networking

[Wishes]

Dear List,
Someone was asking about networking groups. BBB and Chambers groups are fine. I want to caution you all about set aside groups. Alpha Publishing, Inc. for one. These groups advertise especially to minority and women owned businesses by having you pay to put your name in a special book they send to companies and cities that do business with the govenment. They send you a list of groups in your area you can contact. I called several and the information was wrong. I wrote letters to about 25 with no response. They say this will increase your business with the government. After paying our $500 and jumping though the hoops we found out that it is illegal for company buiyers to use such a list. Someone from this list contacted me and told me they had worked for this group and it was doing nothing but taking our money. Be very careful who you sign up with and how much money you spend. Research with others before doing anything. It all looks good but in the end your customer service and word of mouth is what is going to make your business.
Margaret

[Rod or Sharon]

We have belonged to a networking referral group and got a couple orders just from members---no referrals. After a couple years, the group disbanned. We got nothing from the Chamber either. Our best has been word of mouth and when we first opened our store, we went door-to-door introducing ourselves and gave them a business card and flyer for 10% off their first order with an expiration date on it. Those customers have remained customers for several years now and we have gotten many referrals from all of them.
Sharon