Most networking groups suck. You know what I’m talking about. You show up to some hotel conference room, grab stale coffee, and listen to forty people give elevator pitches nobody cares about. Everyone’s trying to sell something. Nobody’s listening. You leave three hours later wondering what the hell you just did with your morning. See why LinkedIn stopped working for leads.
I’ve been in Eliances for nine months now. It’s different. Really different. This is why I look forward to Tuesday meetings instead of dreading them.
The Story That Changed My Mind
Three years ago I went to this chamber mixer. Spent two hours there, collected sixty business cards, got one lead that went nowhere. Forty bucks plus gas plus time I’ll never get back.
Last Tuesday I’m in the Eliances networking session and this guest starts talking about a problem she’s having. Takes me about thirty seconds to realize I solve exactly that problem. We talk for maybe fifteen minutes. I’ve got a call with her Friday. See the difference? One’s spray and pray. The other’s connecting people who need each other.
Why Is Most Networking Garbage?
Think about the last networking event you went to. Bunch of random people hoping to stumble into something useful. No structure. Loud talkers dominating conversations. Presentations about stuff you don’t care about. People shoving business cards at you before they even know your name.
Eliances threw all that crap out the window.
You get sixty people max. Everyone gets exactly sixty seconds to say who they are and what they do. No rambling. No sales pitches. Just clean, useful information. Then you can talk to people who make sense for your business.
The sixty-person limit is the sweet spot where you get enough variety but everyone still matters. Try that with 200 people and good luck getting anyone to remember you exist.
What is an Eliances ambassador?
About six months in, they asked me to join the Ambassador Council. It means they noticed I show up, I contribute, and I’m not just there to take.
The perks are nice. I get free meetings when I bring guests. But the main value is that other people see that little Ambassador tag and know I’m serious about this. It’s like a signal that I’m worth talking to.
Plus the other Ambassador Council people are the ones who really get it. They’re not just showing up hoping for miracles. They’re working the system.
Where The Real Money Is
From the podcast
Anthony Markey found that recording the conversation changed what came out of it, on Leaders and Their Stories:
This has become a more efficient way of networking for me, and I’m meeting people that I would have otherwise never met, because before I was limited to going to a group and maybe getting an introduction here or there.One room a week versus one conversation a day isn’t a small difference compounded over a year.
It took me a few months to figure this out: forget the members, focus on the guests.
I like the regular members, and I’ve made some good connections there, but the real opportunities come from the guests. Think about it. The members have been talking to each other for months or years. They know what everyone does. But guests are fresh meat. They’re checking out the group, they’ve got new problems, and they haven’t already talked to everyone about everything.
I’ve done more business with first-time guests than with members I’ve known for six months. It’s not even close.
Does Hybrid Networking Work?
I was skeptical about hybrid networking. Most of it feels awkward: half the people on Zoom watching the other half talk in a conference room. But they figured it out.
Some people show up in person, others log in virtually. The structure keeps it moving so nobody’s sitting there wondering what’s happening whether they’re on screen or in the room. You can participate fully from either location.
And the follow-up is easier regardless of how you attended. Everyone’s contact info is right there. No trying to read someone’s business card later and wondering who the hell Dave from accounting was.
The Math
It costs me about $37 a week between membership and meeting fees. That’s real money. But I get access to sixty business owners every week, plus five to ten new guests who might need what I do. All in a format that doesn’t waste my time with stupid presentations or forced small talk.
Compare that to other networking where you might spend $50 to sit through two hours of presentations about tax law and insurance, then try to have meaningful conversations in a room full of people who are all talking at once.
The People Who Matter
After nine months, I’ve got maybe four people from Eliances I stay in touch with. Not sixty. Four.
But these are real relationships. I can call these people when I need advice or have a referral for them. One of them introduced me to a major client opportunity last quarter. Another one saved me from making a really expensive mistake on a project.
That’s worth way more than having 200 LinkedIn connections who couldn’t pick me out of a lineup. For more on growing your network through real connection, see Richard’s interview with Anthony Markey.
Why I Don’t Do Everything
They’ve got all kinds of councils and committees and extra meetings. I skip most of them. That’s no knock on them. I’ve got a business to run. The Tuesday meetings give me what I need without taking over my life. And they don’t make you feel guilty about it. That’s refreshing.
How It Builds Over Time
First month: trying to figure out how this works
Third month: starting to recognize people and have real conversations
Sixth month: getting some business from guest connections
Ninth month: Ambassador Council, people know who I am
Twelfth month: we’ll see. It’s not instant gratification. But if you stick with it and participate, things start happening.
Eliances is not instant gratification: real conversations by month three, guest business by six, Ambassador Council by nine.
What Makes This Work When Others Don’t
I’ve tried a lot of networking groups. Chamber stuff, industry meetups, online groups, masterminds. Most of them have the same problems: wrong people, wasted time, no follow-through.
Eliances gets the basics right. They attract people who already run businesses. The format is efficient, with no time wasted on garbage. People show up consistently so you can build real relationships. The hybrid thing works because they didn’t try to make virtual people second-class citizens or force everyone into the same room. And they don’t pressure you to do everything. You can participate at whatever level makes sense for your schedule.
| Factor | Typical networking | Eliances |
|---|---|---|
| Room | No structure; loud talkers dominate | Sixty people max |
| Introductions | Elevator pitches nobody cares about | Sixty seconds each, no sales pitches |
| Who attends | Random people hoping to stumble into something | People who already run businesses |
| Approach | Spray and pray | Connecting people who need each other |
| Follow-up | Deciphering business cards later | Everyone’s contact info is right there |
| Commitment | Not covered | Pick the level that fits your schedule |
| Outcome | Buying lottery tickets | Predictable, because of structure |
The Real Deal
Look, most networking is people showing up hoping something good will happen. Maybe they’ll meet someone useful. Maybe that person will remember them. Maybe something will come of it.
That’s buying lottery tickets.
Look, most networking is people showing up hoping something good will happen.
Eliances is different because it’s predictable. Show up consistently, focus on the guests, build a few real relationships, and you’ll get business. Not because of luck, because of structure.
Nine months in, I’m writing blog posts about it. That should tell you something.
Whether this works matters less than whether you’re tired of networking events that don’t.
Want to see what real networking looks like? Come to an Eliances meeting as my guest and find out.
My take
Eliances works because the format is predictable, and most networking is a room full of lottery tickets. Show up consistently, focus on the guests, and build a few relationships that matter. Nine months in, I keep showing up. My attendance says plenty. You don’t have to do everything they offer. Pick the level that fits your schedule. Come as my guest and see whether it beats the hotel coffee and forty pitches.
People Also Ask
Twenty years in the industry and nobody to call was where I started. I wrote Networking Without the BS on building relationships that hold, written by an introverted computer guy.
- Eliances Alliance, Greater Phoenix In Business Magazine
