The Marlow-based networking group Connect4Success has developed a three-level strategy to support its members.

LEVEL ONE: networking membership
Members may attend networking meetings held every month in Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire free of charge. It normally holds 20 networking meetings a year.

Membership additionally includes concessionary prices on Connect4Success events and a presence on the group's website. The benefit of this is the opportunity to obtain business from other members and also referred business from Connect4Success.

Networking membership costs £20 + VAT per month.

LEVEL TWO: marketing group membership
The marketing group meets 10 times a year at Waterstock House Training Centre. The agenda varies according to need, but focuses on getting members into larger businesses.

Marketing group membership costs £45 + VAT per month and includes all the benefits of networking membership and a priority for referred business from Connect4Success.

LEVEL THREE: business development membership
Business development members work with Connect4Success founder Barrie Giles on a long term basis to realise ambitious goals for their businesses. This membership additionally includes all the benefits of marketing group membership.

Business development membership costs £295 + VAT per month.

All of this and more is described in detail on the recently updated Connect4success website.

PROGRESS SO FAR
Two recent proactive meetings were specifically targeted at meeting the biggest marketing challenge and communicating the value of an offer. And this is how they developed.

MARKETING GROUP (6th September): Your biggest marketing challenge.
Splitting into five groups of four to five people each, individuals took it in turn to describe what they thought each member did. Members then spent five minutes explaining what they actually did, and describing their biggest marketing challenge.

Members began to learn about each other's businesses, and the real issues they faced. Around 24 follow up meetings were arranged between members in the following weeks with the purpose of developing deeper collaboration.

MARKETING GROUP (4th October): Communicating the value of your offer.
From a total group of around 20 members, nine volunteers took turns describing in 30 seconds how they would introduce their business to a potential customer at a first meeting.

They took another few minutes to explain, in relation to 'communicating the value of your offer', examples of how it had gone well or how it had gone badly.

Finally, in 30 seconds, they described what they thought customers were really buying from them. The nine members that volunteered all got valuable feedback from other members on how they might improve their marketing and sales communication.

CONNECT4SUCCESS DIARY DATES

Tuesday 1st November, Connect4Success marketing group at Waterstock.

Wednesday 9th November, 4Networks Marlow.

Tuesday 15th November, 4Networks Oxford.

We are delighted to make you aware of two cracking speaker events being organised by the Ladies that Lunch network:

Tuesday 25th October, Head of International Marketing for London 2012 Olympic Bid Liz McMahon is speaking at the Oxford Centre Banbury Road.

Tuesday 22nd November, Dragons Den applicant Rachel Lowe is speaking at a central Oxford locaton TBD.

Upcoming Institute of Directors events in Oxfordshire include:

Tuesday 8th November, Continuous Improvement through Continuous Learning, at Unipart Oxford

Tuesday 22nd November, Enterprise, Creativity & Innovation, at Oxford Brookes Restaurant

For more information go to the IoD website or call Barrie Giles on 01865 305030 or email barrie@connect4success.biz