5 Simple Steps to be the best networker, whether you are networking or just wanting to increase your relationships for your business and getting referrals.
Lori Saltz talks about why networking is so important – enjoy!
1. Find the right audience for your products and services you need to find the right people who can help you to reach the starving audience that want to have what you are offering. This is about developing relationships with people. Start by having conversations with people.
Make calls and just find out what they do and if there is anything that you can help with with? I have a young guy to likes to chat me up on Facebook, now will he be a customer? I don’t know..we are working into a friendship. Starting chatting up with people.
2. Communicate the right message, during your conversations don’t use it as a sales call. Treat the other person with respect, if they are doing a sales call with you, just thank them for calling you and say goodbye.
3. There is a right time to contact people to share what you do and offer your services. Pay attention to what is happening around you and with the person you are courting or having conversations with. If you are having a conversation face to face, look the person in the eye. There was a friend of mine who I liked, whenever we would have a conversation, he would always be looking at something else. It was very distracting. I felt sometimes, that maybe he would rather be doing something else. This was true.
4. When you are having conversations, think about how you can help the other person. Invite them out to networking events, whether they are on or offline. Find out what some of their challenges or problems are and help them. When I get invitations to join other peoples’ network ie. Linkedin, I offer to introduce them to people in my network. 90% of the time people don’t take me up on my offer, except to let me know they are doing this or that product or service. Recently, a guy came back to me and asked if I could help them. Sure, who can I introduce you to? (Now it wouldn’t be a referral or recommendation simply because I had not met this person nor do I know him.)
Meanwhile, through Linkedin and e-mail, we are setting up a meeting where I would meet this guy in person. Through a variety of conversations back and forth, I finally said, to him “you need to contact me before 10:00am to confirm a time to meet.” You know what? He never called me back.
What do you think I remember him as? Not a person I want to do business with. Follow up is the key, even if he just communicated that he couldn’t meet me my invite to introduce him would be open. (I do not live in PHX, but because I was going to the city that week, we could of met).
5. Follow up – when you said you were going to do something for this person. Take ownership. Even if you are sending a link or e-mail of information for them.
Care about the person you are having a conversation with, even if you don’t want to continue talking to them, be polite, be respectful and Thank them for their time. Maybe you just leave the conversation that you now know this person better, if something comes up like opportunity for them share it. Don’t worry about that they aren’t reciprocating. Let the Universe look after everything. She’s the best networker for you anyway.
Check out my interview with Carol Deckert about Appreciating Marketing..
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