Networking Insight: Interview: Chris Pareja, Founder, B2B Power Exchange

April 06, 2008

Interview: Chris Pareja, Founder, B2B Power Exchange

Chris has specialized in expanding businesses’ bottom lines for over a dozen years in a variety of marketing, management and sales positions. He currently owns LeadGenaires, a results-driven marketing agency. Previous positions include Vice President of Business Development at Kassner, Vice President of Marketing and Sales at Flowtix-Small Business Solutions, Director of US and Canadian Field Marketing at NAME Solutions Corp., and marketing and sales positions at Cambridge Technology Partners.

How do you define "business networking?"

I think business networking has developed a bad reputation in many people’s minds as being ineffective. I think that is an inaccurate assessment – if networking is done properly. Unfortunately, many networking venues that are really designed for social networking try to position themselves as business networking events. In these scenarios, there is more emphasis on drinking or meeting people for more personal reasons (like dates), and the amount of business networking done is minimal, or focuses on trying to strong arm others in the room into buying products or services as an individual.

In my world, business networking is a little different. If I am networking, I am not necessarily trying to sell directly to the people I am engaging in conversation. I am much more interested in making connections with them and for them, so that multiple people benefit from the interaction. And in many cases, I don’t hope to gain anything directly from making the connections between them and others.

Going beyond just making introductions to direct leads, I also work to connect people who can collaborate to create a more complete offering, or who can supplement one another in their respective business development pursuits.

Above all, I think business networking requires getting a legitimate understanding of what the other person does, and how it would be beneficial to others. Otherwise, we can’t refer one another to appropriate partners and prospects.

I guess I would say business networking is all about meeting other people with the intention of helping everyone involved determine the best connections for them. It is also about helping them weave their business offerings with others to develop scenarios beyond what the individual could create on their own – whether those be for business development or for creating super-offerings.

How did you brand yourself as a “networking authority?”

My brand as a networking authority has not been deliberate. It has happened as a natural result of running a growing business networking organization. I would actually prefer to be branded as a “master collaborator.”

I think that most business networking happens at too low a level – where people just refer contacts back and forth. These contacts are not necessarily qualified prospects or, in many cases, even able to refer the recipient to qualified prospects. I have learned that the real power of business networking comes from knowing how and where to find resources that complement one another in a way that leads to collaboration. In fact, many of these synergies often exist between companies that sometimes compete.

A lot of “networking authorities” teach people how to work a room, how to start conversations, tips for small talk or how to present their business cards. Those are valuable to a point, but I really want to teach people how to shift the way they find, close and deliver new business. Whether someone is working alone or as an employee of another organization, there is a lot of leverage to be gained through collaboration with others. This goes far beyond networking for individual referrals. It requires an abundance mentality, and a much more complex set of rules of engagement – but the upside is much higher, too.

Why did you start B2B Power Exchange?

I started B2B Power Exchange to solve a problem that I was having in my own marketing business. I had been in business for a while and had generated several clients, but needed more. At the time, the events I was attending did not allow me to meet higher level professionals (director-level and above) or people targeting those decision makers. I also noticed that people were very focused on selling to each other at these events, instead of figuring out how they could help one another. After talking with several other people with similar frustrations, I decided to create an environment where people who were selling larger business-to-business opportunities and products could get together. I wanted a group where people understood what complex selling and collaboration was all about.

Even though the group has been around for three years now, has grown nationally, and is starting to see some international participation, I still get excited seeing that the group is getting the results it was designed to generate. The types and sizes of deals are growing, but I truly feel like we are just getting started.

When did you realize that networking was important for your business success?

I realized that other people knew about opportunities that I didn’t know about. Plus, I have always been collaborative by nature, so when I went into business for myself I missed collaborating with people. I wanted to run ideas by other people so I knew that networking with other people with similar experiences was going to be important.

How have you benefited personally from networking?

I have been able to expand my network internationally, and travel to places I have never been, since I went into the “networking business”. In addition, I have been able to meet many people who might be intimidating to other people – just because they have been so wildly successful or have held titles within very recognizable companies. I have enjoyed learning about their successes, failures and getting to know them as people. I like constantly learning from others’ experience, and these relationships have made my life richer.

What is one of the lesser-known secrets to effective networking?

Collaboration is the key to effective networking. Most people focus on the individual sale of products and services. At B2B Power Exchange, we are teaching people about team selling and team delivery. If they team up with other people, they can chase business together that they would not have access to or be able to close by themselves. They can also deliver projects and offerings that would be impossible for an individual or single company.

Some of the people in B2B really grasp this concept – and it has enabled them to move upstream from selling deals that would average 10s of thousands of dollars to selling deals worth 100s of thousands of dollars or larger. Teaching people how to effectively collaborate is a mission for me, because I see it as the secret to helping them really take control of their businesses and take them to heights they have only dreamed about.

For other interviews, view my Interviews Archive.

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