Vicky comments;

Paul has a strong background in helping run various networking groups and has the vision to help drive proNet into new areas.

The launch of the new proNet structure will be on Tuesday Feb 7th at Healds Hall, where we are holding a Visitors day to encourage more new members to join the group.  Contact membership@joinpronet.com if you would like to come along.

After over 10 years in running his own business and 2 years behind the helm at proNet, Jamie has taken the brave step of changing direction with his career and is moving back into the heady world of employment again; this time into the educational sector at a local high school.

Jamie comments;

I felt it was time for a career change at a time when I was taking stock of my life and what I wanted to do with the rest of it. I’ve worked in the education sector with young people on a voluntary basis before and found it very rewarding. So based on that – I thought I’d take the plunge and change direction. That, and the holidays are good of course!

He continues,

I’ve really enjoyed my time at proNet and have met some great people and have made some good friends along the way. I hope that the group continues to grow from strength to strength and I’ll have no hesitation in recommending my new found colleagues towards the services of proNet members if needed.

So with a heavy heart, we say goodbye to Jamie and wish him the very best of luck in his new found role.

Feel free to pay us a visit during the school hols Jamie.

Isabel, a qualified and experienced yoga teacher, has run her yoga teaching business Inside Out for a number of years and offers a series of yoga classes across West Yorkshire. However, after a period of self-analysis, she concluded that she could do more, make her business even more successful and syndicate new classes to a fresh audience.

Yoga Specialist Isabel Carter of Inside Out | Photo: Roger Moody

So having re-branded her business, dropped her old website and taken on board some business advice from consultants Clear Results: Isabel worked with proNet members; Jamie Dobson on the development of her new website (www.yogainsideout.co.uk), Malcolm Pow of Pow IT for its hosting, new email accounts and a smart new laptop for the office, commercial photographer Roger Moody for some cracking pictures of real people practicing yoga at her classes (used on her new website) and the print and design services of Beverley at Beverley Shutak Printing Services for the production of some flyers and new business cards.

All in all, a great of example of businesses networking together, working together and winning together. All thanks to proNet.

If you’re interested in trying some yoga classes for yourself in and around central West Yorkshire, why not check out Isabel’s classes for yourself at www.yogainsideout.co.uk

Kate Leadbeater – corporate fundraiser for Kirkwood Hospice and a member of proNet’s Spen Valley group, met up with Chris Cox of Huddersfield web designers Made by Bridge at a proNet meeting earlier this year.

The New Kirkwood Hospice Website

Through this meeting, Chris became aware that there was a need for an improved website for the Hospice and as a result his company, Made by Bridge were awarded the project to redesign and develop the Hospice’s new website.

Their new site has now been launched and offers visitors a much more useable and interactive experience.

Garry Wilkenson, Fundraising and Marketing Manager at Kirkwood Hospice remarks:

We hope the new-look site will encourage more people to visit and find out about the work of the Hospice. It includes online application forms for some of our events, making it easier for supporters to get involved.

Malcom Pow, Chair of proNet’s Spen Valley group comments,

I am delighted that the Hospice was able to secure this generous donation from Made by Bridge. It certainly shows the value of business networking, particularly in these difficult times.

View the Hospice’s cool new website for yourself at www.kirkwoodhospice.co.uk

Note: You DO NOT have to be a member of proNet to attend this event and enjoy Terry’s presentation. The event is open to all.

Terry Hodgkinson: Photo - Roger V Moody

This is a rare opportunity to hear one of our region’s most accomplished business leaders talk about a subject that is close to his heart:

Inspired Leadership – Finding the Hero Within Yourself

When and Where?

We’re expecting this event to be well attended and is a great networking opportunity, as such places are limited and booking is required.

When? Tuesday 15th November 2011, 7.30am – 9.30am
Where? Healds Hall Hotel, Liversedge [Map]
How Much? Places are £12 per person (cash only please), payable on the door.

The Agenda

The meeting agenda will loosely follow a normal proNet breakfast meeting.

7.30am – 8.00am: Open networking & buffet Breakfast
8.00am – 8.30am:  Introductions, sharing of business cards, personal pitches
8.30am – 9.15am: Terry Hodgkinson’s presentation followed by Q&A’s.
9.30am: Meeting Close

How to Book

Simply complete the booking form below and click the SEND button.

Alternatively, you may email this event’s organiser Jamie Dobson directly using inspiration@joinpronet.com

Read more about Terry and his career to date on his own website at www.terryhodgkinson.com or scroll down past the booking form below to read his biography.

Download the Promotional Flyer for this event [PDF]

Our Speaker

Terry Hodgkinson

Terry is passionate about great design, heritage and place; he is an advocate of continuous learning and training and considers inspirational and charismatic leadership a quality that influences growth and development of people in all aspects of their lives.

Terry Hodgkinson

Terry is well versed in many aspects of leadership development, coaching and training and has worked with many of the leading NLP and leadership and management coaches and trainers across the UK and beyond where he has put into practise many of his developed skills and techniques in an business environment he’s developed over a 35 career in industry which has included establishing, growing, buying and selling, SME businesses in the construction, house building and property fields.

