Hello Social Media – Buh Bye Networking Groups?

Disclaimer: I am a traditional networker who has been studying social media heavily for the last six months only. And, I am still learning more and more daily. My expectations and feelings about this phenomena change just about as often. As such, certainly what follows is merely my perceptions on this topic at this specific snapshot of time. There will quite likely be those who will read this and say “That idiot just does not get it yet!”. To which I would respond…. “O.K.” (smile). I also enjoy playing “devil’s advocate” and the devil in me just loves to “stir the chili”.

Let’s see now, traditional networking groups have been around since ……. well, a real real long time. Dinosaurs were around a long time too. And now? They be gone (smile). Evolution is a funny thing. So are the axioms “survival of the fittest” and “only the strongest will survive”. Therefore, with the explosion of Social Media, Business-Social Media, Internet Networking, whatever you want to name it, how does that bode for the traditional networking group? It’s gonna’ “bode” one way or another. The question becomes ….. will it bode well, bode badly, or have little or no affect?

I have been fortunate enough during my years in business to business selling to have been highly successful in a networking group environment. Extremely successful. I’m such a huge believer that I created NetWorks! Boise in hopes of taking a group of this type to the next level. Looking back, we probably started this right at about the time that Social Media was beginning to take shape and take hold. I would say that this phenomena really just exploded over the past six months. And, it is exciting. More importantly, I have no question that it is both here to stay and that it will completely reshape the networking landscape. I am just as convinced that traditional networkers, like myself, are presented with two choices: evolve or die.

What is it that makes Social Media so powerful?

  1. It’s cool. It’s hip. It’s now. Need I say more (smile)?
  2. It’s expansive. There is simply no other vehicle, that I am aware of, that will allow you to touch so many at any given time.
  3. It’s instantaneous. Type in a few characters and click “go”. Your message has been sent to the masses.
  4. It’s portable. Desktop or smart phone. Your choice or both.
  5. It’s cheap. I am using maybe 30 different social media tools and not one has cost me a dime. None of the Big 3 –  Twitter, FaceBook, LinkedIn charge a penny for their services.(although FaceBook and LinkedIn do offer optional ways to spend money as do many others).
  6. It provides new tools. Tools to monitor what folks are saying about you and your brand. Tools to reach new and more people in ways not thought of before. It may well replace traditional advertising. Certainly, it is sending out huge shock waves to that community.
  7. It takes you to new people, places, and opportunities. It would be very unlikely, for me at least, that I would have connected with a fraction of the people I have by using social media if not for social media. These folks do not run in my traditional circles.
  8. It creates new social, and business, groups where there were none. It has the incredible ability to bring like-minded folks together.
  9. It will create/promote your personal brand. As I have also heard … “If your brand sucks now, it will amplify that same message”. So, best to get your house in order first.
  10. It is hugely educational. I have been introduced to more new concepts in the past six months than in all my previous years of adult life combined. And, I’m going on 56.

Where does Social Media potentially fall short?

Please see items #1 – #10 above (smile). Seriously, I see the challenges to Social Media as being many of these key points as they relate to your ability to achieve measurable results in a cost effective manner. And, I am going to tell you, it can and will be a huge time suck if you choose to fully embrace it and do not figure out a way to corral and harness it. I have not yet been able to master that. I personally find Social Media to be:

  1. Difficult to maintain any degree of focus. It comes at you too fast and from too many directions. By the same token, you may feel compelled to respond to it at this same exaggerated pace. Like me (smile).
  2. A challenge to separate the wheat from the chaff. And there is plenty of both.
  3. Best suited if you have a wide target market. Mine happens to be narrow. But, if it were to become wider, Katie bar the door!
  4. Counter productive to developing real relationships. To a large extent, the goal appears for many to be one of numbers. Who has the most followers in Twitter? The most friends on FaceBook? Are you a LinkedIn Lion (LinkedIn Open Networker)? Relationships are formed one-on-one, not in cyberspace. Fact is, I do not think that even the most devoted Social Media guru would argue this point. Relationships, conversions, transactions. How can you effectively do that with 1,000’s? The fact is, maybe you can’t. This can then result in the inability to respond to valid communication, due to time constraints, in a timely and consistent manner thereby damaging said relationships.
  5. Highly addictive.  This topic has consumed my interest for the past six months and I am fascinated by all of it! I also, unfortunately, have an addictive personality.
  6. A full time networking job. You will be asked to constantly feed Twitter, FaceBook and, to a lesser extent, LinkedIn. Don’t do that and you will soon be yesterday’s news. You will be bombarded with invitations to networking events, webinars to learn more, notifications, friend requests, and the list goes on. And, being a true and enthusiastic believer, you will likely feel compelled to comply. You will want to comply (smile). You will also want to stay up with the latest apps and trends. That’s a lot of reading and research. This is all great if you want to be a professional networker. Me, I network for the purpose of earning a living.
  7. If you walk into this with unreasonably high expectations, you will likely turn around and walk right back out. Social Media takes time to understand let alone master. You may try to engage others and come to realize quickly that your love is not being returned. And, it hurts (smile). Give what you can and take what you need.

Buh Bye Networking Groups?

I don’t “tink” so (smile). Consider the following:

  1. I spend a quality one hour per week with about 20 dedicated business people who are almost as devoted to my success as they are their own. They recognize that having this common goal means that everybody wins.
  2. We focus on the business at hand …. sharing leads, referrals, and intelligence. There is no pretense. It is what it is.
  3. We leave our meeting each week with specific opportunities to turn our discussions into dollars.
  4. These same discussions do, in fact, turn into dollars. Measurable success. I, or my sales people, have sold well over $1 million in products as a direct result of networking groups over say the past 15 years. Probably closer to 2 million. One sale alone was $350,000.
  5. We are bonded in our common goals. These bonds, incidentally, go well beyond the group environment and often stand the test of time even between members no longer together in the group setting.
  6. In all fairness, there are costs involved with most networking groups in the form of dues. In the case of NetWorks! Boise that fee is $25/week which includes your meal. Still, time is money. What’s your time worth? Now multiply that by the number of hours spent on Social Media and compare that to your measurable returns. Networking groups may be the better investment.

So, the simple answer to the opening question is ………….. “No”. Every good sales person I know (and we are all sales people) places an extremely high value on what I like to call having “a lot of arrows in my quiver”. It’s not easy, no fun, and not productive if you are a “one trick pony”. Both Social Media and Networking Groups play important roles in your overall marketing efforts. If I did not believe that, I would not be writing about this while at the same time planning for additional groups. Ultimately, I believe that, networking groups focus on selling while social media is best suited for a  marketing role. And, you gotta’ have both!

One would think that learning to Tweet in 140 characters or less would translate to this blog. One would be wrong (smile). Thanks for visiting and …….. buh bye!

Craig

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Author: Craig M. Jamieson

Craig M. Jamieson is a lifelong B2B salesperson, manager, owner, and a networking enthusiast. Adaptive Business Services provides solutions related to the sales professional including Boise's best B2B leads group, NetWorks! Boise Valley. We are a Nimble SCRM and a PieSync Solution Partner and a Value Added Associate for TTI Performance Systems. Craig also conducts training and workshops primarily in selling.