Mastering the Art of Effective Networking
This Book isn’t just another business book—it’s your personal guide to building powerful, purposeful relationships that drive real results. Whether you’re new to networking or have years of experience, this guide will challenge your thinking, sharpen your approach, and help you step beyond your comfort zone into a space of genuine connection and opportunity.
What You’ll Gain:
Actionable Strategies: Learn how to structure one-on-one RECON meetings that unlock deeper understanding and lead to meaningful referrals.
Practical Insights: Discover how to craft memorable one-minute presentations that educate rather than sell, using clarity and specificity to get results.
Real-World Examples: Benefit from tried-and-tested techniques gathered from years of experience within business networking groups.
A Mindset Shift: Move from passive attendance to proactive engagement, and from expecting to receive, to giving without expectation—creating stronger, more trusted networks.
Tangible Results: Improve the quantity and quality of referrals you give and receive by learning how to actively listen, ask the right questions, and position yourself and others for success.
Who It’s For:
This book is ideal for:
Entrepreneurs and small business owners
Sales professionals and consultants
Anyone involved in local or nationally franchised business networking groups
People looking to grow their business through word of mouth
Professionals ready to move beyond networking as a “tick box” exercise
Why It Works:
This is not a motivational fluff piece. It’s a real, structured, down-to-earth guide filled with immediately usable advice—much of which is rooted in the author’s own journey and challenges. It’s designed to be read in parts, applied gradually, and referred back to time and time again.
If you’ve ever left a networking event wondering if it was worth your time, or struggled to explain what you do in a way that sticks—this book will change that. It gives you the tools, structure, and mindset to become the kind of networker that people remember, trust, and want to work with.
Buy Direct From
Sample chapters
Referrals On Your Doorstep
You Want A ‘Member’ Discount?
Are You a Sparrow?
About the Author
Tony Allwood
I’m Tony Allwood, a web design and marketing professional based in Hamilton, New Zealand. I’ve been actively involved in business networking since launching my first company in the UK back in January 2000—just three days after opening my doors, I joined my first networking group. Since then, I’ve spent over two decades applying and refining practical “word of mouth” marketing techniques through consistent, hands-on experience in networking environments.
What started as a personal challenge—balancing the demands of business life with the desire to be a better networker—led me to develop a simple, day-by-day guide to help myself stay focused and effective. That guide eventually became Beyond the Comfort Zone, a practical book for small business owners who want to become more referable and give better referrals—without gimmicks or expensive strategies.
Unlike theoretical approaches, my methods are grounded in real-world experience. The book is packed with practical tools, exercises, and straightforward advice you can use immediately—from attracting more visitors to your networking group, to handling tricky referrals, and everything in between.
Over time, the book has evolved based on feedback from readers and my own ongoing experiences. As I continue to run my marketing business and attend networking meetings every week, I’m constantly updating and expanding my approach—and now, I’m sharing it all here, so other business owners can benefit from the same tools that have helped me build lasting relationships and grow my business through networking.
