B-2-B Networking: Get In Where You Fit In?

Facebook, MySpace & Twitter: Consumers are embracing social networking and savvy companies are riding the wave, but what about B2B networking? Finding the right sites that professionals and executives are participating in is the key. Here are a few engaging venues for the Financial/Insurance and Food Service Industries.

For the Financial/ Insurance Professionals:

1. FINANCIAL EXECUTIVES NETWORKING GROUP (www.thefeng.org) -This organization’s purpose is to create a place for senior professionals to network, share job leads and create relationships among peers in the financial community. Members are typically CFO’s, Controllers and Vice Presidents of Finance. This B2B networking site currently has over 35,000 members internationally, all connected on a daily basis through outbound email. Over 1,500 pages of senior level job leads and career advice are published every month. A major benefit to this site is that professionals can make excellent contacts and share valuable industry specific information with each other.

2. BUSINESS NETWORKING INTERNATIONAL (www.bni.com) – Better known as BNI, this networking group is the largest business networking organization in the world. BNI’s primary objective is to assist its members in ways that improve their business and educate them on to effectively network. BNI has a different take on being industry specific. Within this organization, there is only one individual per profession allowed in each group. The benefit to each member is that when an insurance lead comes in, for example, there is only a single insurance professional for that lead to go to. This type of networking group is considered strong contact-networking and meets weekly for a set time.

3. CHAMBER OF COMMERCE (www.uschamber.com) – This organization is considered a casual contact-networking group and tends to be less structured in their meeting formats than the previously mentioned groups. The Chamber allows people from diverse, overlapping professions to join and take part in events. Groups typically meet monthly at informal mixers held at various businesses. The Chamber also has other networking opportunities with programs such as the Young Professionals and SCORE, that encourage networking with like-minded individuals from new professionals to retired executives. Aside from monthly gatherings, the Chamber of Commerce organizes presentations by guest speakers on important business topics. The main benefits of this type of networking group are that it’s time friendly for busy professionals and they offer an opportunity to make valuable contacts with many other entrepreneurs in the community.

For the Food Service Professionals:

1. LINKEDIN (www.linkedin.com) This is a business-oriented social networking site. It’s primarily used for professional networking. LinkedIn has more than 50 million registered users and spans more than 200 countries. Below are just three of the many beneficial groups to join:

• Food Service Professionals Network: 2,666 members.
Do you sell your products or provide your services almost exclusively to the foodservice industry? This group is for those interested in serving the foodservice community.

• Food and Beverage Sales Marketing Global Network: 2,742 members.
This Food and Beverage group’s purpose is to connect all people who are working in the Food and Beverage industry. Especially those who want to work in the Sales and Marketing sector.

• Consumer Packaged Goods Connects: 14,523 members.
LinkedIn’s largest CPG networking group. Get connected and stay connected with sales and marketing executives from the packaged goods industry. Retailers, wholesalers, brokers, grocery marketers and manufacturers welcome; tier one to upstart. CPG networking starts here!

2. NETWORK OF EXECUTIVE WOMEN:(www.newonline.org)
NEW is the largest diversity group in the retail and consumer packaged good (CPG) industries. The Network advocates gender diversity, career development, networking online and face-to face, educational workshops, and regional networking events in more than 15 cities around the U.S. The group has approximately 2,000 members representing more than 400 companies. One major benefit to being involved is that the Network has more than 50 corporate sponsors representing the most influential organizations in the CPG/retail industry including Kraft, Nestle, Pepsico, Walmart and P&G. Why not join a group that can help you learn from the best?

3. FOODSERVICE NETWORK: (www.foodservice.com)
With over 161,000 members, this robust site offers users plenty of articles, community activities, events and much more. They have just expanded their community to include social media also. What a great way to get connected, where the food service industry clicks!

See all news...