Make Business Networking Your Notice Board

Share What You Need, Discover What Others Need and Turn Conversations Into Opportunities

Think about the purpose of a traditional notice board. It might contain details of a local event, somebody advertising a service, a business looking for help, a job vacancy, a recommendation, an item for sale or a request from somebody searching for a particular person, product or skill.

People put information on a notice board because they want others to see it. Equally, people stop and read the board because there might be something useful, relevant or interesting waiting for them.

So why not approach business networking in exactly the same way?

Every networking meeting gives you an opportunity to put information in front of a group of business owners and professionals. You can tell people what you do, explain who you want to meet, ask for recommendations, promote something new, share an opportunity or request help with a business challenge.

At the same time, everyone else in the room is effectively putting their own notices on the board. The real value comes when you don’t just post your own notice – you read everybody else’s too.

At Simply Business Club, our approach to networking places conversation and collaboration at the heart of the experience. Rather than viewing networking simply as an opportunity to sell, SBC encourages people to discuss their businesses, ask questions, share knowledge and develop a better understanding of one another.

Used properly, your business network can become one of the most useful notice boards you have.

Notice: This Is What We Do

Make Sure People Actually Understand Your Business

The first thing you need to put on your networking notice board is a clear explanation of what your business does.

That sounds obvious, but there’s a considerable difference between someone knowing your job title and genuinely understanding your business. Imagine someone introduces themselves as a solicitor. That tells you something, but it doesn’t tell you whether they specialise in employment law, commercial property, family law or another area.

The same applies to accountants, marketing agencies, photographers, tradespeople, consultants and almost every other profession. If your fellow networkers only have a vague understanding of your business, they’ll find it difficult to recognise opportunities for you.

Use different networking meetings to explain different elements of what you offer. One week you could discuss a particular service. At another meeting, talk about a problem you recently solved for a customer. Next time, explain a lesser-known service or highlight the type of work you particularly enjoy.

Over time, those individual pieces of information build a much clearer picture of your business. That’s important because people can only recommend what they understand.

Wanted: Our Ideal Customer

Give Your Network Something Specific to Look For

One of the most useful notices you can put on your business networking notice board is a description of the person or organisation you would particularly like to meet. Avoid simply saying, “Anyone who needs my services.” Although that might technically be true, it’s far too broad to give your fellow networkers something useful to look for.

If you ask a room full of people whether they know “any businesses”, you’re effectively asking them to search through thousands of possible contacts in their heads. Give them something specific and the task becomes considerably easier. Perhaps you’re looking for independent retailers in Canterbury, construction companies employing more than twenty people, hotel owners, schools, charities, manufacturers, landlords or professional services businesses.

The more clearly you describe your ideal client, the easier it becomes for your network to recognise a potential opportunity. Someone listening to your request might suddenly think of a customer, supplier, former colleague or business contact who perfectly matches the description you’ve given.

Specific networking requests are much more likely to create specific opportunities.

Wanted: An Introduction

Tell People Who You Would Like to Meet

Sometimes you can be even more precise by identifying a particular business or organisation you’d like to work with. If there’s a company you’ve been trying to reach, put it on your networking notice board rather than assuming nobody in the room will have a connection.

You may have spent months trying to speak to an organisation without getting beyond a generic email address or reception desk, while somebody sitting across the networking table could know the Managing Director personally. Another attendee might already supply the company, while someone else may have previously worked there and know exactly who you should contact.

This demonstrates one of the most important principles of professional networking: you’re not only connected to the people attending the meeting; you’re potentially connected to the people they know as well.

A networking meeting containing twenty people isn’t simply twenty potential contacts because each attendee could have hundreds of professional and personal connections of their own. That creates an enormous combined network, but nobody can make the right introduction if they don’t know who you’re hoping to meet.

Don’t be afraid to ask.

Recommendation Needed

Use Your Network as a Trusted Business Resource

If you need an accountant, electrician, venue, photographer, solicitor, printer, web designer, HR consultant or another professional service, consider asking your business network before spending hours searching from scratch. Put your requirement on your networking notice board and ask whether anybody knows someone they would genuinely recommend.

Personal recommendations are one of the major advantages of developing a trusted professional network. Instead of approaching a completely unknown business, you may be introduced to someone another business owner has already worked with and is confident recommending.

The person making the recommendation can often provide useful context too, explaining what the company did for them, why they were impressed and whether they believe that particular business would be suitable for your requirements.

Business networking therefore isn’t only about finding new customers; it can also help you surround yourself with useful, knowledgeable and trustworthy professional contacts.

