Those that already network will know it is among the most powerful ways of finding new contacts and business.

So I will not have to sell the concept here to seasoned networkers, only the group.  If you have never networked, why not give it a try?

Well, we are looking for new members for our breakfast networking group Manchester Business Breakfast Club.

We meet every Friday at 7am at our rather nice venue Manchester Tennis & Racquets Club Blackfriars Road Salford M3 7AQ.

Before those that are not early risers turn off I will outline why our group is worth considering.

Firstly we have over 30 members, many of whom are very well connected.  We are welcoming and generous in helping other members; we do not operate in cliques or expect you to be a member for months before business is referred.

The atmosphere of the group is light hearted, fun and irreverent although it aims to generate new business.

As an added bonus we have no membership fees, just a small charge for breakfast.  Any profits the group makes goes back into social gatherings.

MBBC allows only one member from any profession.  So we have only one printer for instance.

However, within a profession there can be a number of disciplines where there is little or no conflict of interest.

So we have a lawyer, Zatmans, and also a family lawyer from Howards Solicitors, as Zatmans does not offer that service.  We also have a Wills writer and a probate genealogist – professions that can work alongside or with legal practices.  We also have outsourced HR that covers employment law.

So who are we looking for?

Generous individuals who are happy to give referrals, possibly offer advice and might use other members’ services, if they feel confident and trust the recipient.  It is about know, like and trust.  In return, new members can expect to receive the same help.

Despite many professions being accounted for we still have the following openings:

• Architect
• Art dealers & auctioners
• Burglar alarms/ security systems
• Business travel/ travel Agent
• Care leasing & contract hire
• Commercial gas & electric
• Courier services
• Debt management
• Interior design
• Document storage/ management
• Engineering and manufacturing
• Estate agents/ letting agents
• Executive car hire

• Exhibition companies
• Florist
• Franchise consultants
• Hotels/ venues
• Recruitment
• Recycling
• Restaurant
• Secretarial/ Virtual PA
• Sports club – we have had Wigan FC as members in the past and Manchester United came as visitors
• Surveyor

• Wholesalers
• Wine merchants

If you don’t see your profession and are interested in joining please ask, as it might be free.

If you are in the above professions please contact Graham Heap on 07725 993 400 ggheap@yahoo.co.uk

If you come you will be welcomed and will be allowed to come for free for two visits, including a hearty breakfast, before deciding if it is for you.  So why not try and find out if we can help grow your business?

Those that already network will know it is among the most powerful ways of finding new contacts and business.

So I will not have to sell the concept here to seasoned networkers, only the group.  If you have never networked, why not give it a try?

Well, we are looking for new members for our breakfast networking group Manchester Business Breakfast Club.

We are having an open day on Friday1st July  at 7am at our rather nice venue Manchester Tennis & Racquets Club Blackfriars Road Salford M3 7AQ.

Before those that are not early risers turn off I will outline why our group is worth considering.

Firstly we have over 30 members, many of whom are very well connected.  We are welcoming and generous in helping other members; we do not operate in cliques or expect you to be a member for months before business is referred.

The atmosphere of the group is light hearted, fun and irreverent although it aims to generate new business.

As an added bonus we have no membership fees, just a small charge for breakfast.  Any profits the group makes goes back into social gatherings.

MBBC allows only one member from any profession.  So we have only one printer for instance.

However, within a profession there can be a number of disciplines where there is little or no conflict of interest.

So we have a lawyer, Zatmans, and also a family lawyer from Howards Solicitors, as Zatmans does not offer that service.  We also have a Wills writer and a probate genealogist – professions that can work alongside or with legal practices.  In the past we have had outsourced HR and commercial litigation agents (similar to private investigators) as members.

So who are we looking for?

Generous individuals who are happy to give referrals, possibly offer advice and might use other members’ services, if they feel confident and trust the recipient.  It is about know, like and trust.  In return, new members can expect to receive the same help.

