As a broker, your workday is filled with meeting customers, assisting their employees, and attacking paperwork. All those tasks leave little time for drumming up new business— a critical factor for your long-term success.

The best way to acquire new business is meeting prospective new customers face-to-face. Why? People tend to place a higher level of trust in others after meeting them in person; it's a more personal form of communication.

Networking is key to getting yourself in front of prospective new customers. So, let’s look at the best places to network after work hours in order to encounter likely new customers.

Business Networking Groups

For small to mid-sized businesses, nothing beats after-hour business networking groups. They offer a casual way to interact with business members, learn from each other, generate referrals for each other’s businesses, and socialize with peers.

Typically, these groups include members from a cross-section of businesses (as opposed to several from the same type of business). You can:

• Join or offer to speak at popular national business networking groups with local chapters such as BNI International, LeTip, and for women, Business and Professional Women’s Clubs. Many more options exist and can be easily discovered with Google searches.
• Participate in Chambers of Commerce meetings and events. It’s a great way to show your support for regional businesses while simultaneously making new connections. Chamber events usually include finding ways for local businesses to support each other which is perfect for your goal!
• Attend Rotary and Kiwanis meetings and sponsored events. They are service organizations that try to help their local communities. There are two key reasons to join: you will meet community business leaders who often participate in these organizations and you will gain a reputation for caring about your local community.
• Seek out associations made up of human resources and benefits/compensation managers. Ask to be a guest speaker and prepare a short speech that demonstrates a lighthearted view on current insurance issues.
  
  

Industry Events

Target local companies in your area and seek out industry events that their managers might attend. This could include trade shows, conferences, CE course classes, and other industry-specific events. Try to take advantage of any opportunities these events might offer, such as a sponsorship, running a booth, or preparing a presentation on insurance-related topics.

Charitable Events

People tend to gravitate toward businesses that give back to their local communities. This means that participating in local charities can be a major factor in your business’ growth.

Research which charities your targeted company works with and volunteer some of your personal time to help them look good to their customer base. You may find yourself a receptive audience in that company for your health plan packages.

Networking is key to expanding your business connections in your area. As a hybrid business and social activity, it may not only help grow your business, it may also expand your circle of friends. The best advice? Get out there, and have fun doing it.