7 “Bees” for Successful Networking
7 “Bees” for Successful Networking
Would you believe that you are probably about seven contacts away from Bill Gates?
Picture this: you pay several thousands per a single ad in a national newspaper or a magazine. Sometimes all what you get are a few phone calls asking about any job vacancies in your company. By contrast, networking does not necessarily have to cost you money. More likely, it will make use of your time, creativity and energy.
So how can you maximise the effectiveness of your referral strategy so that you win more business? There are actually seven “bees” to help you:
1. Be curious. You enter a room full of “men and women in black”, drinking coffee. You approach them, not because you want to tell them about your excellent business but purely because you are truly interested in THEM and in what THEY do.
2. Be open. If you ask, and then expect an honest and open reply, offer the same when they ask you – do not hide anything, be approachable and happy to share your knowledge.
3. Be helpful. When you learn about what they do, find a link between you and them, and if they mention any issue they are facing, do everything in your power to help them. If they are looking for a solicitor and you know one, tell them immediately. If they need some marketing advice and you are in marketing, offer them a free consultation.
4. Be tolerant. Sometimes they are not in the mood. Sometimes, they are simply tired or a little bit shy. Do not condemn them ; instead, find out what is going on and try to help them.
5. Be reliable. When you offer help, even just a follow-on phone call or an email, make sure that you really do it. Keep your word, whatever happens. People then will rely on you and they will be able to refer their friends and partners to you.
6. Be specific. If asking for referrals directly, be specific. Nothing like “do you know anybody…?” works. You need to ask for a company, ask for a person in the company, ask for a name.
7. Be yourself. With affectation you get nowhere. You want to be coherent so that people will feel well when talking to you. Your gestures, your words and your ideas must be one. So find out who you really are, what you do, how you help people and speak about your true yourself.
Ever heard of the BNI? Givers Gain.
When speaking about referrals and networking, we cannot miss Business Networking International (BNI). What hides behind this name is nothing less than the most successful organisation that discovered the secret to successful referral strategy: “Givers Gain”.
This it the “good news” of networking – you do not have to be pushy, you do not have to sell yourself, you do not have to be hated. The exact opposite is true - when you help people, either by giving them “hot” referrals or by delivering good quality service to their friends or to themselves, people will love you and they will find ways to give back what they got from you. The key to success here is: you give first.
How marketing companies respond
When you go to a marketing consultant, they create the whole marketing strategy for you. But do they actually look at your referral strategy and do you know exactly how to build your network so that you get more business at the end of the day?
Start Today
How can you master all techniques of successful networking? Well, you cannot wait till you become an expert. At networking, you actually become an expert purely “by doing” – and, quite often, by making mistakes and correcting errors, you polish your skills so that as time passes, you build your network and become a respected networker. Fingers crossed!
7 Bees for Successful Networking - To learn more about this author, visit Peter Lawless's Website.
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Relationships Reap Results
Would you believe that you are probably about seven contacts away from Bill Gates?
Picture this: you pay several thousands per a single ad in a national newspaper or a magazine. Sometimes all what you get are a few phone calls asking about any job vacancies in your company. By contrast, networking does not necessarily have to cost you money. More likely, it will make use of your time, creativity and energy.
So how can you maximise the effectiveness of your referral strategy so that you win more business? There are actually seven “bees” to help you:
1. Be curious. You enter a room full of “men and women in black”, drinking coffee. You approach them, not because you want to tell them about your excellent business but purely because you are truly interested in THEM and in what THEY do.
2. Be open. If you ask, and then expect an honest and open reply, offer the same when they ask you – do not hide anything, be approachable and happy to share your knowledge.
3. Be helpful. When you learn about what they do, find a link between you and them, and if they mention any issue they are facing, do everything in your power to help them. If they are looking for a solicitor and you know one, tell them immediately. If they need some marketing advice and you are in marketing, offer them a free consultation.
4. Be tolerant. Sometimes they are not in the mood. Sometimes, they are simply tired or a little bit shy. Do not condemn them ; instead, find out what is going on and try to help them.