Terry brought his business acumen to lead the Regional Development Agency, Yorkshire Forward as its Chair for seven years to December 2010, overseeing the Agency in growing the economy of Yorkshire and Humber. He was honoured in the Queen’s Birthday 2010 list with a CBE for business and regeneration and was recently appointed as a Deputy Lieutenant for West Yorkshire: he gained Chartered Director status in 2003 and he is a Fellow of the Institute of Directors, an Ambassador and Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Building.

Terry was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Huddersfield in 2010 and was appointed as Visiting Professor attached to the Business and Law School at Leeds Metropolitan University in January 2010.

He launched his new brand and website, www.terryhodgkinson.com recently titled “Inspiration for Industry, Education and Regeneration” with a view to seeking opportunities to take on roles as a Company Non-executive Chair/Director or ambassador, convention or conference chair, championing inspirational leadership in business and speaking engagements across his three area of interest and expertise under his new company as principal and director of Terry Hodgkinson Ltd.

This time he’s been drawing the crowds in for a pirate themed photographic exhibition of activities in the town earlier this year.

Take a look at Roger’s own blog to learn more about what he did and how you can view his work for yourself at the exhibition which runs until October 6th in Shipley.

There can be no question about this because if it didn’t, business networking groups like proNet’s wouldn’t exist and the whole concept of the business networking event or meeting as a marketing tool, would quickly diminish down to nothing.

Instead, there’s been a steady increase in a number of different types and models of networking events over the last few years. Granted some fall by the wayside along the path: perhaps because their ‘model’ isn’t quite right, or simply because their organizers lose interest and move onto other projects. In the two years that proNet’s been holding its meetings, we’ve seen a few start-up, shine brightly and then fizzle out; yet on the other hand we’ve seen some that have reached stratospheric heights in terms of popularity from a standing start during the same period.

It’s all swing and roundabouts, but generally it can be said that

Business Networking Works

It’s just a case of finding the right group and format that suits you and your business.

You’ve Got to be in it to Win It!

So when I hear criticism about the validity of our networking meetings in terms of them being able to generate ‘value’ for our members, I take it with a pich of salt because it’s an unjustified criticism that I hear time-and-time again about other successful networking groups besides ours.

A Pinch of Salt

So why do I say this when I hear this? Well firstly I know that proNet works for its members when it comes to delivering both tangible business and value in some other way such as  informing and educating, building confidence and creating business networks etc. The list goes on! Steady growth over the last two years with profitable meetings and positive feedback from members has demonstrated this by the spadeful.

So why would people not agree?

Let me paint you a picture of the member who may say this. This picture isn’t unique to proNet though and may be applied to the cynical members of any membership based networking organisations like proNet.

A Picture Painted

Here’s the characteristics:

• Attendance. As the headline above suggests, ‘You’ve got to be in it to win it!’. So by not attending on a regular basis, how does one expect to build trust and familiarity with other members? No one is going to pass anyone any business unless they know and trust them. This only comes through relationship building.
• Give Something Back. Even if one attends regularly, but doesn’t give anything back into the group – one can expect nothing in return. Start as you mean to go on by contributing to the networking group you’re in and it’ll pay dividends in the long run.
  ‘Contributing’ can take a number of forms: the obvious one is to actively seek out and pass referrals to other members on a regular basis. If that’s not possible, then why not volunteer to run a workshop, do a short presentation or take an organisational or administrative role within your group?
  Show enthusiasm about other members’ businesses, listen to what they have to say and actively go out of your way to promote them to your peers and associates. Do this and you’ll quickly build esteem amongst your fellow networkers.
  If your business has a product or a service that may be of use to the group directly; then why not consider offering your services either free or at a discount to the group itself. For example, if you’re a web designer – consider building or maintaining the group’s website. A graphic designer could offer to design some flyers or brochures for the group and the group’s printer could offer to print them. In all cases it’s an easy way to demonstrate your skills and credibility to other members as well as ‘giving something back’.
• Behave Yourself. People buy from people. It’s a cliché I know, but still rings true even in today’s online world. So it stands to reason when trying to foster relationships within a networking group that you should treat people as you would expect to be treated yourself. People talk and a reputation built over many years can quickly crumble within the confines of a small networking group. To illustrate, some of the unacceptable behaviour I’ve witnessed over the years in networking circles has included;
• Buying services from another member and then not paying their bill in a timely manner or in a few cases I’ve witnessed, not at all, without a good reason.
• Using inappropriate humour in an open meeting. Anything sexist or even slightly racist should be avoided at all costs.
• Acting in an aggressive manner towards other members. I’m not talking physical aggression here (although that goes without saying), I’m taking about being argumentative or demeaning to another member. I’ve seen this in action quite recently which resulted in the perpetrator being ‘sent to Coventry’ by the membership.
• Don’t be overly critical of others. The best way to motivate people is to praise them, so if one wants to influence and support your fellow networking members, don’t critise them in an negative way either on a one-to-one basis or God forbid, in front of the room! Try and be constructive if you do feel the urge to point out someone’s failings.
• Join In. This is similar to the ‘give something back’ element above but differs in that it means joining in with the actual networking process. I know some people are nervous or uncomfortable about making the first move when it comes to networking – that’s where a good visitor host comes into their own by encouraging people to join in; but if your intention is to sit on your own playing with your phone or reading your diary throughout the whole event without interacting with anyone, then you can’t expect to get anything out of the meeting.
• Give it Time. Business networking isn’t a quick fix! Expect to keep at it for at least six months to a year for a membership based group; give it some effort and avoid the pitfalls described above and I’ll eat my hat if you don’t get value out of your networking group of choice by the end of your trial period. In other words, keep your expectations of networking realistic and hone your networking skills and the rewards will come.

