To network or not to network? You may expect me to tell you, unequivocally, if you’re serious about your business, get out and network! Kind of in the same way that dentist you don’t go to anymore used to tell you how important it was for you to floss.

But honesty is a better policy. Not everyone should be out there networking. Some should be doing more. And some who are networking today may be doing it all wrong.

Where do you fall? To find out, take the quiz:

http://designerscouch.org/show_article/182/should-you-network.html

“We grew our business based on referral business from customers and business associates. We were going gangbusters. But now, a few years later, as we try and grow the company, the referrals aren’t keeping pace with our strategic goals.” 

This is a familiar story for growing small- and mid-sized businesses. It is especially familiar among business-to-government (B2G) companies. Does it have a ring of truth to you? If you fall into this camp, you may be among the many companies that have used referrals very successfully. You may have even been resistant to deploying marketing programs.

“We have grown and evolved a successful business without a concerted marketing engine,” you protest. “We’ve invested in sales, strategic alliances and relationships. We’ve developed repeat business in key government agencies or businesses and gotten significant referral business.”

This sound methodology has gotten you where you are today. No one can argue with the results of these business development strategies. But, consider this: Just because you didn’t need a coordinated marketing effort in the past doesn’t mean you don’t need it now.

Even companies with the best referrals eventually reach a point where they can’t continue to grow the company strategically. What now? This is where targeted strategic marketing comes into play. If your organization has reached this point, ask yourself what marketing programs you should be leveraging to raise your profile with your target audience.

Or, if you think you could be getting more referrals from trusted customers and partners, read:

Increase quality referrals

3 ways to get qualified referrals

3 more ways to get quality referrals