Networking Now:

Growing your business through the power of relationships

Anchor Your Networking Group with Strong Relationships

Today’s blog is a unique one because normally you only hear from me; but this entry, which talks about building relationships, was fittingly co-written with my wife Beth, the person in my life with whom I have the strongest relationship.

This summer, our family took a multi-day, small ship tour of the Great Barrier Reef. The first night we noticed that the anchor being used to secure our small ship in the middle of the Coral Sea was quite small compared with the size of the ship.

The second night we were anchored off Hope Island, some very strong winds began to kick up. Our captain started the engines and backed the ship up, letting out more length of chain to the anchor. Curious (and admittedly a bit concerned), we asked him how it was possible for such a small anchor to hold the ship in place with the winds blowing against it so agressively.

“It’s the chain that’s holding the ship, not the anchor,” he informed us. Apparently, after the anchor is lowered, the captain looks to the first mate, who signals from the prow which direction the chain is lying on the bottom of the sea. The captain can then maneuver into the right position and let out the necessary amount of chain to hold the ship according to the particular conditions at that time.

This particular night, with the winds growing stronger, the captain realized that he needed to let out more chain.

It struck us that this dynamic is relevant to networking groups. You see, a networking group’s anchor is its system, its process of doing business. However, it’s not actually the anchor (the system/process) that dictates the strength of a networking group.

Take a look at your networking group and think about the links, or relationships, you have formed with the individual members. How many “links” does your chain have? Do you have strong relationships with all the other members in the group, or are you closely linked with some but disconnected and detached from others for whatever reason?

So how do we go about adding more links (aka building more relationships) so we can let out more chain during times when the economic winds have strengthened against our businesses? We need to get serious about developing stronger relationships with every member of our networking group, even the ones we might not think have the contacts we want, or perhaps are in a business that isn’t exactly symbiotic with ours.

We naturally form relationships with those businesses that are closely related to ours, but what do we do about those members whose businesses are totally out of sync with ours, our members who seem to be unable to provide qualified referrals to us? Try scheduling one-to-one meetings with those members. Spending the time to have one-to-one meetings with each and every member of your group helps you develop a longer and stronger chain of relationships. Each person in your group is one of the links that lengthens that chain.

The wisdom of laying down a longer chain to strengthen the ability of the anchor to hold strong is critical for the success of yournetworking group.

So starting this week, try making it your main focus to develop your relationship chain within your networking group. We guarantee it will be what anchors your business and your networking group for longevity, despite economic flucuations.

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This entry was posted on Monday, August 3rd, 2009 at 6:00 am and is filed under Butterfly Effect of Networking, Collaboration, Connections, Ivan Misner, Networking, Networking Education, Networking Prep, Referrals, Self Development. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

9 Responses to “Anchor Your Networking Group with Strong Relationships”

Leslie Taylor Says:
August 3rd, 2009 at 9:49 am
Thank you Beth!!! Strengthen the weakest link and the chain grows stronger!
Twitted by freestrike2000 Says:
August 3rd, 2009 at 12:43 pm
[...] This post was Twitted by freestrike2000 [...]
Shawn McCarthy Says:
August 3rd, 2009 at 2:10 pm
AHOY! This is a great post Ivan! What a fantastic analogy relating to a BNI chapter!

This will be a great educational moment you can use on the BNI cruise October 16 – 18. I can see it now-”Captain” Ivan Misner having everybody on the RoyalNoregPrinceCelebCarn vessel proceeding up the gangway to hear more about the biggest referrral organization in the world! After all, when it comes to putting together positive, supportive, and powerful networking groups together, BNI has their “ship” together!

Shawn McCarthy BNI ED Ventura County, Ca.
Debby Ellering Says:
August 4th, 2009 at 1:50 pm
The 1-2-1 never ceases to have the power to strengthen the “chain”, be it BNI or the family chain. Thanks for the beautiful analogy!
Bill Schubert Says:
August 4th, 2009 at 3:03 pm
I was looking for training for my BNI tomorrow and this is perfect. We are a new chapter and have had a few people drop out and we’re driving to build the chapter we need. I’m retired Navy so I’m all over this metaphor. Our group needs encouragement and this is perfect. Thanks.
Betty Dunn Says:
August 4th, 2009 at 5:19 pm
Working with a young chapter who have members actively increasing the 1 to 1’s to encourage more awareness of each others business is, as you say, ‘laying down a longer chain to strengthen the ability of the anchor to hold strong’. The chapter has felt the loss of some members recently and those remaining are certainly working toward cementing their relationships.
Thank you for this analogy – I will use this to reinforce their belief.
Sharifah Raudhah AlQudsy Says:
August 8th, 2009 at 9:23 pm
Dr Ivan and Beth, it’s beautifully observed and well thought! Sharing this concept of ’strengthening the link, developing the relationship chain’ is definitely original and refreshing.
What can I say…thank you so much for this brilliant insight.I shall pass the word around, here in Malaysia!
Scott Anderson Says:
August 9th, 2009 at 8:23 am
I have enjoyed all of the education that BNI comes out with from Success Net, Podcasts, Referral Institutes and Blogs! I am a BNI addict! Great use of the chain on how to grow our relationships stronger! I never thought of how small the anchor is in relation to the boat, so that is fascinating. Great job and thanks for sharing!
oes tsetnoc Says:
October 1st, 2009 at 12:08 am
Great information thanks for sharing this with us.In fact in all posts of this blog their is something to learn.I wish I had found it sooner. Keep up the good work.