Networking Associations with Small Business

Networking Associations with Small Business

Introduction

Business networking is the process of establishing a mutually beneficial relationship with other business people and potential clients and/or customers.

Notice that I don't say anything about meeting people in this definition; the ever-increasing slew of business networking meet-and-greet events have given business networking a bad name.

The key to true business networking is the establishment of a mutually beneficial relationship, and that's an incredibly rare event at the standard shake-hands-and-exchange-your-business-card events that are touted as business networking "opportunities". This paper discusses networking associations with small business in a concise and comprehensive way.

Networking Associations with Small Business

The purpose of business networking is to increase business revenue - one way or another. The thickening of the bottom line can be immediately apparent, as in developing a relationship with a new client, or develop over time, as in learning a new business skill.

The best business networking groups operate as exchanges of business information, ideas, and support. The most important skill for effective business networking is listening; focusing on how you can help the person you are listening to rather than on how he or she can help you is the first step to establishing a mutally beneficial relationship.

For three years, the innovative Corporation Against Drug Abuse (CADA) operated a project designed to test the assumption that the consortium model is the best way to provide employee assistance (EA) and ancillary services to small employers. CADA found that its results differed from previous efforts to establish similar consortia, and shed new light on the particular needs of employers in this setting.

CADA, a Washington, D.C.-based non-profit organization that operates as the de facto prevention arm of the Washington metropolitan area business community, has long been challenged to increase the number of businesses with drug-free workplace policies and programs. Given that most larger employers already had such programs in place, CADA targeted its efforts to smaller employers. Of the estimated 100,000 businesses in metropolitan Washington, approximately 95% are firms employing less than 500 people.

Operating under a three-year grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, CADA's Small Business Project was designed to develop a consortium to promote EA services and to test innovative ways of encouraging drug-free workplace programs among small employers. The consortium, known as the Washington Employer Resource Consortium (WERC), provided consortium members with consultation, technical information and assistance, supervisory training and education on workplace substance abuse, and access to discounted EA and drug testing services.

During the first full year of implementation, membership totaled more than 40 members, exceeding that year's projections. Eventually, 55 employers, including 41 small and 14 large businesses, became WERC members. However, only ten small employers--far below the original targets--purchased EA services; three purchased drug testing services (which were added after the original plans were developed).

Separate training programs were provided by WERC, and more than 1,200 hours of technical assistance, consultation, training and education services were provided to a total of 375 companies in metropolitan Washington. These services, though not anticipated in the original plan, ...