Networking in Surrey News – week beginning 28 November 2011

There’s an absolute ton of stuff  to tell you about – so let’s get cracking! Last week I promised you some ‘big news’ about NiS and our new supercharged paid-Membership option – I’ll get to that a little later in this newsmail... 

Meanwhile, it’s all happening out there in Networkland! It’s the ‘Christmas Party’ effect, and the problem really is fitting them all in... But how come there are often four clashing events on one date, and nothing either side? Must be the 'buses principle', I suppose :o)

Of course, we all desperately need a great big seasonal dose of ‘Eat, Drink and be Merry!’ as an antidote to the economic gloom - which I won’t dwell on here (but see ‘Diary of a Networker’ below).

There are scores of networking events on NiS as ever, plus of course around two hundred networking events in Surrey here in our Regular Group Meetings section.

Hooray! We’re within sight of the 800 Member mark (775 at last count). It’s great to see how many have posted cheery mugshots – have you added yours yet?  Having an online profile without a photo of yourself is as much of a mistake as having a ‘cheap’ business card – it makes you look at best disorganised, and at worst, downright ‘dodgy’ :o)

We’re getting some great blog posts (are you blogging to NiS?) by smart Members raising their online profiles.

OK, it's time to reveal our Big News... but first, a bit of history for newer Members. When Chris and I launched Networking in Surrey and Networking in Berkshire, we were planning to charge just £5 per month for Membership - and some of our long-term Members came on board on that basis, so thanks for your support in the early days. We then decided to go one better and offer it all for free – and numbers started to go through the roof (so a good call in terms of growth, if not revenue!)

A year down the line, we are launching a new optional paid-for Membership Level called ‘NiS Networker Plus’, exclusively for those of you who are serious about leveraging your network to grow and develop your business.

By the way, this will not change the core Networking in offerings: free-to-view events listings and free standard Membership.

NiS Networker Plus is our take on the 'New Wave' in networking, which I’ve been flagging up throughout this year on NiS in my interviews with Sally James on Brooklands Radio, and Sean Usher of Usher Media, among others.  I call
it ‘Strategic Group Networking’.

NiS Networker Plus goes live in January 2012.  It’s an exclusive Club for like-minded networkers, combining the benefits of the boardroom/mastermind meeting models with online workshops and training, and ‘buddy groups’
– flexible, fixed-term teams collaborating in joint ventures and shared marketing campaigns.  There will be plenty more business boosting 'goodies' too... watch this space!

‘What about the cost?’ I hear you ask (smart question :o) Well, I know you''re going to be pleasantly surprised when we release details soon - and naturally, there will be a significant time-limited discount for everybody who's an NiS Member as at midnight on 31 December 2011. 

Diary of a Networker...
It’s been a while since the last full NiS Newsmail, and I’ve been a busy little bunny :o) – mostly doing things other than networking, so there’s some catching up to do! Along with several NiS Members I attended Rupert Honywood’s excellent Personal Development Bureau day at the Ship in Weybridge (a fine example of Strategic Group Networking in practice on a grand scale, by the way).

I also made it to the Trafford Elmbridge Dinner and the Surrey Business Club Curry Night (is a food theme emerging again?) and the excellent Digital Surrey evening in Egham to hear Head of Digital Marketing Strategy for Microsoft Allister Frost’s excellent presentation on how brands use the social web to achieve their business goals.

None of these great events got featured on the NiS site!  I just didn’t have time to post them myself – so all you event organisers and supporters, please remember to post your own networking events. At the bustling Woking Means Business Expo I bumped into a couple of dozen NiS Members, including Rebecca Newenham in the car park (not literally!) and the redoubtable Christine Chalklin. In the short time I’ve known her, Christine has used her astrological skills to accurately predict the financial crisis, the Arab Spring and the London riots. Spooky! She’s not just a glamorous prophet of doom (although she tells me we haven't hit bottom yet :o(  In fact, she’s refreshingly optimistic by nature, and well worth consulting regarding the timing of any new ventures. I’ll be conferring re NiS Networker Plus, Christine, now it’s out of the bag!

Tomorrow I’m hoping to get to Dan Smale’s Networking4Golfers event in Surbiton and David Nunn's Ecademy Weybridge with a presentation by marketing guru Grant Leboff , which overlap (‘Fire up the Tardis, Doctor!’) and on Tuesday to the FSB Cobham breakfast, and James Webster's Festive Networking at Foxhills – hope to see you at one (or more) of them...

Happy Networking!