Help Wanted

Your Network Could Help Solve a Business Problem

Running a business inevitably brings challenges, and while sometimes the answer is obvious, on other occasions you may have no idea where to begin. You could be struggling to recruit the right person, considering new software, looking for premises, experiencing a marketing problem or wondering how other businesses have dealt with a similar situation.

Instead of struggling with the problem alone, put it on your networking notice board. You don’t need to reveal confidential information or discuss anything you’re uncomfortable sharing. Simply explain the general challenge and ask whether anyone within the room has relevant knowledge or experience.

One person may have faced exactly the same situation six months ago, another could know a specialist capable of helping, while somebody else might suggest an approach you hadn’t previously considered.

A diverse networking group contains an enormous amount of combined business knowledge and experience, and sometimes solving a problem simply begins with asking the right people the right question.

Coming Soon

Tell Your Network About New Products and Services

Your business doesn’t stand still, so neither should the information you’re sharing with your professional network. You may have introduced a new service, added another product range, expanded your team or started operating in a different geographical area. Whatever has changed, make sure you tell people about it.

Someone who has known you through networking for several years might still associate your business with the service you discussed when you originally met. If they don’t know that your company has evolved, they won’t recognise opportunities to recommend your newer products or services.

Use networking meetings to keep your notice board current rather than delivering exactly the same introduction every time. Explain what’s new, why you’ve introduced it, who could benefit and perhaps provide a recent example.

This continually educates your network while also making your contributions at regular networking meetings much more interesting.

Event Notice

Promote What You’ve Got Coming Up

Whether you’re hosting an event, running a webinar, organising a charity fundraiser, holding an open day, launching a workshop or attending a business exhibition, make sure your professional network knows about it.

Don’t assume that the people attending your networking meeting have to be the target audience themselves. They may know plenty of people who are. Perhaps none of the fifteen people sitting around the table personally wants to attend your workshop, but one of them regularly works with fifty businesses that potentially could.

One conversation can therefore considerably extend the reach of your message.

Remember that this works both ways too. When another networker mentions an event they’re organising, consider whether there is anyone within your own network who might be interested and help them spread the word.

Vacancy Available

Your Network Could Know Your Next Employee

Recruitment is another excellent opportunity to use your business network as a notice board. If you’re looking for somebody to join your company, tell the people you’re networking with and explain the role, the type of candidate you’re hoping to find and any particularly important skills, qualifications or experience.

Somebody in the room might know the ideal person. They could have a former colleague looking for their next opportunity, know someone working within the relevant industry or even be connected to somebody who isn’t actively job hunting but would consider moving for the right position.

Once again, the potential value comes from looking beyond the people physically attending the meeting. By talking about your vacancy, you’re potentially accessing the much wider professional and personal networks surrounding everyone in the room.

Opportunity Available

Share Opportunities You Can’t Use Yourself

A good networking notice board shouldn’t be filled exclusively with requests and opportunities for your own business. If you discover something that could benefit another member of your network, share it with them.

Perhaps a customer needs a service your company doesn’t provide, you’ve heard about a tender or project that isn’t suitable for you, or somebody is searching for an event sponsor, supplier or specialist contractor. If you know someone within your network who could potentially help, make the connection.

Some of the strongest business networkers become known as connectors because they listen carefully to what people need, remember who they know and bring the right people together.

There doesn’t have to be an immediate financial reward every time you make an introduction. Helping others strengthens relationships, demonstrates that you’ve listened and builds your reputation as somebody who actively contributes to the networking community.

Recommended

Champion Businesses You Trust

A community notice board will often contain recommendations, and your networking notice board should be no different. If you’ve used another member’s services and had an excellent experience, don’t be afraid to tell people about it.

When somebody asks for a service that another networker provides, recommend them when you genuinely believe they’re the right person for the job. You might also share their social media content, introduce them directly to one of your contacts or simply mention their business when a relevant opportunity arises.

Recommendations should always be genuine because putting somebody forward also places part of your own reputation behind them.

This is why strong networking relationships develop over time. As you get to know people, understand their expertise and see how they operate, you can become increasingly confident about recommending them to others.

Advice Needed

Ask People Who Have Already Been There

One of the most underrated benefits of business networking is having access to the experience of other business owners and professionals. If you’re about to employ someone for the first time, there may be several people in the room who already manage teams and can share what they learned from the process.

The same applies to countless other business decisions. If you’re considering moving into commercial premises, someone may have recently done it. If you’re researching a new CRM system, another member may already have experience of several platforms. If you’re thinking about launching a podcast, you could be sitting beside somebody who produces one every week.

Networking gives you an opportunity to speak to people who have already travelled along the road you’re considering.

