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How to Expand Your Referral Base

Written by: Vicki Kunkel

Article Overview: Everyone talks about the importance of networking. But, do it the wrong way or talk about the wrong things, and you'll do more harm than good for your company and your promotions. Here are some tips to get the most out of any networking event, and walk away with more than just a stack of business cards.

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How to Expand Your Referral Base

During a "lunch-and-learn" networking skills presentation that I gave today to a local professional association, one of the participants asked me how to best offer a “value proposition” during a networking conversation.

He was asking about the best way to differentiate his product by highlighting benefits. Unfortunately, he was missing the real purpose of a networking event.

When networking, you absolutely want to set yourself apart from the crowd. But a networking event is NOT the place to focus on product or service differentiation; it’s time to focus on PEOPLE differentiation.

How can you differentiate yourself at a networking event and, as a result, get more referrals? By asking non-selling questions. That’s right; stay away from the typical prospect qualifying questions. Rather, ask “comfort questions” and “the big resource question.”

COMFORT QUESTIONS

Comfort questions are questions that most people LOVE to answer. There are two types of comfort questions:

(1) How did you get started in the (fill in the blank) business? People love to tell their story. So give them a chance to tell it. This will set you apart by showing that you are not simply there to make your product pitch or do the business card shuffle.
(2) What do you enjoy most about your business / product / company / industry? This is another question that makes the other person feel as if you truly care about him or her as a person – rather than just another business contact. You’ll build rapport quickly if you ask just a couple of comfort questions back-to-back.

THE BIG RESOURCE QUESTION

Notice that it is singular – resource question, not questions. This question needs no others to really fast forward rapport. The big resource questions

“Joe, how can I know if a person I am speaking with would be a good prospect for you?”

This question serves three purposes: (1) It sets you apart from the “how-can-you-help-me” crowd that you find at most business networking events; (2) It solidifies your conversation partner’s feelings of trust toward you (3) It enhances your credibility as a sincere person.

Notice that you haven’t even mentioned your product or service. And perhaps you won’t at all in this particular meeting. But that’s OK because when you truly establish that rapport and trust with someone, then that person will tell his or her associates about you. Did you know that the average person knows 250 people? So think of it this way: every time you cement rapport and trust with a prospect, you are potentially building rapport and trust with 250 additional people. If you use this approach consistently, you’ll eventually have an endless stream of referrals – not because you did a great job of pitching your product, but because you did a great job of pitching yourself as a trustworthy, sincere person.

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Article Tags: business card, business contact, business networking events, business product, card shuffle, comfort questions, crowd, lunch, networking event, networking skills, participants, product pitch, professional association, referrals, resource questions, service differentiation, singular resource, typical prospect, value proposition

About the Author: Vicki Kunkel
RSS for Vicki's articles - Visit Vicki's website

Vicki Kunkel is an award-winning social anthropologist who has been recognized as an expert in persuasive communication by many media outlets. She’s been interviewed by MSNBC, CNN, Entprerpeneur Magazine, and myriad local radio and television stations across the U.S and Canada. During the O. J. Simpson trial, she was a regular guest expert on AP Network News, commenting on the subliminal body language messages sent by all the players in that trial, as well as which trial strategies would be most persuasive with jurors. Vicki received the “Women With Vision” award from the Women’s Bar Association of Illinois for her breakthrough research in primal persuasion factors, and successful application of those factors in business, law and politics. She’s been the driving force behind winning political campaigns and blockbuster personal branding campaigns for top CEOs. Her new book: Instant Appeal: The Eight Primal Factors that Guarantee Blockbuster Success, (AMACOM, New York) will be released November, 2008. Vicki also previously spent 11 years as a TV news anchor and radio talk show host. To learn more about business persuasion, visit Vicki’s website at: www.beapowerplayer.com.

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