Share this:
There is no denying there has been an explosion in business networks on the Internet and with the popularity of social networking sites such as MySpace and FaceBook, this trend is sure to continue well into the foreseeable future. But with so many business networking sites to choose from, how is the discerning networker to choose from the hundreds of networks competing for your membership fee?
If you are looking for ‘quality’ networking as opposed to quantity, you can’t pass up this opportunity to meet Vicki and Amanda Sparks (pictured), founders of Connect Working – Australia’s award winning networking website for business owners and professionals.
I have made no secret of the fact that I personally dislike networking groups, especially those targeted to women in business. At first glance, most of these networks promise lots of benefits of membership but very few of them are able to deliver. One of the problems is the caliber of the membership and the types of people a network attracts when membership is unrestricted and open to anyone who is willing to pay the membership fee. It does make me wonder if these networks are set up for the benefit of women in business, or are just an exercise in making money for the owners of the network.
Vicki Sparks, co-founder of ConnectWorking is based in Brisbane where she says “Networks are sprouting up like mushrooms.”
“A lot of these networks attract multi-level marketers and party plan type businesses. You do get a sprinkling of people with a serious business but they don’t stay very long. We purposefully positioned ourselves away from calling ConnectWorking a ‘networking group’ because we don’t want to be lumped in with other networks that don’t offer the same level of service that we do. We are a strategic business network,” she said.
Like a lot of business owners, Vicki Sparks and her daughter and business partner Amanda, became frustrated and disillusioned with networking groups. Vicki told Australian Women Online that the idea for ConnectWorking came out of her own frustration with the groups that were out there back in 2005:
“We were organising networking events for wealth creation back in 2005 when based on the feedback we were getting, we decided to organise a networking breakfast where participants could choose who they wanted to be seated with and we would try and get those people there. We had a huge response and we realised that we could actually start connecting people. Based on our experience we realised there was a real need for this type of networking in the market place. So we decided to go with it and we did some research, asking people what they wanted and found that we weren’t the only ones frustrated with the networks that were out there.”
Unlike most business networks on the Internet and especially those targeted to women, ConnectWorking has a proven track record in providing strategic connections for the discerning networker and time poor business professional.
The network does hold regular events in Brisbane but Vicki says that networking isn’t just about attending ‘events’ and the network does have members from all over Australia. But to maintain the integrity of the network, membership of ConnectWorking isn’t as simple as just signing up on the website and paying a membership fee. Membership of ConnectWorking is only available by referral or telephone interview.
“We have a very strict criteria for membership. It is about the types of businesses, but it’s also about the types of people we have in the network. ConnectWorking uses a networking system where we need proactive people who have very high standards of ethics and integrity,” Vicki said.
“Although there is no system that is fool proof, we don’t have people in our network who are looking at other people in the network just to make money off them. We say to people who come to our events that if your idea of networking is shoving a card under somebody’s nose and expecting to get a sale on the day, then don’t even bother coming.”
Vicki Sparks says that people don’t want to be sold to. “We say to people to approach everyone in the network with the mindset of what you can do for each other. It makes people think a lot more creatively.”
“In relationship marketing the benefits may not always be instant, but you are building business relationships which will be of more benefit to you and your business in the long term. Because people are coming in with a different mindset we have a number of members who have formed an alliance and started a whole new arm to their business.”
On average everyone in business has about two hundred people in their network. “A lot of people make that fundamental mistake when they go to networking events that those are the people they are going to get a sale from that day. But it’s not just the people at the network you are being exposed to but who is in their network too.”
Another major difference between networking groups and strategic business networks like ConnectWorking is the wide range of professional services members have access to. Whether you are looking for an accountant, solicitor, trades people, or public relations specialist, strategic business networks can connect you to a wide range of professionals services.
“People like the quality of the people coming into the network. That’s where we differ from the networking groups – our networking system focuses on quality, not quantity.”
If you are interested in becoming a member of ConnectWorking please contact Vicki Sparks on the website www.connectworking.com.au or send her an email at vicki@connectworking.com.au
I would like to thank Vicki Sparks for speaking with Australian Women Online.
As the owner of a professional organising business, relationships are incredibly important to my business. I have found networking to be a wonderful way of connecting with business owners who compliment my business and has provided me with a pool of people I can refer to my clients. I am a member of ConnectWorking and have found the group I belong to very proactive in developing relationships and wanting to know more about my business and vice versa. I also belong to other networking groups who are similar as well as other groups where it is a card swapping fest. As with all things, you need to clear in your intention for networking and for joining any particular group. One networking group in particular I attend every month is solely about professional development. When you’re clear about your intention for participating in networking, you are more focused on what it is you are there for, and there will be different networking groups for different intentions. Find the group or groups that match what you want to get from networking and networking will work for you.
As the owner of a professional organising business, relationships are incredibly important to my business. I have found networking to be a wonderful way of connecting with business owners who compliment my business and has provided me with a pool of people I can refer to my clients. I am a member of ConnectWorking and have found the group I belong to very proactive in developing relationships and wanting to know more about my business and vice versa. I also belong to other networking groups who are similar as well as other groups where it is a card swapping fest. As with all things, you need to clear in your intention for networking and for joining any particular group. One networking group in particular I attend every month is solely about professional development. When you’re clear about your intention for participating in networking, you are more focused on what it is you are there for, and there will be different networking groups for different intentions. Find the group or groups that match what you want to get from networking and networking will work for you.