Go Straight to our Blog for the Latest News and Specials and to Learn More about our Members!
Click the link above, especially if you are shopping for the best in the area. That's what our members offer...the best! To learn more about the South of the James Business Network group, how we work, and why we work that way, check out the links below:
About Us
The South of the James Business Network (SJBN), located in Isle of Wight, Virginia, is a networking group that helps local businesses within Isle of Wight, Suffolk and Southampton counties grow their businesses. If you own or work for a business in Isle of Wight, Suffolk, or Southampton counties, we'd like to know about you.
Our goal is to network with other quality businesses in the area so that we can offer our communities the best in products and services in every possible field. When a SJBN member makes a referral it isn't to reach a referral quota, it's because that member knows the other member delivers as promised! There are no referral quotas ever—only sound business connections.
We meet in Windsor, Virginia and are easily accessible to businesses located in Suffolk, Smithfield, Ivor, Windsor, Wakefield, Franklin and surrounding areas. If you do business in any of these locations, you are likely to find our business network group to be a great resource for building your business.
We have members representing the following professions: Real Estate Sales, Home and Commercial Security, Banking, Printing, Graphic Design, Promotional Products, Photography, Nutrition and Wellness, Senior Home Care, Pet Sitting, Construction, Marketing, Web site Hosting and Web site Design.
We are currently looking for members, with whom we could network, in the following professions: Accountant, Bookkeeper, Plumber, Electrician, Handyman, Gift Shop Owner, Spa, Beauty Shop, Painter, Auto and Home Insurance, Home Inspector. Cleaning Service, Computer Sales and Service, Signs and Banners, and many other professions with an interest in growing their business.
We are a local networking group and are not part of a National organization. Our dues are modest and go solely to support SJBN activities, and SJBN activities are tailored to grow our businesses. Join us!
About Our Members
You can learn more about our members through our blog which contains current specials offered by members, informative articles and more. We encourage you to bookmark the blog and visit it often to stay up to date on what we are doing.
Our current Officers are as follows:
President: Shirley McGee of Home Sweet Home Care Inc.
Vice-President: Susan Milton of Abbitt Realty
Treasurer: Lynne Hodges of Natura-Jevity
Why Consumers Love Us
Truth in business is just as important as truth in lending, but it can be more difficult to find. That is, until you discover a member of the South of the James Business Network (SJBN).
Read Why Business Join SJBN and explore our web site, and you will know that businesses with membership in SJBN can be trusted and used with confidence.
Usually a warm referral is the best way to find a great business, but when using one of our member’s services or products you know they are already vouched for by many, many warm referrals.
Support us by trying us. It won’t take long for you to understand that the values our group was founded on are integral to each member. And we take those values very seriously.
When you’ve tried us, please tell others about us so high-quality, local businesses like ours can continue to grow and support the community!
Are We Trying to Say Our Members Perfect?
No. It would be absurd to make such a claim! However you will find SJBN members are people who run (or work for) businesses that they believe in, and each of them strive to deliver the best in products and services.
But even with the best of intentions, procedures, and policies, there is bound to be a mistake or a misunderstanding at some time or another. Stuff happens and no one is perfect, but we do have methods to encourage our members to reach for perfection.
Our first method is our membership application process. We don't let just anyone join the South of the James Business Network. You must apply and be approved by the Membership Committee who must verify the data on the application.
Our second method is feedback within the group. We encourage our members to follow-up on referrals they have made and provide feedback on the success of the referral to the group. We do encourage feedback of a dissatisfied nature to occur privately with the member who provided the service or product, in case the dissatifaction is merely a misunderstanding. However, if for any reason, the dissatisfaction cannot be resolved privately, then members are encouraged to bring the situation to the Membership Committee for further investigation.
Our third method is consumer feedback. We encourage both positive and negative feedback directly from people who have used products and services from members of SJBN by contacting us via our Membership Committee.
So we may not be perfect, but we work diligently to deliver the highest quality products and services possible. Learn more about the services and products offered by our members by visiting our blog.
Why Businesses Join SJBN
Gaining market share in your business sector is important to the longevity of your business. We all know that, and the South of the James Business Network (SJBN), is a group of dedicated business people who are focused on helping your business thrive.
Referrals are one of the best ways to build your business, but not just any referral. The goal of the SJBN is to grow each other’s businesses through the process of warm referrals.
Opening an opportunity is what a warm referral is all about, because you make the effort to introduce someone who knows and trusts you to the services or products that you trust. You are the conduit, and your reputation is what is making the sale, initially. Thus, we seek to add members who guarantee the integrity and quality of their services and products. And we look for business people who take pride in what they offer and truly care about customer satisfaction.
