When we talk about how My Pinnacle Network is different than other networking groups, there several obvious reasons why that go beyond being a monthly group for B2B professionals. The not so obvious differences typically come in the form of observations from guests.
One of the most common things we hear is how members and guests get a chance to talk without interruption/gong/bell, etc. That’s not to say we don’t have to use a timing device when we have a large group. We let members and guests know how long they have to speak and most of our members have been doing the networking thing long enough to deliver their verbal brand in a timely fashion.
Another is our speakers. We ask that members who speak focus on an issue in their industry rather than do a commercial about their business. That lends to some very interesting topics (e.g. ransomware at this week’s MPN-Westborough meeting), typically followed by even more enlightening q&a session.
Back to our verbal brands, we do ask that members go about it a little differently than most networking groups. We ask for members to start with a thank you to members for any of the following: new business; lead/referral; introduction; or simply a one-on-one. Then members talk about how their business is different or better using a client example. But what has made meetings memorable for many centers on our themes.
Themes are a little extra thing we ask members and guests to add to their verbal brand. At this week’s meeting in Westborough, we ask for an example of where each business owner gave value. The beauty of these themes is that sometimes they grow a life of their own. Like at this meeting. One member thanked yours truly for an introduction to John Adams. That led to the next several verbal brands mentioning unique names they encountered in their travels:
- Charlie Brown
- John Paul Jones (who was from Iowa and got sea sick; long story)
- Jack Rabbit
The point you hopefully see is that the conversations and discussions at a My Pinnacle Network are of an organic nature but with the framework of an organized meeting. Most visitors leave feeling they learned something.
All in all, that’s not a bad way to start your day and build your network.For more information, visit our website.