How to Network For Referrals as a Computer Technician

Whether you are just starting out or you’ve been established for a while, you’ll soon find out the importance of networking with others in the business community. Here are some ways to help your business grow through networking.

The Importance of Networking

If your business is anything like mine, you wear many hats. You aren’t just a technician, but you’re often the marketing, accounting, legal, and even the janitorial department. All these tasks need to be done, but they don’t necessarily need to be done by you and that’s the key. The phrase “Do what you do best, outsource the rest” comes to mind. Instead of trying to be good at accounting, work with the best in accounting. Similarly, we expect to be the goto person for all things computer repair and IT. We don’t want accountants working on servers, and we probably shouldn’t be doing our own taxes.

That’s the key to networking: find a trusted group of professionals who you can count on to help you run your business. If they do the same, they’ll call on you when they have problems with their computers. You call your marketing person to design a logo and they call you when their computer doesn’t boot. Pretty simple, but companies don’t always do that. Sometimes business owners try to save money, but usually end up spending more having a professional fix the problems.

Joining a Structured Networking Group

Structured networking groups such as BNI or LeTip are a great resource for finding professionals to network with. These groups have individual chapters that allow only one person per profession, such as one computer repair person, one attorney, and one florist. Don’t limit yourself to national franchises as you may find a local “homegrown” group and get similar results.

In general, the more diverse the professionals in the group, the better the return on investment. It’s also best to join a group when you know very few people in it. We often travel in the same circles of people we know and while word of mouth advertising is great, at some point you’ll exhaust this resource. Everyone you know, and everyone they know, already know about you and what you do.

These structured networking groups have the power to extend your reach beyond the people you know onto people you never would come in contact with via your usual business or social circles. The chapter members of these networking groups don’t know about you, but might need your services in the future. The more professions represented in the group, the more likely they are to need an IT person. More importantly though, their clients will also hear about you.

How These Groups Work

These structured networking groups can have intense requirements. They are structured for a reason: to encourage participation and return on investment. They expect weekly attendance at meetings usually lasting around 90 minutes. The fees are usually around $500 a year for the national franchise groups and usually about $200 for the homegrown groups. If you get just a few clients out of the deal it pays for itself. Overall, the system only works if you are actively giving out referrals and then hopefully receiving them.

Giving a referral is giving someone the opportunity to do business. It isn’t guaranteed business nor is it a cold call. A referral is someone who is actively seeking your goods or services and is receptive to inquiries.

Here’s an example: an electrician is rewiring a building for a new restaurant in town. The restaurant owner isn’t sure which point of sale system to use or who will do the set up. He asks the electrician for recommendations as the electrician is wiring the location for power and data. The electrician can give that owner your card. You had no way of knowing this restaurant owner, but for your relationship with the electrician. Nice!

The process works in reverse for you. Let’s say you suddenly need a caterer. You can search online reviews and directories, but that information can be overwhelming and you may end up just guessing. With your networking group, you already know someone who could be a caterer because they are a member of your group.

It’s important to note that in these groups you are not required to use the member’s services within the your chapter and don’t expect other members to drop their IT provider and start using you instead. You are also not required to use anyone in the group if you already have a great relationship with another professional. However, if those relationships ever change, everyone is likely to do business with people they already know from the group.

Finding the Right Group

To find the right group for you, attend a few meetings as a guest or as a substitute (most groups will allow someone to “sub” for you when you can’t attend the weekly meeting). As stated earlier, these groups thrive on diverse contacts so they always want fresh faces. I suggest speaking with a few members who you feel comfortable around and ask whom they recommend for their computer needs. If you keep hearing the same name over again, you might consider skipping that group. Typically I see this situation when a computer repair provider recently left the group. They’ve all been using that previous person so they’re having difficulty establishing new habits. I would wait at least three months before joining a group that had a provider before. The best groups are usually the ones newly forming. Most of these people don’t have strong connections yet and are looking for others to refer business to.

Within these groups, you’ll find some key people with whom you’ll frequently exchange referrals. Make sure your networking group has some of these people. These people typically work with small to medium-sized business owners and thus will know the ones that need computer support:

Accountants/CPAs/Bookkeepers
Attorneys
Commercial Real Estate Agents
Electricians
Insurance Agents

Some chapters overspecialize in order to get more slots. One group I was involved with split the computer repair slot into Mac repair, PC repair and computer sales. That caused too much overlap. Members should see you as the goto person for all things computer related, or otherwise you’ll be competing with other group members.

What You Do at Meetings

Each week during the meeting you’ll give a short one or two-minute sales pitch to the rest of the group. Everyone in the group does this so it can take up to 30 minutes or more. You may feel uncomfortable at first since many people don’t like public speaking, but attending meetings will help you develop that skill. Most people attending are in the same boat as you. Over time, you’ll feel more comfortable presenting information about your business. This will train you how to present yourself to potential customers when given the opportunity.

Every so often depending on the group size you’ll give a more in-depth presentation about your business and you’ll be the focal point of the meeting. Typically this is once every 3-6 months. You’ll probably be nervous about this as well the first couple of times, but again, if you can’t give a presentation to this group about your business, then you probably won’t be able to do it for a potential client. Develop those skills in front of a crowd of your business peers first before doing it to a potential client. In fact, I’ve tried new product presentations and marketing ideas in the group first before going in front of my clients in order to get honest feedback.

I recommend always focusing on what benefits you provide to potential clients rather than what you do. Explaining how a hard drive works won’t often resonate with the plumber in your group, but explaining the importance of backing up client databases and the risks of losing that information is important. You should explain how you help small and medium-sized businesses grow through your understanding of technology. Give examples (while respecting privacy) of clients you’ve helped. You want to train your networking members to look for opportunities to refer you. The more specific the better. If you excel on a particular program for dental offices, be sure to tell them you are an expert. The next time they are the dentist, suggest they ask which practice management program they use. You can then contact the dentist directly and offer your services as an expert. Sure, you could call every dental office in town to find out what software they use, but using your networking group is easier and more efficient. It also prevents you from having to “cold call” the business. You say “Hi, one of my associates was recently into your dental practice and told me that you use a software program I’m very familiar with.” It really works well these “warm referrals.”

New members may get turned off by a group’s almost cult-like adherence to rules and procedures. Some people are like that and will pull out a national rule book to enforce policy. You’ll find that in any group. Some people get caught up in the nuances of such things. Don’t let those people turn you away from an otherwise great business opportunity.

Alternative Networking Groups

Typically what comes to mind as a networking group is your local Chamber of Commerce. The problem with the Chamber is it’s often focused on growing all business regardless of size or competition. Small computer repair providers often get lost in the shuffle by the big firms. They aren’t focused on helping you in particular. Whether it’s you or your competitor, they don’t care so long as business increases in the community.

You may also be tempted to join a networking group based on a niche of affinity such as religion, gender or school. These groups are “ok” but I wouldn’t expect much business from them. You already know many of these people and they probably are already referring your business. They are a good place to start or to compliment your structured networking.

When we network computers, we share the resources of everything connected to that network. Business networking isn’t that different. You use the skills you have and share them with others and they’ll do the same in return.

Written by Dave Greenbaum