If you think you’ve got the next best thing in business, a local group wants to hear from you.
“The Next Best Thing,” a new program by Networking Referral Group of Rochester, gives innovators a sounding board for their ideas.
“It is nothing more than offering a forum to somebody that has an idea that wants to bounce it off of a bunch of current business professionals to see if it might have legs,” said Travis Piper, president of Creative Approaches and a co-founder of the NRG and The Next Best Thing.
Networking Referral Group of Rochester meets weekly at 7:15 a.m. Tuesdays in Building 255 at Woodcliff Hotel & Spa, 199 Woodcliff Drive, in the town of Perinton. The Next Best Thing will be presented at a regular meeting. To submit an idea for consideration, go to www.nrgrochester.com and click on the light bulb in the upper right. If accepted, a presenter is scheduled for a 10-minute time slot at an upcoming meeting. After hearing the idea, members will comment, providing new perspectives.
The group, the members of which have hundreds of years of business experience, will politely let applicants know if they think the idea is worthy and, if so, offer suggestions on how to make it happen.
Piper said the Networking Referral Group is a spinoff of Business Networking International, which has been meeting for several years. Local members started the spinoff about three years ago.
“It’s a group of business professionals that get together for the purpose of exchanging business leads and referrals,” Piper said. “I think what sets us apart is we’re truly there to support the other guy, as opposed to what we can get for ourselves. We help each other land more business. We’re always looking for new ideas to promote the group and keep it vibrant.”
Piper said a variety of professions are represented, with each member representing a different profession. By talking about their own businesses and services, they’re able to help one another out in actively seeking referrals for one another, while gaining referrals from other members and helping them succeed.
For instance, a real estate agent was able to refer clients in the housing market to other group members in related fields: a handyman, a home inspector, a mortgage broker, an attorney and a general contractor.
So far, Piper said they’ve had one application under The Next Best Thing from a maple syrup farmer in Ontario County who decided to not only present his idea, but join the group.
“That really was our key objective,” Piper said. “We’re excited about it. We were tickled that we got some interest. What’s good about it is by meeting with these people week in and week out, you establish friendships.”
He said it’s also a good way to get to know the other business people and to feel confident about making and receiving quality referrals.
