NRG Networks is a UK-based business networking

Business networking

Business networking is a socioeconomic activity by which groups of like-minded businesspeople recognize, create, or act upon business opportunities. A business network is a type of social network whose reason for existing is business activity...

 organisation, founded in June 2004 by Kim Sharman and Martin Davies to facilitate the development of business relationships based on trust and knowledge between SME Business

Business

A business is an organization engaged in the trade of goods, services, or both to consumers. Businesses are predominant in capitalist economies, where most of them are privately owned and administered to earn profit to increase the wealth of their owners. Businesses may also be not-for-profit...

 Owners in a social network

Social network

A social network is a social structure made up of individuals called "nodes", which are tied by one or more specific types of interdependency, such as friendship, kinship, common interest, financial exchange, dislike, sexual relationships, or relationships of beliefs, knowledge or prestige.Social...

 environment. Dave Clarke joined as Chief Executive at the end of 2004 and identified that these business relationships resulted in a network of advocates. Networking for Advocates was subsequently introduced as the NRG networking model. Kim Sharman retired at the end of 2006.

The model of "Networking for Advocates" was investigated in some research conducted by Martin Davies and Roger Croft of the University of Bath

University of Bath

The University of Bath is a campus university located in Bath, United Kingdom. It received its Royal Charter in 1966....

. The purpose of the research was to further understand the importance of developing trust in business relationships. The research identified certain networking transactions as the currency of developing trusted business relationships. This led to the development of the NRG Networking System based on this Advocacy Model.

NRG Business Networking Advocate Model:

Tactic	Networking Transactions	Judgments	Drivers
Make Contact	Situational awareness	Potential reward?	Do I like them? Mutual networking transactions?
Follow up	Introductions	Potential reward? Are they reliable enough? Are they able enough?	Initial business assessment. Mutual networking transactions? Feedback from others
Form Relationships	Qualified referrals, High value introductions, research information	Quantify reward? Quantify risk?	Further business assessment Mutual networking transactions Further feedback
Develop Advocates	Unqualified referrals, Share IP, Joint ventures, support, testimonials	Monitor reward Monitor risk	Rewards Risks

The organisation is structured around local groups, and primarily delivers its benefits via a monthly lunch meeting, preceded by a business development

Business development

A subset of the field of commerce, business development comprises a number of techniques and responsibilities which aim at:1. Researching new types of business/products/services with an emphasis on identifying gaps in the mitigation of needs of potential clients .2. Attracting new customers3...

seminar.

NRG basics

• Founders: Kim Sharman and Martin Davies
• Chief Executive: Dave Clarke
• Established: 2004
• Philosophy: Advocate marketing