Despite many professions being accounted for we still have the following openings:

• Architect
• Art dealers & auctioners
• Burglar alarms/ security systems
• Business travel/ travel Agent
• Care leasing & contract hire
• Commercial gas & electric
• Courier services
• Debt management
• Hotel
• Interior design
• Document storage/ management
• Engineering and manufacturing
• Estate agents/ letting agents
• Executive car hire

• Exhibition companies
• Florist
• Franchise consultants
• Hotels/ venues
• HR Consultants
• Recruitment
• Recycling
• Restaurant
• Secretarial/ Virtual PA
• Sports club – we have had Wigan FC as members in the past and Manchester United came as visitors
• Surveyor

• Telemarketing
• Training Services
• Wholesalers
• Wine merchants

If you don’t see your profession and are interested in joining please ask, as it might be free.

If you are in the following professions please contact Graham Heap on 07725 993 400 ggheap@yahoo.co.uk

If you come you will be welcomed and will be allowed to come for free for two visits, including a hearty breakfast, before deciding if it is for you.  So why not try and find out if we can help grow your business?

Networking is coming to Turing House in November.

On the 19th November Simply Networking will be hosted on the top floor of Turing House.  Mark Greenwood a North West networking institution will be running what should be another sell-out event.

Manchester Science Park will be sponsoring the meeting and server hosting business Melbourne will be co-promoting with Mark.

There will be an opportunity to tour Melbourne’s new 3,000 server data centre, also located in Turing House after the event.

For more information go to Simply Networking’s site.

The following week, Friday November 27th, Manchester Business Breakfast Club will be hosted by Melbourne.  I am sure Steven Allan,  account director at Melbourne, will be happy to show you round its server hosting facilities if you missed the Simply Networking opportunity.

MBBC is now 10 years old and still proving very popular with about 35 members.

The group is particularly looking for surveyors, florists, hotels, restaurants, retail outlets, mail delivery companies.

So if you are interested in seeing if this friendly networking group can help your business please contact me rob@artisanmc.co.uk

In November I saw  Max Clifford speak.

When the audience was called to ask questions it invariably was: “How do I promote my charity or good cause?”  The answer invariably was, from Max: “Use a celebrity.”

Well this is all well and good for charities, but try using a celebrity to promote your push to handle capital gains tax for an accountancy company or use SEO for an e-commerce agency – you cannot use celebrity for everything, indeed most things.  And even if we could get Mylene to promote CGT it would cost.  Perhaps we would use Boris Johnson or Sacha Baron Cohen anyway – lend a bit of intellectual clout and humour hey?

Last week though I was helping promote Reds In Business: business networking for football fans.

Duncan Drasdo who heads the Manchester United Supporters Trust came up with a simple but potentially attractive concept.  The media loved it!

A few years ago I was doing the PR for Mark Greenwood who runs Networking4Business, business people along the M62 might recognise the Simply Networking brand.

I had a lot of success: NW Business Insider, Entrepreneur NW, Liverpool Daily Post, South Manchester Reporter, The Metro (national) and so on.  But as a subject, after a wave of journalistic enthusiasm, it lost its interest among the media community.  There were further opportunities that resulted in good coverage, but you had to work much harder.

So my point, eventually, is an association with Manchester United (Duncan runs the Manchester United Supporters Trust) and football has resulted in a great deal of media interest and coverage.  Celebrity (in this case a football club rather than a person) really sells in the media.

A couple of small plugs:

Mark Greenwood is very active with his networking meetings, still going strong after five years.

Wigan FC has a networking event when it meets City on the 18th October. Shaun Petafi of Wigan can give more details 01942 770448 or click through.

In addition to the above I go networking at Manchester Business Breakfast Club.  We do not play football or watch as a group, but we are looking for members, football fans or not.

Networking4Business is holding a great event at Tiger Tiger in Manchester’s Printworks on the 23rd May.

The evening affair will feature speed networking, live music and buffet and licensed bar to keep you refreshed.

Networking4business’ events are relaxed and attendees are under no pressure. They are an effective way to meet key contacts.

Contact Mark Greenwood for more info at mark@networking4business.com or call 0161 721 4831