You don’t have to follow every piece of advice you’re given, but hearing other people’s experiences can help you ask better questions and make more informed decisions. Sometimes the most valuable thing you take away from a networking meeting isn’t a referral at all – it’s knowledge.

Information Worth Sharing

Give Something Back to the Notice Board

If you’ve discovered information that could benefit other businesses, share it. You may have become aware of a scam targeting local companies, discovered a useful business event or funding opportunity, found a particularly effective piece of software or learned something through experience that could save another business owner considerable time or money.

Sharing useful knowledge doesn’t diminish your own expertise; in many cases, it helps demonstrate it. People can begin to associate you with being helpful, knowledgeable and willing to contribute to the wider business community.

Sharing information can also create valuable discussions. Someone might expand upon your point, ask a question or contribute a completely different perspective.

This exchange of knowledge is one of the reasons a strong business network can become considerably more valuable than simply having a directory filled with names and contact details.

Don’t Just Post – Read the Notice Board

Listening Is One of the Most Valuable Networking Skills

The notice-board analogy becomes particularly important when considering how much time you spend listening.

Imagine somebody repeatedly sticking their own advertisement onto a community notice board without ever stopping to read anything anybody else has posted. That’s not particularly useful, yet some people approach business networking in almost exactly the same way.

They arrive thinking about their pitch, wait for their turn, talk about their business and then mentally switch off.

Instead, when someone else is speaking, listen carefully to who they’re looking for, the services they’re promoting, the geographical areas they cover and the problems they solve. Pay attention when they ask for a recommendation, mention they’re recruiting or explain that they’re looking for a particular introduction.

Successful business networking isn’t simply about making sure you’re heard. It’s also about hearing other people and considering whether your knowledge, experience or contacts could help them.

Take Notes From the Notice Board

Don’t Expect Yourself to Remember Everything

Listening is important, but expecting yourself to remember every piece of information shared during a busy networking meeting is unrealistic. You could hear dozens of names, company names, services, geographical areas, referral requests and potential opportunities within a relatively short period.

Take notes of the information that matters. Record people’s names and businesses, the products or services they offer, the areas they cover, their ideal clients and any specific introductions they’re currently looking for.

If somebody asks for help and you think you know the right person, write it down. If you promise to make an introduction, make a note of that too.

Those few words could become extremely useful weeks or months later when an opportunity appears. Your notes effectively allow you to take part of the networking notice board away with you and refer back to it whenever you need to refresh your memory.

Take Down Outdated Notices

Keep Your Networking Message Relevant

Community notice boards need maintaining because old events eventually pass and outdated adverts need replacing. Your networking message deserves exactly the same attention.

Businesses change over time. The customers you’re targeting today may be different from those you wanted twelve months ago, your services may have evolved and you could now be operating in new locations or working with completely different industries.

Don’t allow your professional contacts to continue working with outdated information about your business.

Keep telling people what’s happening, what you’re currently promoting and who you’d particularly like to meet. Your core business identity can remain consistent while the details evolve, giving regular networkers something new to learn about you.

Don’t Cover the Entire Board With Your Advert

Business Networking Should Never Be All About You

We’ve probably all seen a physical notice board where one enormous advert has been plastered across everything else, leaving very little room for anyone else’s message.

Don’t become the business networking equivalent.

You absolutely should promote your company because that’s one of the reasons you’re attending, but effective networking requires balance. Talk about your business and then listen to somebody else’s. Ask for help while also looking for opportunities to provide help. Request introductions but be willing to make introductions yourself.

Similarly, when you share an opportunity, listen for opportunities that could benefit other people in the room.

A healthy networking community works because everybody has the opportunity to contribute, and the greatest value often appears when people think beyond what they personally want to gain.

Act on What You Read

Follow-Up Turns Information Into Results

Once the networking meeting finishes, you close your notebook and return to work, but that’s when the information you’ve gathered needs to become useful. The value of your networking notice board can either continue to grow or quickly disappear depending on what you do next.

If you promised to make an introduction, make it. If somebody gave you a useful contact, follow up with them. If you met somebody you’d like to know better, arrange another conversation. When someone recommends an event or resource, investigate it, and if you promised to send information to another attendee, make sure you do.

Networking creates possibilities, but follow-up converts those possibilities into action.

Simply attending meetings isn’t enough if nothing happens afterwards. The long-term value of business networking comes from what you do with the information, introductions and professional relationships you’ve developed.

Your Networking Notice Board Becomes More Valuable Over Time

Every New Connection Adds Something

A notice board containing one advert isn’t much of a resource. Add dozens of useful notices and suddenly people have a reason to keep checking it.

Professional networks develop in much the same way.

