How Do You Measure Your Networking Effectiveness?

Andrew Corman • October 15, 2022

Man Looking Around — Noblesville, IN — AC Trash Hauling & More

Let’s not beat around the bush, we have a desire (need) to measure everything. What was my ROI on the latest ad? How many cold-calls must I make to get a positive response? 3 out of 4 dentists approve of a specific toothpaste! Look at baseball and the “cyber-metrics” that have invaded America’s game! Oh, exactly how big was that fish?

That said, why not measure the effectiveness of your Networking activities? So, what do we measure? How do we measure it? When do we measure it?

For me, before I can even think about pulling out the yard stick, the down-maker, the calculator, I need to define my purpose and my expectations. After all the metrics we take and analyze have to be made against a baseline.

Let me back the bus up. By education, I am an Engineer; a numbers guy. I believe that in order to succeed you need to know mathematically what the goals and expectations are. Establish the goals and measure away!! Measure actual against theoretical.

Sounds pretty straight forward. Ah, this works if and only if you ignore the human element, emotions, and personalities. It works in a “lab” or controlled environment.

Play with me for a few minutes. Your goal is to connect to as many Realtors as possible. You assume that they have access to the people that you “NEED” to grow your business. What are the Realtors looking for? They are looking to expand their customer base. Good guess! Do your expectations align with theirs?

Play further…Throughout the year, you encounter 4 people seeking the services of a Realtor. Ahhh, on your electronic Rolodex, your CRM, you have connections to 125 Realtors. Who is the lucky one to get your referral? On the other hand, your Realtor “Networking” partners have access to a total 1,250 clients, each of these is a potential customer for you. Wow you have 4 leads, they have 1,250 leads; 10 leads each. The balance scales are way out of balance!! Now what?

I think the answer is easy. It is made even easier when you and your Networking Partner(s) discuss expectations up front, day one. Lay those expectations out on the table early. Review them often, share progress regularly.

Food for thought. You may be a valuable asset to your networking partner. You may be the “GO TO” guy to help his client solve a problem. By solving a problem, your networking partner becomes a hero (small h,) to their client. You provided value to that relationship. Now how do measure your effectiveness? How do measure your value? How does your networking partner measure your value?

The AC Trash Hauling & More Team obviously wants to grow our client base. We also want to grow our relationships with our Networking Partners. This creates a win-win-win for all involved.

So, we return to the initial question, “How Do You Measure Your Networking Effectiveness?”

Our answer is to help others, give to others, and grow relationships. Throw away the scales, the ruler or yardstick. Go out and build relationships with clients and networking partners!! Some things in life were not designed to be measured!!e body content of your post goes here. To edit this text, click on it and delete this default text and start typing your own or paste your own from a different source.

Just a reminder, we provide our trash hauling services to the following communities and surrounding areas.

Noblesville, Carmel, Fishers, Westfield, Sheridan, Zionsville, Broad Ripple, Cicero, Castleton, Lawrence, Tipton, McCordsville, Fortville, Greenfield, and more upon request.

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For Our Neighbors

By Andrew Corman • February 18, 2026

We Exist For Our Neighbors AC Trash Hauling & More has been servicing Hamilton County and other surrounding communities since 2008. That my friends is a long time, especially while small businesses have a short life span. Here are some vital statistics. General Small Business Survival Rates About 20% failed within the first year Roughly 50% close within 5 years Around 30–35% make it to 10 years Only about 15–25% last 20+ years How did we do it? What is our secret sauce? Simple, we have always been committed to our customers, OUR NEIGHBORS. We live in the heart of the many communities we serve. We experience the same ebbs and flows of the economy as OUR NEIGHBORS. We understand the day-to-day challenges of OUR NEIGHBORS. Chew on these facts for a moment. Please don’t choke.  Several of the largest franchises sport annual revenues of more than $200 million, yes MILLION.  Several require $170 thousand to $250 thousand investment.  An undisclosed amount of revenues are returned to the FRANCHISE, estimated at 10 to 15%. AC Trash Hauling & More started with an old pick-up truck and $85 on June 30th, 2008, in the middle of a horrific economic downturn. Call it a recession or a depression. WE have beat the odds of small business failures and remain faithful to providing top notch trash and junk removal services For OUR NEIGHBORS. We look forward to serving you, our neighbors, and keeping your money active in your community. Just a reminder, we provide our trash hauling services to OUR NEIGHBORS in the following communities and surrounding areas. Noblesville, Carmel, Fishers, Westfield, Sheridan, Zionsville, Broad Ripple, Cicero, Castleton, Lawrence, Tipton, McCordsville, Fortville, Greenfield, and more upon request #ForOurNeighbor #JunkRemoval #TrashRemoval #trashpickupnearme

Credit Card Fees and/or SDurcharges

By Andrew Corman • January 20, 2026

Surcharges, Convenience Fees… and Why We Don’t Use Them You’ve probably seen them before: surcharges, convenience fees, service charges. They show up on bills and receipts everywhere these days. While they may go by different names, they all boil down to the same thing—extra charges added after the fact. A surcharge is usually a percentage added to your bill, most often when you pay with a credit card. It’s meant to cover the processing fees charged by card companies. A convenience fee is typically a flat amount charged for using a certain payment option or service—like paying online instead of in person. Here’s the thing… Let’s Be Honest We’re moving fast toward a cashless world . Most of us pay for almost everything with a debit or credit card. Groceries, gas, coffee, trash service—you name it. Do you really think businesses haven’t already built card processing costs into their prices? Of course they have. Processing fees usually run around 3%. From a business standpoint, we’d rather take a $100 payment and pay a few dollars in processing fees than not make the sale at all. Those costs are part of doing business—and yes, they’ve already been factored in. On top of that, many customers are paying far more in credit card interest than the processing fee itself. And About “Service Charges”… Once they show up, they almost never go away. Fuel surcharges are a great example. Fuel goes up, the charge increases. Fuel comes down… but the charge stays. That just doesn’t sit right with us. Our Approach at AC Trash Hauling We don’t add surcharges. We don’t charge convenience fees. And we don’t tack on service charges. If our costs go up, we’re upfront about it. We adjust our prices instead of sneaking in extra fees. No fine print. No surprises. That’s how we believe business should be done. We’d love to hear your thoughts. Feel free to share your comments—we’re always open to the conversation. Just a reminder, we provide our trash hauling services to the following communities and surrounding areas. Noblesville, Carmel, Fishers, Westfield, Sheridan, Zionsville, Broad Ripple, Cicero, Castleton, Lawrence, Tipton, McCordsville, Fortville, Greenfield, and more upon request.

Illegal Dumping

By Andy Corman • January 11, 2026

Illegal dumping includes mattresses, furniture, TVs, construction debris, and household junk dumped where it doesn’t belong. It creates health hazards, attracts pests, damages property, and leaves owners stuck with the mess. 👉 If you manage or own a commercial property and are dealing with illegal dumping, don’t wait. Call AC Trash Hauling & More for fast, professional cleanup: ✔ Retail dumpster areas ✔ Commercial properties ✔ Illegal dump site removal ✔ Responsible disposal 📞 Contact us today (317-690-6810)and let us take care of the mess — safely, legally, and efficiently. Illegal dumping is a crime. We’re here to clean it up Just a reminder, we provide our trash hauling services to the following communities and surrounding areas. Noblesville, Carmel, Fishers, Westfield, Sheridan, Zionsville, Broad Ripple, Cicero, Castleton, Lawrence, Tipton, McCordsville, Fortville, Greenfield, and more upon request #CommercialProperty #illegalDumping #Trashhauling #JunkREmoval #TVDisposal #MattressDisposal