At Delmarva Merchants Association we teach members how to use a networking star. The star is a five pointed visual reference base for your marketing efforts. You are the top point of the star while your group of networking partners are the other four points. Here are the simple rules for forming this group based on life practices of the most long lived and successful people in business.

1) Your immediate group, the four other people of your star, must be made up of people that are in similar but non-competing trades.

a) Construction personnel call on a particular type of purchasing agent and so other construction business people will want to know who is making purchasing decisions. This is true whether you sell office equipment or supplies. Stay with non-competing group members with similar interest regardless of the trade type.
b) Commercial business people do not admit networking partners into their group if they are primarily residential business people. Plainly, a residential business is not going to get you the quality referrals you need to grow your business.

2) You meet by telephone once every week to talk with the other members of your star group.

a) It is important to get and keep your networking group on a friendly basis. Friends help friends because they wish to help, not because they have to help.
b) Your star meets once a week for breakfast or other meal to discuss business only. Chit chat is for the telephone in the evening after business hours.

3) Demand excellence in your group. If a member of your star is not adding a benefit to your group or not showing diligent loyalty to your group, excuse that member.

a) It is best to have a one year agreement with your group with an understanding that if a member does not participate then your group has the right to excuse the member by popular vote. Excuse any member after one year if they have not helped your marketing efforts as you too can be excused for not performing.
b) Make sure every person in your group shares the client list. If someone cannot share the list, excuse that member. This in no way to suggest a violation of trade secrets, we are only sharing names and phone numbers and recommendations of purchasing agents or head of companies.
c) Excuse any member that has violated the membership code of ethics.

4) Never increase the size of your group to more than four other members.

a) Five is the magic number that allows close association on a basis of trust and knowledge of the other people in your group.
b) Five people at a meal is the maximum that can be seated anywhere for a weekly meeting.

5) Only work with people of a income range close to your own whose education is close to your own.

a) If you make 50K a year only allow people into your group of are making close to this amount or more. Successful people association with successful people, not failures.
b) You will not be able to establish or maintain a friendship/association with someone that does not possess the mental ability to sustain a friendship/business relationship because of educational foundation.

As you can see the Delmarva Merchants Association has five major rules for forming a networking group. The exact same as the points on a star. Under our direction we will find you four networking partners that meet the criteria that will best assist you. Contact member services using the contact form or send Jeff a quick message from the profile if you want us to find you four members to join your team.