What are the best ways to network for somebody who has recently moved to a new city?

I moved to Bozeman, MT on a Saturday and the only soul I knew was my new boss. So, the following Monday morning I was at the Chamber asking what I could do. They decided the Business Resource committee would be the best place for me. Attending business after hours produced contacts too. The chamber also had "leads" clubs so I got in one of those.

Next it was meet the local politicians. City commission meetings, country commission meetings. Get to know the people at city hall, pay water bills, property taxes in person, register to vote, never know when you might need a favor.

I subscribed to the local paper and started finding out about the town. The classifieds told me what businesses were the strong ones since they were the ones hiring. And who was advertising on the sports page. Most financial, legal businesses are there. Letters to the editor... who's mad about what? Support local sports teams meet people there. See and be seen.

There is only one place in the world where the rich and poor sit side by side and neither of them is uncomfortable and that place is church. I started meeting people there.

After visiting several civic organizations it seemed the best for me was the Kiwanis club. It had the most people who could put me in touch with others who could help me. Since I am a veteran I also joined the local Vietnam Vets organization.

During my time in Bozeman I've been on the boards of United Way, Jr. Achievement, Pioneer Museum, chamber of commerce to name just a few. Also joined SCORE and the local SBA.

It was a lot of work at first but over time it got much easier because people I met introduced me to others and so on. The average number of people that attend weddings and funerals is 250. That's the sphere of influence you are shooting for. With a solid core of 250 you should have customers no matter what the economic condition.

Agree with Art! Join about 2-3 groups and start networking like crazy!

You've got to become visible first.

Can you start offering some free or low-cost courses (perhaps 1-day or 1/2-day sessions) and try and build a list of people that are interested in your services?

Start a blog and start sharing your expertise. Put the blog (name) on your business card.

You've got to pound the pavements to get known. :-)

Good thread so far. I relocated our headquarters office to a new location where we do not have strong brand recognition approximately 18 months ago and faced this very problem.

I found that good old fashioned networking meetings were the best way to meet the influencers in the local market and, if not to meet them, at least find out who they were.

For smaller businesses who focus on retail or very small B2B prospects, lead groups can be effective. Groups such as Le Tip and BNI can be valuable resources for new people in the market. Chambers and MainStreet Chamber can be effective for these companies and the for larger B2B contacts, groups like Provisors can be a good resource. Also, select Chambers of Commerce in cities with a high percentage of businesses vs. residences can be helpful.

The bottom line is that you have to get out and "press the flesh". Social networking sites are good as a supplement but building solid business relationships still is based upon trust and people trust people -- they do not trust things.

I don't have much to add, except this:

I've heard it said that "you get back out of something what you're willing to put into it," and whether that's always true is debatable, but I have a slightly different twist on it: "It's unreasonable to expect to get more out of something than you put into it." Joining organizations is a good start, but then you need to invest time and personal energy in them in order to succeed. Merely belonging to the Chamber or a service organization or a committee, or even showing up at mixers or meetings, will not get you sales leads. These are merely opportunities to slowly gain the trust of strangers, over time.

If you think about it, would you recommend a company or individual you didn't know well to a friend, business associate, family member or client? That sort of trust is only developed over time, and there are no shortcuts.

My 2 cents.

Rob

simple visit a university ( most cities do have one ), and talk with interested departments, check with their Alumni club, merge with students, link with doctoral students, postdoc, profs...etc., etc., .

There is one social media site that enables anyone pretty much anywhere to network in person over just about anything. That is Meetup.com. If you can't find what you are looking for where you are at, start a meeetup of your own. It is a great way to bring you social capital both offline and on. Another good site focused on business networking both online and off is Biznik.com.