With this in mind, we encourage you to attend several meetings without obligation so you can meet us, and we can meet you. If you offer high-quality products and services, and are interested in growing your business, then SJBN may be just what you are looking for. Attend a meeting to learn more about the referral process, what happens in a meeting, and the membership requirements. We hope you will become a member of our dynamic and growing group.
Benefits of Joining SJBN
• Warm referrals for your business.
• Own the seat representing your industry.
• Participation in 12 networking meetings per year.
• No Referral Quota. At SJBN we are about building relationships with highly-qualified
business people to whom it is natural to provide referrals.
• Participation in business trade shows to market both SJBN and your business.
• Access to education, including how to network more effectively, time management,
organization and more.
• A vinyl card holder to carry members' business cards, referral slips, and marketing
materials to assist you in making referrals.
• Promotion of your business on the SJBN web site and Facebook page, including the
ability to promote special announcements for your company.
Business Growth through Referrals
Referrals are one of the best ways to build your business, but not just any referral. The goal of the SJBN is to grow each other’s businesses through the process of warm referrals.
Referrals range from cool to hot, and can be as simple as giving someone you know a business card and saying, "This business has what you are looking for. Give them a call." You can make the simple business card referral warmer by saying, "This is the card of my friend, Pat. Pat owns the best drying cleaning service in the area. She'll take care of you. Give her a call, and tell her I sent you."
Of course you can make referrals even warmer by actually introducing the referral to the business owner on the phone, in person at the place of business, or by arranging a meeting for lunch, dinner or through some other social occasion. The ways and opportunities to make a referral between someone you know and a business person you would like to connect that person to are varied and infinite.
The purpose of joining a networking group is to increase your ability to make warm referrals by learning how to make those connections and being networked with other businesses so you have a greater pool of businesses from which to get and send referrals to on a day-to-day basis.
The South of the James (SJBN) Business Network group meets on the 1st Thursday of each month, but we encourage member interaction and referrals between meetings.
When a South of the James member makes a referral to you, you can count on the fact that the member knows the quality of the services or products you offer, and he trusts you to deliver them using professional, ethical, and customer-focused methods. It's not about the numbers in our group, we have no referral quotas. Our referrals are about the quality of what each of us offers, and our desire to build our businesses through the strength of networking.
No Referral Quotas Here
Many referral groups have quotas that the members have to meet (or are at least strongly pressured to meet). This is not the case at the South of the James Business Network (SJBN).
Our Meetings
We meet formally once a month, as a group. That meeting is used to fill everyone in on referrals and upcoming events. It also serves as an opportunity for visitors to meet the members and learn more about SJBN, provides members with valuable education, and it gives them a forum for any new products or services they may have to offer. We encourage you to visit us and learn more.
Meeting Agenda
Although there is some variation at each meeting, typically this is what we do.
- President assigns one person to verbalize the Purpose of the South of the James.
- We pass business cards so members (and guests) have an opportunity to have our business cards available to them.
- Each member has up to One Minute to describe a referral (contact) they would like to obtain.
- If guests are present they are introduced and given an opportunity to talk briefly about their business.
- There is an Education Segment (about 10 minutes) each week that covers a technique that may enhance how you do business. Typical topics are customer relations, marketing, organization, etc.
- Upcoming Events of Interest are announced and recorded.
- Referrals are passed and recorded.
- Referral winner is awarded a small gift.
- One-on-Ones are scheduled
- Meeting is adjourned.
When there is a new member joins the group or an existing member has a new product or service he would like to tell the group about in further detail, then a 15-minute spotlight is schedule (via the President) for that person.
Community Projects
SNBN Members Support the Food Bank.
SJBN members support the food bank by bringing a selection of non-perishable foods to each meeting. Susan Milton then collects these member donations and delivers them to the food bank.
Speaker's Bureau: Bank of Knowledge
The South of the James Networking group requires that members demonstrate they have a good "bank of knowledge" in their field before they are approved for membership in SJBN. They demonstrate that through years of experience in their field and through providing positive referrals from clients willing to attest to the quality of their service, products and knowledge. Since part of our charter is giving back to the community, we ask our members who are brave enough to do this through public speaking to make themselves available for lectures and Q&As at no charge. You will not be subject to a "Sales Pitch", and your group will benefit greatly from the wealth of knowledge available through our members.
You will find this list (of our less shy members) who are willing to provide the public with a free lectures, workshops or Q&As through our blog page, entitled, Speaker's Burea. This Speaker's Burea page is updated with current subjects and available members.