Whet the Appetite

The Prequel to My Big Idea:

I started a new career this past August as business development manager at Transmyt Marketing, and in this role, my primary strategy has been to complement traditional networking with social media networking.

And, I have been networking my butt off… participating in BNI (Business Networking International) groups, attending events with Chambers of Commerce, the Downtown Women's Club, Mass Innovation Nights, Meetups, lunches with connections, and myriad other networking clubs. And to complement this I'm blogging, on LinkedIn all day, facebooking, and now tweeting (geez Louise).

This morning (at the butt crack of dawn) I sub'd at a BNI meeting, and I'll say, I'm conflicted about BNI. I'm not moved by the 7am weekly meetings or the board room style. But I do like the non-compete environment and the business referral tracking system (they really quantify their effectiveness).

The Big Idea:

In this morning's meeting, I had a déjà vu thought all over again, and I'd like to share it with you so that we might iron it out—and we might become super rich like Dr. Ivan Misner,
the Founder & Chairman of BNI.

Basically, I plan to make an effort to come to events with a "money in, money out" proposition. I know that this isn't always possible, but this morning I decided that for me:

Money in: I need referrals to people who are looking for marketing services (strategy, creative services, web site development, email marketing, newsletters, social media optimization, blogging and content development, etc.).

Money out: I need help establishing a college savings plan (a 529 Plan?). I also currently need Auto/Renters insurance.

Is there currently a (cult) system or algorithm that can optimize this sort of referral concept? I'd like to leverage my network for these solutions and inquire about your "money in, money out" situation.

Please comment.