Networking... It's a MUST!
How many of you belong to a Chamber, morning coffee group, Rotary club, BNI, Freedom Networker, happy hour group, or some other networking/referral group? If your answer is ānot me,ā what are you waiting for? If your answer is āI do, but it is pointless,ā you are doing wrong. If your answer is ā I do and it accounts for 35+ percent of my income,ā congratulations, you are doing it right! It is a necessity for small to medium size businesses to network! Letās look at some successful thoughts/ideas as it relates to networking to help you do it right!
First, letās look at the purpose of networking. Itās to build strong relationships with people who you can send referrals to. Now, some of you may have just gasped in disgust; but, if you are giving real, qualified, strong referrals it will be repaid to you in multiples. All of us have an āif you scratch my back, Iāll scratch your backā mentality. It is just the way we are programmed as humans. So, why donāt you position yourself as the best initial back scratcher that ever walked the planet. Notice, I mentioned the word INITIAL. You should always try to give first. When you āscratchā someones back with a solid referral, it deepens your relationship with them.
Relationship, the most important part! You must get to know each other. It is so important not to just talk business. I always mention my beautiful wife and my 2 four legged furry kids! I want everyone to know that I am a person just like them. When you make your relationship more personal, you also build more trust. There are probably 100 or even 500 people that do or sell the same thing that you do in your area and there are even more with the Internet. The relationship that you build will put you near the top of the list to receive referrals from others.
Lastly, the thing that will put you in the number one spot, the thing that takes you from the āgood guyā status to the ābusiness partnerā status, VALUE. The referrals will not be lining up at the door if you pass a referral and build a relationship and have no value. The value you provide could be a product or service, but 9 times out of 10 it is going to be you personally. What value do you provide that is better that Sally, John, Tom, or Nancy (aka your competition). The value that you provide is the key to being a successful networker!
Below is a list of things that can improve your networking!
āScratchā ā Give as many referrals as you can to those who you want referrals from!
Listen ā Let them talk about their business first, ask questions. People love talking about their business so you need to learn to listen about their business!
Talk ā Explain why you do what you do. Try to stay away from the what or the how, people are more interested in the why, it connects with them on an emotional level. Make sure to talk about other things, make it personal!
Follow Up & Follow Thru ā Respond, call back, text back, follow on Facebook, connect on LinkedIn, Tweet, do whatever you need to do to follow up. And, Follow thru on any tasks that you agreed to do! This is an easy way to create value!
I hope that these tips will increase your success! Guess whatā¦ After you master networking in person, you need to master networking through social media! But Iāll save that information for the next post!
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