paying your annual dues.
Last month's edition of the ABRA Newsletter spoke about the importance of character and how it determines our ability to do more. Another part of reaching great accomplishment is determined by our will power. That might seem like a "well, duh" statement to many of you, but stop what you're doing for one moment to take inventory of how your will power and determination leads your daily life. It might become a little more noticeable just how vital it is.
We've all heard the verse "We reap what we sow". Likewise, the size of our harvest, or achievement, is directly equivalent to our efforts to reap a gain from every opportunity that presents itself throughout our day. As business professionals, those opportunities can take shape in numerous ways:
Networking Events: When you are learn of an open networking opportunity, do you make an effort to attend? If you do attend networking events, do you make it a point to make at least 10 new contacts, or do you bee-line to the bar and chat it up all night with the first two people you meet? When you do make new contacts, how quick and dependable are you to be sure to make a sincere follow up with them?
Educational Growth: If you're reading this, chances are you have at least one leg up on that one. Successful business professionals take every opportunity to learn from other business professionals, both successful AND unsuccessful. Reading newsletters, newspapers, self and business development books, and attending or listening to taped lectures are an easy way to soak up valuable and applicable information, and they are often right at our fingertips- literally.
If you think it takes too much time to put in the extra effort, think of it this way: You have to eat sometime, why not do it with a business associate or at a networking event rather than alone? You have to commute to work or home at some point, why not listen to a book or lecture on tape at the same time? There's more time in the day than you think!
It is a rare individual that capitalizes on all that they are presented, but they are also often the most successful. You've put a lot of work into your business. So, what kind of harvest are you willing to reap this year?
If you have decided to become a member of a Networking Group, you've taken a very important step toward reaching a higher level of success. However, just as "you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink", Business Networking Groups can provide you with opportunities for growth and development, but it takes will power and a commitment to yourself to make any of it work. Make the decision today to have the will to achieve more in your business.