5. Be reliable. When you offer help, even just a follow-on phone call or an email, make sure that you really do it. Keep your word, whatever happens. People then will rely on you and they will be able to refer their friends and partners to you.
6. Be specific. If asking for referrals directly, be specific. Nothing like “do you know anybody…?” works. You need to ask for a company, ask for a person in the company, ask for a name.
7. Be yourself. With affectation you get nowhere. You want to be coherent so that people will feel well when talking to you. Your gestures, your words and your ideas must be one. So find out who you really are, what you do, how you help people and speak about your true yourself.
Ever heard of the BNI? Givers Gain.
When speaking about referrals and networking, we cannot miss Business Networking International (BNI). What hides behind this name is nothing less than the most successful organisation that discovered the secret to successful referral strategy: “Givers Gain”.
This it the “good news” of networking – you do not have to be pushy, you do not have to sell yourself, you do not have to be hated. The exact opposite is true - when you help people, either by giving them “hot” referrals or by delivering good quality service to their friends or to themselves, people will love you and they will find ways to give back what they got from you. The key to success here is: you give first.
How marketing companies respond
When you go to a marketing consultant, they create the whole marketing strategy for you. But do they actually look at your referral strategy and do you know exactly how to build your network so that you get more business at the end of the day?
Start Today
How can you master all techniques of successful networking? Well, you cannot wait till you become an expert. At networking, you actually become an expert purely “by doing” – and, quite often, by making mistakes and correcting errors, you polish your skills so that as time passes, you build your network and become a respected networker. Fingers crossed!
7 Bees for Successful Networking - To learn more about this author, visit Peter Lawless's Website.
Like this article? Share it with your friends
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Anne BarrAnne Barr has over 26 years experience in sales and marketing, six years as a franchisee. She has assisted over 367 business owners and purchasers to achieve their goals in career change, transition and exit strategy. She holds the designation of Certified Franchise Executive from the International Franchise Association, Certified Business Intermediary from the International Business Brokers Association and Board Certified Broker from the Texas Association of Business Brokers. Anne is active in professional organizations, networking groups and volunteers for non-profit entities. As owner/operator of four successful businesses, Anne has proven people skills and enjoys helping clients find the right "fit" in business ownership. Visit www.FranchiseOpportunitySpecialist.com for more information about me and my company. - Visit Anne Barr's Website |
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Kim CastleWith nearly two decades in the advertising and design business, with clients like Domino's Pizza, General Motors, Direct TV, Pedigree, Wolfgang Puck, Higher Octave Music, Hollywood Celebrity Products, Disney, and Paramount, as well as thousands of entrepreneurs around the world define, structure, communicate, and position their business for greater profits, BrandU(R) co-creators Kim Castle and W. Vito Montone discovered that entrepreneurs could experience the same power that big brands command for a fraction of the cost with the world's only process-based results-drive Integral approach to business creation. BrandU(R) is helping entrepreneurs grow with the power of extreme clarity from idea...to brand...to market(TM) and helping one million entrepreneurs become successful and whole so that they can make a difference in the world. Are you one of them? If you want to experience clarity all the way to the bank(TM), get started now at http://www.brandu.com. - Visit Kim Castle's Website |
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Stephanie RobeyStephanie Robey is President and CoFounder of Pivot Positive, LLC - an Internet marketing business focused on helping people start work at home ventures. Previously, she was employed at The Search Agency with over 20 years experience in graphic design and 10 years experience in online marketing. She was responsible for launching the Conversion Path Optimization (CPO) unit where she and her team have conducted hundreds of optimization tests for online companies across multiple verticals. She is a successful entrepreneur having started and sold 2 companies and remains on the board of directors of the third, PhotoSpin.com Stephanie began her career in the direct marketing realm creating and producing direct mail for many of the major cable television companies and directly attributes her understanding of Internet marketing to those early offline experiences. Stephanie is a graduate of San Diego State University with a BFA in Graphic Arts and also holds an Executive MBA from the Graziadio School of Business and Management at Pepperdine University. Read Steph's Blog Meet Steph and Dave Sign up for our Free 7-Day BootCamp: Self Employed & Rich - Visit Stephanie Robey's Website |
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