There was a time (many say it’s still going on now) that networking was about entering a large crowded room of people you didn’t  know, all dressed in stuffy business attire and your goal was to  walk away with as many cards as possible, exchanging them frantically and promising to “do lunch”.

And then, you were supposed to follow up and make the sale.

I don’t know about you, but THAT sounds horrible to me! And for the life of me, I can’t even imagine how that would be successful in  helping you get clients. It feels sleazy, slick and not the kind of  way I want to spend an evening. Besides, it doesn’t fit my personality or my way of approaching life, and if you’re anything  like me, it probably doesn’t fit the way you approach yours, either.

No wonder 1) we don’t want to do it and 2) it doesn’t seem to work for us! It’s a totally wrong approach! (Sadly, when you read or hear various networking “pros” talk about networking, some are STILL advocating this grab-as-many-cards-as-you-can mentality and telling you to push your services onto them, asking for the sale on the first meeting. Yuck!)

So, the very first thing I want you to do is to banish what you’ve already learned about marketing and start from scratch. In essence, I’m asking you to UNLEARN all the myths and allow me to show you what it’s really all about and how to approach networking so that you actually get really great results from it and feel authentically yourself the whole time.

Your Client Attraction Assignment:
Take a sheet of paper and list everything you’ve been taught about  networking, what it means to you, what your emotions and feelings are around it, and what’s stopping you from doing it. The first key to changing something is to recognize it, then understand where it comes from and then, to make a commitment to changing it.

Once you realize that your feelings around it come from outdated sources, you’ll be ready to implement the steps and concepts I’ve  outlined in this Networking Guru System™. However, if you keep  reading without changing your feelings about it, you’ll probably see yourself becoming skeptical and thinking it won’t work, most likely  because your preconceived notions are still there. So, it’s time to erase the board and start from scratch.

Want to learn more about The Networking Guru System™? It is simply one of the only proven systems out there telling you EXACTLY what to do to fill your private practice simply by networking. Nowhere else will you see such a complete HOW-TO on how to get clients consistently with worksheets, templates, and actual scripts that have worked, not only for one person, but for hundreds of private clients. Learn how to network so that you get great results from it and feel authentically yourself the whole time. I share ALL of them in my FREE Secrets of Master Networkers Manual.

Go here now to download your own copy and start networking like a pro for your business – TODAY!

There are many reasons why people dislike networking and think it doesn’t work. It does work, although most people approach it in the wrong way or simply do it wrong. It’s usually because they’ve been told that networking is about going to as many events as they can and collecting as many business cards as they can, and then following up with an offer or a pitch the next day. Problem is, it never works.

People usually fall flat on their face with this “technique” because 1) their networking needs to be more focused to where their Ideal Clients can be reached, 2) networking is NOT about business cards, it’s about creating relationships over time and 3) it’s about helping the other, before thinking about yourself. If you’re not approaching networking in this way, then you’ve probably found that it’s not working, it’s superficial and you hate doing it.

So, it’s time to change your approach and start seeing some results, because networking is one of the VERY best ways to get out there in a BIG way and start attracting new clients, especially now that you have a compelling marketing message and a Client Attractive “Elevator Speech.” OK, so the first thing is that you need to network where your Ideal Clients and referral sources are. Look back to the Ideal Client “hang outs” we talked about earlier and see where they congregate. Start thinking of where you can rub elbows with them in large numbers and then join that group. Think in terms of structured networking groups, as well as associations and you’ll be on the right path.

Some places to look for appropriate networking venues:

• Ask your Ideal Clients where they network
• Ask other notable networkers you respect where they network
• Newspaper events calendar (or Business Journal events calendar)
• Chamber of Commerce
• Toastmasters (to meet people and build relationships)
• Animal clubs (Lions, Elks, etc.)
• Breakfast networking groups (BNI, LeTip, etc.)

I belong to several networking organizations because my ideal prospects belong to the same groups. The first one is a weekly breakfast networking group called Business Network International (www.BNI.com) because a lot of the people who belong to it are small business owners and sole practitioners (perfect), as well as the National Association of Women Business Owners (www.NAWBO.org) where I meet a handful of people each time I attend an event who eventually become clients.

As a side note, these are just 2 of the organizations I belong to (there are others), but I mention them specifically because 1) I gain greater visibility and exposure and 2) I have a way of giving back to what has given me so much.

Networking is not about going to as many events as possible to get the word out. It’s about finding the ones that make sense for your target audience, and then adding value and building long-term, mutually supportive relationships. Try it and you’ll start seeing much better results.

Your Client Attraction Assignment:

Using your Ideal Client list, start writing down the events you can start attending with Ideal Clients and start getting the word out about what you do. Then once you like a group, plug into your calendar all the events already scheduled for the year and make going regularly a priority to gain lots of exposure and create long-term, mutually beneficial relationships.

Now, if you’re just starting out and trying to fill your practice in the FIRST place, then follow a step-by-step system that feels easy and authentic to you. The Client Attraction Home Study System™ gives you the most important things to do to set up simple, solid systems, so that you consistently fill your pipeline and continually get new clients. It’s all step-by-step, not a big mishmash of things. So, you do step one of the system, and when you’re done with that, you move on to step two, and so on. All the tools, scripts, templates, and examples are handed to you on a silver platter. Easy. You can get it at TheClientAttractionSystem.com.