Even though I have been re-reading Atlas Shrugged for the last few months, I am not going to express my views on how horrible of an idea it may be to just re-distribute everything among everyone. Whoops, did it already, in the second sentence too. Oh well, we move onward. I have observed most small business groups have trends and clicks that seem to happen. If you are new to a group or just visiting, this may become more noticeable. When you are in the group, you see it but may just not feel how obvious it may look to others. That is until many months go by, and you still do not have a single new lead. For a leads group, it should almost be expected you would get leads. If you are in a business networking group, however, it should not be under the same scrutiny. Networking is a way to get to know people, then over time you see if there are connections you can make. Most great networking groups are filled with people looking to refer to others, not looking at it for themselves. That would have to be a subtle yet effective difference.
If I do not get leads from a leads group, then I may feel let down, excluded, even frustrated. If I have not yet referred someone to someone else in a networking group, you quickly understand why you may just watch other people connect. The relevance is it does not matter if it is a leads group, a networking group, a chamber of commerce, or even a civic group; there are always commerce and ideas exchanged. If you wish to become part of this amazing power of distribution and natural form of connectivity, you need to lead the way in re-distribution. Make a few notes at each meeting of what others in the group may need, work at it, get them contacts freely, and watch just how much comes back your way. Sitting there with your arms folded or just not going anymore at all, is the best way of all to prove to yourself that these types of groups do not work. How many people do you see that take this approach are are almost venomous in their attitude about this group that never helped them out? These are the people that just do not seem to grasp the true concept that “Givers Gain”. For something to work, you have to work at it. If you want it to work, make the primary effort to work for the benefit of others.
