Thinking of Joining a Business Leads Group

[Devan]

I am newbie in massage. I graduated last July in Mpls. Quit my job at a brokerage firm on Nov 30 & moved on Dec 1st 2006 to Colorado. My hubby & I thought it would be good for me to take a few months off before diving into my massage practice. I needed the break after being crazy busy for too many years.

I am starting to market myself for mobile massage. I have a website up and posted links on massage anywhere & massage angels. I also post on Craigs List. I have also made a small attempt with putting my brochures on front doors in nearby neighborhoods. I have had a small response from the internet that has led to just a few appointments.

I found a therapist here in that I do trades with and is becoming a mentor. She's been a MT for about 7 years. She suggested a leads group. She has participated in one in the past and it worked really well for her.

I am toying with the option of joining one of these groups. Today I visited one in a nearby city. They meet every Weds morning at restaurant and are able to be in a private room.

Here's what the typical meeting consists of:
* 30 second commercial from all attendees
* Announcements
* Pass Leads
* 10 minute presentations by 2 members of the group
* Summary of the Leads passed
* Last minute announcements
* 30 second commercial from all attendees
* End

Membership fee is $75 for the first year and then $25 each year after.
Breakfast is $9.00 per week (they get the room free as long as we all eat breakfast)

Also each member typically generates on average 2 leads per month.

So, it would cost me $507 the first year if I go 48 weeks out of 52. Being that I do mobile massage, about 5 or 6 massages would pay for the whole year.

It sounds like a good idea to join, but I am hesitant for a couple reasons.

# 1
I have some issues from my past. I used to be in a christian group (cult) that had a strong focus on evangelism & recruitment. It was run like a sales force and there was a lot of pressure on the members to bring in new members. The group focused on numbers. So, I feel a bit triggered by the thought of having to generate leads for the other members.

#2
I don't even know enough people here in Colorado to start generating leads for other people. I am slowly starting to get to people, but my little network of friends & acquaintances is very small.

I am thinking of another idea. Since I have few friends in my new state, I could just get involved in other groups or clubs that I have interest in and through those groups meet people that may become a client or refer me to their friends. That seems more natural.

I did want to see if any of you are in or have been in a Business Leads Group and if you liked it and if it benefited your business?

 

[lumpy]

I dont have time for a long answer, but the first thing that came to my mind when I read your post was:

ONLY TWO LEADS AVERAGE PER MONTH??? Poo I say!! That wouldnt be worth my time for having to go to a meeting every week.

This group sounds like BNI, but I dont think it is since the pricing is much lower.

 

[Blarp]

I went to a couple meetings (they offered 2 free b4 you joined, to see if it was what you were looking for), same concept. It was called a business referral group. I was not impressed with that group. See if you can attend a couple b4 you commit to alot of money. The local group here was NOT interested in promoting or referring massage therapy.
Honestly, if one of your other options feels more "natural", by all means, GO with that! Your gut will lead you in the right direction. HAve you thought about places like chiros & gyms that dont already offer MT services? They may need a MT to refer people to.
I wish you the best of luck! Follow your heart, dont get involved in a group that does not fit YOU!

 

[jessica cate]

I agree with Bodymovers about trying them out first. I belong to a group called Professional Referral Exchange (PRE). I joined almost 2 years ago and have had huge success. However, I did attend several meetings before joining and thought long and hard about it. Our membership is a bit higher than the one you mentioned, my yearly investment is about $650 including meal dues. But I was able to earn back that entire amount within the first 6 months of my membership. Now, from the clients I've gained from the other members, I'm probably close to this amount every month. One thing that is important to remember is that usually referrals that come from other members turn into good, regular clients. So I may not get a referral every week but I can pretty much guarantee that I have at least one client every week that originally came from the group.

That said, you really need to find the right group. My group has a variety of professions and, most importantly, has a lot of open-minded people. We have several members who either are in the "natural health" field or use "natural health" practitioners. Besides myself, there is a chiropractor, a naturopath and a life and business coach. We also have a beauty salon (that does not offer massage) and an Arbonne rep, both of who refer a lot of people my way.

As for not knowing people to refer to other members, it does come. It isn't something that is instantaneous. It is a process. At the time that I joined, I had just opened my own office. I had a small but steady client base but I was looking for more. It took several months for me to be able to refer to other members easily, just as it took several months for others to refer to me. You're not just giving/getting clients, you're building relationships with other business people in your area. Many of the people in my group have become close friends and they have opened doors to many different things, not only more business.

Just to give you an idea, our group is relatively small, 20-21 members. On average, we give/receive about 40 referrals per week as a group. I think our group is quite successful because we have developed relationships. You can check us out on the PRE site if you want http://www.prorefx.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=members.members&ID=33

The biggest thing, I think, about joining a business group is making sure you fit. Every group is not for every person but if you find the right group it can produce phenomenal results.

Good luck!

 

[preciousAngel]

Professional Referral Exchange (PRE) -http://www.prorefx.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=members.members&ID=33

I don't see this one in our Business Referral Groups thread stickied in this section. Maybe a mod would like to add it up there?

 

[Leslie J]

pueppi,
I've added it for you. Though it has limited viability as it's only available at this time in a few states. Specifically they have chapters in CT, MD, IN, PA and OH.

 

[Eclipse Vancouver]

Pueppi-

If you guys get one organized for Southern Maryland, I want in!

 

[hindi.girl]

Thank you!!!!

I really appreciated all the feedback and encouraging me to go with my gut.

mamajen, thank you so much for sharing your experience with your group. It sounds like it has worked well for you.

I think I am going to take my time and check out a few groups before commiting to one. I can visit one more time to the group I just visited before saying yes or no to them. I am realizing it may be good to wait to join one in a few months after I have experienced a few more LEADS groups. Also I am checking out a social group through Meetup.com and maybe something social focused would be a better fit for me right now.

You guys are great! I always love reading this forum and seeing both the sound advice and encouragement.

 

[Knight De La Barre]

Hi there...I just joined this group and saw your question. So it may be too late for you since you were asking it in April... But any way. As for business networking groups, I ve been a member for 3 years now. I very HIGHLY recommend it. I would just do research and make sure that the dynamics of the group work for you and you like other members. I visited one group and the people were too high strung and did everything "by the book". There was cosnatnt bickering. I was a member of another gtoup, that was more laid back. I recently joined a different group (new people joined my old group and changed the dynamics). The cost was $99/yr. I joined in April, by the end of May I literally had $500+ in sales from the members. In my old group, I brought gift certificates with me to a meeting before Xmas and I walked out with $843 in my pocket. I am serious. What is also nice, you get to meet people and get "connections". When I needed to find a new space for rent I just stood up and asked other people if they knew of any. Next day I had 2 leads and I am now renting at one of those 2 places. The ctach is you do need to show up. Some people gripe that "oh, I need to come in every week". Yes, if you want business - you do. A lot of my sales comes from other members. When they get to know you, they are more likely to book massages with you or buy gift certificates. Plus, that's how I found a chiropractor, an insurance agent, an electrician etc.
Good luck!

 

[fella]

Remember that it might take several months for people to get comfortable enough with you to refer you.

There are other advaneforum.xxxes of a business referral group, however. You get to learn to promote your business in 60 seconds, or longer when it is your turn to speak. You can bring business ideas to the meeting and ask for suggestions or critiques. Even if there are not a lot of referrals, you may get to "pick the brain" of professionals like a lawyer or a realtor or a mortgage consultant or an accountant.

I find it is nice to get together with other small business people on a weekly basis. The one I belong to can be found at http://www.businessbyreferral.ca/