What we do

• 06:45 to 7:00 am - Sign in and get a coffee
• 07:15 am - Breakfast
• 07:40 am - Member and Visitor, 60 second business introduction
• 08:00 am - Presentations – 10 minute guest or member 5 minute presentation
• 08:10 am - Meeting closure – members provided with the opportunity to make requests and thank you for business
• 08:30 am - Member Mingle, meeting officially closed, ideal opportunity for networking to stay for one on ones!!

Fresco's Café at e-factor's Enterprise Village, on Prince Albert Gardens, in Grimsby, and can be reached from the King Edward Street side of the Cleethorpe Road flyover.

Referrals play an important part in building the network of business friends and, in turn, trust is key when referring our personal contacts to members of the group. We realise that referrals may take some time to come through depending on the nature of each member's business.

Members of Business Friends Lincs will as time goes by learn more about each others businesses and develop the trust in each other through the following:

• Regular 1 to 1 meetings to find out in more depth about the sort of business you are looking for and what your business actually does.

This will lead to the giving of referrals which can be categorised as one of the following:

• Referrals of the immediate variety , where someone needs your services now and is expecting your call.

Referrals where someone will possibly need your services in the future and would welcome a meeting to find out how you can help them and perhaps most importantly Introductions to their best contacts and clients who maybe will never need a member's services BUT are willing to meet and find out more about your business . Hopefully, after meeting with you, they just might want to refer you on to their clients, thus expanding your contacts

60 Second Introduction

This is an elevator pitch to let people know who you are, what you do and, most importantly, what your specific targets are at the moment. These could be:

• Sectors
• Areas of town
• Specific Companies or organisations

This way, everyone in the group can get a feel for what referrals to look out for.

Top Tip: keep it brief and plan ahead – 60 seconds is not as long as you think!

5 Minute Presentation

A little more in depth; this is your opportunity to raise awareness of your business and give the group a more detailed insight into what you do. This will build greater trust with your fellow members, as you will demonstrate your knowledge and expertise in your chosen field; they'll then be able to give stronger referrals, which will ultimately lead to more business. There is also the added benefit of sharpening your presentation skills – vital when pitching to larger businesses.

In planning your presentation, consider the following:

• Why are you in your particular line of business?
• What makes you different/better than your competitors (your 'Unique Selling Point' or 'USP)
• Why should people buy your products/services (What's in it for them)?

You can use a wide range of equipment to support your presentation: Powerpoint slides; flipcharts; props etc etc. Choose wisely and, especially with Powerpoint, keep the slides simple and try to avoid simply reading the text – it's better to have nothing than to just say what's on the slide!

Above all, relax! Your fellow group members are interested; they want to know about your business and they want to help build your success. No-one wants you to fail! Remember to smile, maintain eye contact and pause for breath; turn the volume up a notch so as to project your voice (no need to just shout though – this is aggressive and will scare people!).

Top Tip: Adrenaline is your friend – it makes you think and react faster. Remember that you know your subject better than anyone; this is your chance to 'show off' – enjoy it!