building your business doesn't need to be a blur
PRO (also known as Professionals Referral Organization) was established for one purpose ... to Help People Connect. Savvy professionals are looking to create strategic alliances with other business people who can help them with strong referrals to their target market. Significantly more effective than cold calling, development of these strategic partnerships operate on what we call the "Golden Rule of Referrals." Simply stated, refer to others so that they will refer to you.
philosophy
From the beginning, Mike had a different philosophy regarding networking groups than what he had experienced. He developed a networking concept he called, "the power of one." Utilizing this concept, individual professionals develop significant strategic partnerships one at a time.
No matter what organization an individual joins, they won't connect with everyone there. This is true of the workplace, churches, sports teams, and networking groups. PRO deliberately chose not to develop any policy restricting PRO Team Members from joining or participating with any other organization. While other organizations view such a policy as ensuring "loyalty," the PRO Advisory Board feels very strongly that an organization has no place putting limits on where a busy professional can look to expand his or her business.
It was decided from the start that while membership on a PRO Team is exclusive to any particular industry, developing relationships with members of other Teams, and even other organizations would be encouraged. PRO regularly holds regional events designed to allow members to meet and connect with members of other Teams. Many of these events are also open to prospective members who are interested in informal networking opportunities.
No matter what organization an individual joins, they won't connect with everyone there. This is true of the workplace, churches, sports teams, and networking groups. PRO deliberately chose not to develop any policy restricting PRO Team Members from joining or participating with any other organization. While other organizations view such a policy as ensuring "loyalty," the PRO Advisory Board feels very strongly that an organization has no place putting limits on where a busy professional can look to expand his or her business.
It was decided from the start that while membership on a PRO Team is exclusive to any particular industry, developing relationships with members of other Teams, and even other organizations would be encouraged. PRO regularly holds regional events designed to allow members to meet and connect with members of other Teams. Many of these events are also open to prospective members who are interested in informal networking opportunities.
strategic partnership
We understand that finding the right professional associations to join can be a challenge. PRO has teamed up with local organizations because of the benefit they provide to professionals throughout regions where PRO Teams are located. One of the benefits of PRO membership includes helping professionals figure out which association(s) would be beneficial to their specific business. Organizations such as local Chambers of commerce, and the Retail Merchants Association have been instrumental in helping members of PRO connect with individuals who can help them grow their business. If you're not sure which organizations to join or where to spend your time within a particular organization, the staff of PRO, and our liasons with these organizations will be happy to help.