Every genuine connection adds something different. One person brings specialist knowledge, another has decades of business experience and somebody else has an extensive network of local contacts. One person understands finance, another marketing, another property, another technology and another might simply have a remarkable ability to bring the right people together.

Collectively, those individuals create something considerably more valuable than a pile of business cards or a list of LinkedIn connections.

They create a business community.

The more regularly you participate in that community, the more opportunities everyone has to understand each other’s businesses. Familiarity develops, relationships strengthen and people become increasingly confident about making recommendations and introductions.

That’s why successful networking should be considered an ongoing activity rather than something you try once and immediately judge by the number of sales it generated.

The value builds over time.

Make Simply Business Club Part of Your Business Notice Board

Conversations Create Connections and Connections Create Opportunities

At Simply Business Club, we believe the best business networking happens when people are given the opportunity to communicate, learn about one another and develop meaningful professional relationships.

Our networking community brings together business owners, entrepreneurs and professionals from different sectors, creating opportunities to share knowledge, ask questions, exchange ideas and discover ways to support one another.

That creates an ideal environment for your networking notice board.

Tell people what you do and who you’re looking for. Ask for an introduction or recommendation. Share some useful information, promote your latest service or mention an upcoming event. Ask for advice, offer an opportunity and listen carefully when everyone else does exactly the same.

The person sitting across the room might never personally need your products or services, but they could know somebody who does. Equally, you might never become their customer, but somebody within your professional network could be exactly the person they’re hoping to meet.

That’s why the value of business networking extends far beyond the people physically attending a meeting.

Every person brings their own network, experiences, knowledge and contacts into the room.

When people begin connecting those networks together, the potential opportunities become considerably greater.

What Will You Put on Your Business Networking Notice Board?

Business networking can become one of the most useful information exchanges available to your company, but only if you actively use it.

Don’t simply attend a meeting, say your name, explain what you do and disappear until the next one.

• Tell people what your business needs.
• Be specific about the customers you’re looking for.
• Ask for recommendations.
• Request introductions.
• Share opportunities.
• Tell people what’s changing within your company.
• Listen carefully to what other businesses need.
• Take notes.
• Make connections.
• And follow up afterwards.

Most importantly, don’t think of the networking notice board as somewhere to display an enormous advertisement for yourself. The real value comes from everybody contributing information and everybody taking the time to notice what others have shared.

At Simply Business Club, we’re passionate about creating a networking environment where business owners and professionals can have genuine conversations, build trusted relationships and discover opportunities to support one another.

So, the next time you attend a business networking meeting, imagine there’s a large notice board sitting in the middle of the room.

Think about what you’d like to put on it.

Think about what you could contribute to it.

Then take the time to see what everyone else has posted.

Because somewhere on that business networking notice board could be the introduction, recommendation, piece of advice, supplier, customer, collaborator or opportunity you’ve been looking for.

At Simply Business Club, we host Face-to-Face or Online Business Networking meetings every week.

Simply Business Club is built around the idea that networking is most effective when people have the opportunity to properly understand each other and their businesses. Our meetings bring business owners and professionals together to exchange ideas, discuss what they do and develop connections in a friendly, collaborative environment. Rather than concentrating solely on making an immediate sale, we encourage conversations that can gradually build familiarity, confidence and trust between members.

Being part of a business networking community also gives you the chance to increase your visibility among people who can become advocates for your business. The better someone understands your products, services, expertise and ideal customers, the easier it becomes for them to recognise a potential referral or introduction. At the same time, every meeting allows you to learn more about the businesses around you, helping you identify trusted suppliers, potential partners and professionals you may be able to recommend to your own contacts.

We believe networking should feel natural rather than forced. You shouldn’t need an aggressive sales technique or a perfectly polished performance to make valuable connections. Simply Business Club provides a welcoming setting where conversations can develop naturally and people can participate in a way that suits them. Whether you’re completely new to business networking or have attended meetings for many years, the emphasis is on getting involved, getting to know people and making the experience both productive and enjoyable.

Another important part of SBC is the diversity of knowledge and experience that comes from bringing different businesses together. Our networking community includes people from a wide range of sectors, each with their own skills, contacts, experiences and perspectives. Speaking to people outside your everyday business circle can introduce new ideas, highlight different ways of approaching a challenge and create connections between companies that may initially appear to have very little in common.

The true potential of business networking often becomes apparent long after the meeting itself has finished. An introduction made today could lead to a conversation next week, a referral several months later or a professional relationship that continues for many years. By encouraging people to keep communicating, make introductions, share opportunities and support fellow networkers, Simply Business Club helps create a connected business community where relationships have the time and opportunity to develop into something genuinely valuable.

Contact the team at SBC and get involved in our business networking.