So there you have it. Just some of the reasons why some people may feel that networking doesn’t work as a concept.

This list isn’t exhaustive, perhaps you have examples of your own? Please post them as a comment below.

About the Author

Jamie Dobson of proNet

Jamie Dobson is the co-founder of the networking group proNet which meets fortnightly over breakfast in Liversedge, West Yorkshire.

He extends an invitation to any business owner to attend one of their meetings. Contact him on membership@joinpronet.com or on 07792 090 700 for further details.

Profile Pic: Roger V Moody

Jamie says,

The UK Government has confirmed that Agency Workers will benefit from increased protection from 1st October 2011 when The Agency Workers Regulations (AWR) 2010 come into force.

He continues,

These regulations aim to give agency workers fair treatment, pay, holidays and working rights that mirror those of the employee. So in other-words, if your company employs agency or temporary workers, then you can’t avoid not knowing about this important piece of new legislation for the employee and employers alike.

The Agency Workers Regulations (AWR) - 1st October 2011

To help employers come to term with these new regulations, THE Agency is running a 2.5 hour breakfast briefing on Wednesday 21st September in Cleckheaton.

This workshop is free of charge and includes a light breakfast which will be served at 8.00am on the day of the workshop. The main presentation will start at 8.30am and finish at 11.00am.

Places are limited so booking is essential.

To book your free place, call Kim or Catherine at THE Agency on 01274 869100 or email Kim on kimbarnes@theagency.org.uk

There is ample and free parking at the venue.

Further information is available online at www.eventsbot.com/events/eb223083986

This not only keeps meetings varied and fresh but gives members an opportunity to raise their own profile within the group whilst making a positive contribution to the group as a whole.

Time to Hand Over the Reins

The six month anniversary of the current leadership team of our group is now up for renewal and we’re pleased to announced that from July onwards, for the next six months; the leadership team of of our Spen Valley group will consist of:

• Malcolm Pow, POW IT – Group Chairman (taking  over from Isabel)
• Ash Sohanpall, Premier Financial Services – Business Clinic Presenter (taking over from Mike)
• Mike Hardill, JMH Design – KTS Co-ordinator (taking over from Roger)

We wish them every success in running proNet’s meetings for the next six months. To book your place at our next meeting (12th July) – give Malcolm a call on
0845 177 0779 or drop him an email at spenvalley@joinpronet.com

This slot is handed over to a specialist in their field of expertise who helps inform or maybe educate, those people in the room. In the past we’ve had speakers presenting on the subject of social media, charity fundraising, computer tips, the use of imagery in marketing and making a successful cash-flow projection for your business to name but a few of the topics.

We’re now putting in place our speakers for June and July 2011 the scheduled list of which, currently looks like the one below.

If you’d like to present at a future proNet meeting within the KTS slot (you don’t have to be a member), you are welcome to do so if you think you have some value to add to our meetings. However, before you contact us; please review the information on the following page first.

• June 14th – Julie Biddle from Julie Biddle Associates, Gaining New Business Appointments Using the Telephone.
  This short presentation is aimed at business people who need to get in front of decision makers within existing or new potential customers to present their products or service . This is often a daunting task and one that we often put off. This short session will demonstrate techniques to get past the gatekeeper as well as tried and trusted ways of gaining the visit once we are speaking to the decision maker.
• June 28th – Christian Lister from Xpress Legal, [Title to be released soon]
• July 12th – Jamie Dobson from JD Consulting, Getting the Best from LinkedIn – Open Discussion
• July 26th – Julie Biddle from Julie Biddle Associates, Presenting Your Cost and Proposal for Best Effect
• August 9th - Julie Biddle from Julie Biddle Associates, An Insight Into Negotiation
• August 23rd – Sharon Senior from Sharon Senior Counselling, [Title to be released soon]
• September 6th – Daniel Watts from Yorkshire Business World, [Title to be released soon]

A full list of meeting dates for 2011 may be found on this page. all meetings which onclude the above presentations, start at 7.30am with open networking and breakfast and cost just £12 on the door (cash only please).

To book your place please contact Isabel on spenvalley@joinpronet.com