The Problem with Business Networking Clubs
Business networking clubs promise endless leads and referrals. But for most established businesses, these promises rarely materialize.
Why? Because networking is a significant investment of time—and the return simply isn’t there.
Yes, sole traders and micro businesses may benefit from networking groups. But if your goal is to scale and grow, you’ll need a robust sales process and business growth strategy, not a stack of business cards collected over coffee and pastries.
Networking Groups: Who Do They Really Serve?
Organizations like BNI, 4Networking, and other business networking groups tend to be filled with micro-businesses and self-employed individuals. These are often talented people—insurance agents, chiropractors, massage therapists, local service providers—who need a steady trickle of local clients.
But if you’re building a larger business, you won’t find enough quality prospects in these rooms. Most members are one-person companies with limited budgets and no ability to give you substantial contracts.
In short, networking events for business are fine for small operators—but they don’t feed real growth.
Why Real Businesses Don’t Attend Networking Events
Walk into any paid networking club and look around. How many companies with more than 10 employees do you see? Almost none.
That’s because established businesses don’t depend on casual networking. Instead, they rely on:
- A structured sales process
- A clear sales and marketing strategy
- Targeted new business development campaigns
Sales managers don’t send teams to networking breakfasts. They expect their people to prospect, build pipelines, and close deals. In other words, they expect them to sell.
Where Real Networking Happens
That doesn’t mean networking has no value. But serious companies do it differently:
- They attend industry events and conferences where their prospects are.
- They join business associations or chambers that give access to peer-level companies.
- They build strategic partnerships with businesses of similar size and scope.
Even in groups like the London Chamber of Commerce, small and large companies rarely mix. The big fish and small fish swim in separate tanks.
What to Do Instead of Relying on Networking Clubs
If you want to win bigger clients with bigger budgets, you need to:
- Target specific businesses you want to work with.
- Build a professional outreach strategy—phone calls, emails, LinkedIn.
- Present a compelling value proposition that solves their problems.
- Close the business instead of waiting for introductions.
This is how real sales & business development is done. It requires skill, persistence, and a structured sales process—but it delivers real results.
Does Paid Networking Ever Work?
Yes—for the butcher, baker, and candlestick maker. Local businesses looking for local clients can see value, especially in the early days. A year in a group like BNI can help you establish a presence.
But believing the myth that it takes “two or three years of networking to see results” is dangerous. That’s just a sales pitch to keep you paying membership fees. If your business is compelling, people will buy from you now—not years later.
The Biggest Mistake: Hiding Behind Networking
Too many small businesses hide from real selling by keeping busy with networking. They’re afraid to pick up the phone, afraid to prospect, afraid to sell.
Don’t fall into this trap. Networking can play a role, but it should never replace sales pipeline management, structured selling, or sales & operations planning.
If you want growth, stop hiding in networking clubs and start playing the real game of business.
The Takeaway
Networking has its place—but only for micro businesses. If you want to grow, scale, and win larger contracts, you need a sales process, a clear strategy, and the courage to sell directly.
Networking might keep you busy. Selling will make you successful.