When entrepreneurs try to develop a qualified, consistent and dynamic circle of networking partners who are going to provide them with referrals for new business, their tendency is often to “sell” those individuals on their product.

It’s as if by showing them all the finer points of what’s available, convincing them to try their product and closing the sale with their networking partners, they’ll somehow realize an influx of referrals.

I agree that in order for the members of your networking group to refer you effectively they must be familiar with what you have to offer; however, it’s important to resist your urge to sell to group members.

Educating your networking group’s members about the type of referrals you want is much more important to the success of your networking in a closed-contact network than selling to other members. This demands a shift in how you see your networking partners. They’re not the clients; they are your sales force. And for your sales force to sell you effectively, they have to know who to sell you to and how to sell you.

Below are four tips for incorporating this educational style into your networking meetings:

When appropriate, consider bringing in a client to talk about how you’ve helped him or her. These kinds of interactions go a long way toward educating the group as to the type of person you wish to have referred to you.

By keeping your focus on educating your networking partners about what type of referrals you wish to receive, you’ll find that the referrals you get will be of a higher caliber and offer more chances of becoming closed sales.

Dr. Ivan Misner is the founder and chairman of BNI, which has more than 4,600 chapters in 37 countries.

Janice Malone, a Mobile-based marketing consultant and speaker, is the executive director of BNI Southern Alabama/ Northwest Florida Region, which has chapters in the Baldwin County area.

For more information, contact Malone at jmalone@bni.com or 1-800-781-9599.