Slippery Rock Gazette

Sharon Koehler

Artistic Stone Design

MIA events are a great place to network with your industry peers.

Remember that you can have fun while networking!

When I say networking – you  say BNI. BNI is by far the most recognizable and well known networking organization out there. 

A bunch of people sit around in a room at the same time every week and talk about their businesses–the concept being that everyone in the room promotes your business as well as their own. 

It’s a great concept and a great organization. They are a worldwide organization with weekly meetings going on all over the globe at different times on different days. It’s really easy to find one near you. But if that’s all you’re doing, you are cheating yourself out of other potential customers. 

You belong to the BBB, right? The BBB has networking opportunities on a regular basis.  They have networking luncheons frequently.  You meet at different restaurants around town with other business representatives in your area that belong to the BBB.

You can bring cards and fliers and you get the opportunity to give your “business speech” to all these other business people. But the BBB also does other things as well. Recently my local BBB threw a contest up on Facebook and we entered. We won two tickets and a parking pass to a baseball game. Five other companies also won so it was an outdoor, fun, networking event. Because it was a smaller group, we got to get a lot more up close and personal. 

Another thing is BBB night at the ball games. They reserve a section and sell those tickets to their A-rated businesses and everybody sits in the same section.  It turns into a fun networking event (with beer and peanuts, too!)

Don’t belong to the BBB? Check out the MIA. The Marble Institute of America gives classes and lectures all over the country. These are always filled with people from the industry who, like you, want to learn what others are doing. 

That is nothing more than a win-win situation. You will learn something new from the MIA AND you get to network with others in your industry as well. 

Or, join an MIA chapter in your area. I’ve listed 6 benefits to joining a chapter – like the quarterly MIA educational event is a great networking opportunity. 

Getting Connected with Chapter Member Benefits

An MIA chapter membership connects you with other stone professionals in your geographic region. Membership dues support chapter programming which includes initiatives and benefits for the design community, and some great perks:

• Admission to quarterly educational events
• Participation in an MIA chapter-hosted event for the design community
• Networking with industry peers
• Use of the MIA chapter logo – it is great  PR to post your professional associations on your web site or social media
•  Access to training and educational opportunities
• Opportunity to involve up-and-coming leaders in your company.

But, the BBB and the MIA are not the only ones that recognize the power of networking. NARI, the National Association of the Remodeling Industry also holds events. The events that I have attended have all been in someone’s shop or showroom. They are usually very casual with a variety of cabinet designers, contractors, countertop people and other industries related to the remodeling business. As they say, “It’s all about who you know.” The nice thing is you can go as a guest to check it out and see if it’s for you. 

The Home Builders Association is also good for networking. Since winter is long gone, more and more events are being held outside. Recently, we were represented by two people at a Home Builders Association dinner meeting. The meeting was outside in a pavilion with ceiling fans going to create a breeze. The menu was steak (cooked on a grill) baked potatoes, beans, rolls and desert. Everything was provided at no charge and all we had to do was walk around and talk to people about who we are and what we do. How simple is that? 

And I bet if you look hard enough, you’ll find that some of your vendors hold regular networking events. Thomas Somerville, a large plumbing supplier in the East, holds different events almost monthly. Yes, they want to sell you product but it is the perfect opportunity to talk with other businesses like yours or related to yours.  Marva Marble and Granite (a local supplier in my area) has hosted NKBA events in the past, as well. 

If you aren’t interested in big industry events, look around your town for other opportunities. I personally belong to a group called “Tri-Cities Women’s Network.”

 On the books there are about 15 of us but due to circumstances we really only get half that in regular attendance. We meet once a month, sometimes at the library, sometimes in a restaurant; sometimes a member will host it in their home. Yes, it is a networking group but we have the occasional pool party or Christmas party. We also hold informational seminars for taxes, finances, organization, insurance and so much more. 

To be truthful, just about any event you attend can be turned into networking.  Every year my city hosts a Greek Festival. It’s a huge event. People come from everywhere. There is music, dancing, food and a lot of laughing. The last time I went to the festival, there was a guy just walking around and handing out his business card. “Hi, my name is ––– and I own–– and we specialize in –––. If you ever need us, just call. What do you do? Maybe we can find a way to work together.”

Is that effective? I honestly don’t know, but if I ever see him again, I sure will ask him. 

Is that bordering on advertising? Probably, but because he was engaging people in conversation and trying to form a bound on common ground, I would put that towards networking. 

Networking is all around you. You can be a part of it. You can create it and most of all you can have fun with it. The big thing is to always have business cards and always have your 30 second business speech ready. Don’t have one? That’s a topic for next time.

EVERYBODY – GO FORTH AND NETWORK!

Sharon Koehler is a 10-year veteran of the stone industry. Currently she is the head of marketing for Artistic Stone Design in Richmond, Virginia and has been a regular contributor to various trade magazines for several years. Send your thoughts or comments on this article to sharon@artisticstonerichmond.com.