While there are many ways to grow your business, networking stands out as one of the most effective methods for small businesses.

Last night I was given a lesson in networking.

I had been contacted by a guy who wanted to know if I could spare some time to talk with him about how he could build his network and grow his new venture.  He'd been given my name by someone who knew that I was quite entrepeneurial and this served as the introduction.  I was quite happy to meet this guy, simply because networking is a two way street.  But, I was ambushed, he wanted to invite me to join Amway.

Now I personally don't have any issues with Amway, many years ago I had a look at their business model and I liked many aspects of it, but it is just not for me.  Quite simply I could never justify the prices of the items from their catalogue to myself and this then made it impossible for me to then onsell them.  You have to believe in your product or service.  But, to the credit of Amway, this business has been around since 1960 and literally has millions of members world-wide.  Whether you hate it or love it, you have to acknowledge the success of a business that has survived for so long.

And the whole business revolves around networking.  It's about building effective networks and encouraging and inspiring others to do the same.  Amway has a formula for this approach and they have simply formalised their process.

There is a lot that we as brokers can learn from any network marketing businesses.  All of these businesses have sales programs and courses on how to close deals and to build your networks.  While your business is definitely not a network marketing business, it is a business that will thrive if you can build the right network around it.  So, my suggestion is to take notes and learn from these businesses.  Throw out the aspects which don't work for you but focus on the elements which you can utilise in your business.

My meeting was certainly not all negative.  I politely declined the offer to join Amway and provided each of the two guys who had met with me with my business card and an invitation for me to take some time out with them to review their finances and help them to buy their first home.  Let's face it, if they're going to be building wealth through their network marketing, I can certainly help them to achieve their dream homes with the right finance.