Networking can become a full time activity, but is the amount of time you spend ‘doing’ it proportionate to the amount that you actually benefit and benefits can come in different guises as we know.

1. Don’t be afraid to introduce yourself to a group.

2. Have something interesting to say or ask an interesting question to the person you are networking with.

3. Be Genuine in your interest.

4. Be friendly and try to bring others into your group

5. Be a facilitator and watch your credibility in the group soar.

6. Sell yourself first before you sell your company.

7. People will be interested in what your company does after they have developed an interest in you.

8. Be passionate about what you do and don’t be afraid to tell people why they should consider doing business with you.

9. Confidence is contagious and your new contacts will appreciate your zest for what you do.

10. Offer Solutions.

11. Really listen to others – it can be easy to miss important signals.

12. You have 2 ears and only one mouth, consider using them in that proportion!

13. Use the back of business cards to make notes and indicate actions – this is so important.

14. You should make sure you find the contacts that you know are there that you really want to see, don’t lose your focus.

15. Mix and Mingle – work the room and have a few ‘moving on’ statements prepared – remember you are here to ‘work the room’ not just socialise!

16. Don’t rush away at the end of the session, scan the room and pick up on those that you haven’t had chance to talk to yet – they may want to talk to you!

Posted by Andrew Crozier – Insight Photography – www.insightphotographers.co.uk

When entrepreneurs try to develop a qualified, consistent and dynamic circle of networking partners who are going to provide them with referrals for new business, their tendency is often to “sell” those individuals on their product. It’s as if by showing them all the finer points of what’s available, convincing them to try their product and closing the sale with their networking partners, they’ll somehow realize an influx of referrals.

It’s not disagreed that in order for the members of our network group to refer you effectively we must be familiar with what you have to offer; however, it’s important to resist the urge to sell to group members. What is meant by this?

Educating this chapter’s group members about the type of referrals you want–specifically, the names of the individuals with whom you want to meet and develop relationships with – is much more important to the success of your networking in a closed contact network than selling to other members. This demands a shift in how we see our networking partners. We are not the clients; we are, in effect the sales force. And for a sales force to sell effectively, we have to know who to sell you to and how to sell you.

Here are four tips for incorporating this educational style into our networking meetings:

1. Teach members what your “dream referral” looks like.

If you could go to your next networking meeting with a walking, talking dream referral in tow, what would he or she be like? Describe this person in detail to your networking partners. The more details you can provide, the greater the chance that your partners will recognize that person when they come across him or her outside the meeting.

1. Share customer profiles and case studies of current customers.

This is a highly effective way to educate the network about what it is you’re looking for in a new client. By sharing the qualities of your current clientele, you’re illuminating the canvas for the rest of the group so they can see the picture you’re painting for them. When appropriate, consider bringing in a customer or client as a visitor and talk about how you’ve helped him or her. These kinds of interactions go a long way toward educating the group as to the type of person you wish to have referred to you.

1. Break your business down into its lowest common denominators.

It’s very tempting to start your personal introduction with a statement like: “We’re a full-service XYZ Widget Company” - Resist this urge! We have 52 opportunities over the course of a year to talk about our products and services, don’t waste the opportunity to highlight one aspect of your business by by flinging a bucket full of jelly at the wall and hoping a bit of it sticks Be detailed! Educate usweek by week about the specific things you provide. Bring support material and do demonstrations, when possible.

1. Ask specifically for the referral you want.

Networkers often say things like “Anyone who needs a. . .” or “Everyone who’s looking for a. . .” Usually, when people hear “anyone” or “everyone,” they tune out, because we know so many anyones and everyones that we end up referring no one. When you’re asking for a specific type of business referral, your request from your networking partners should be specific.

By keeping the focus on educating the group about what type of referrals you wish to receive, you’ll find that the referrals you begin to get will be of a higher caliber and offer more chances of becoming closed sales than if you try to sell the members on what you’re offering. We should be trying to educate a sales force instead of trying to close a sale and that will certainly lead to more gains based on this giving of education.

Incorporating some of the following phrases into your 60 second presentation with your own unique spin can help us really understand the nature of your business and hopefully stimulate referrals.

• The kind of referral that works best for me is….

• The kind of referral that does not work for me is…..

• I do my best work with….

• I’m most interested in working with the type of clients who……

• The three major benefits of what I do are….

• What I do best is…

• Clients I work with include…..

• The people I work best with are…..

• The companies I work best with are……

• I decided to do what I do because….

• What makes me different as a …………….is……………

• My special qualifications include……………..

We have used the pointers above really successfully and you may want to try using some of these questions when you are having your one to ones to zero in on specific information about your networking colleagues to help bring in quality referrals.

I suppose I’m going to jump right into this article as I am with this year and business. A few questions to ponder- are you Twittering? What is the latest post on your blog? Any new status updates on your Facebook page? How about ChaCha? Now Youtube everyone knows right? Hopefully you have an answer to at least one of these questions. If not it is most certainly worth the time and effort to find and have the answers to these questions. Serveys show that the highest number of people on the Internet it between the hours of 9 am and 5pm.

OK Let’s start with Twitter. Twitter defined by Twitter is- “a service for friends, family, and co–workers to communicate and stay connected through the exchange of quick, frequent answers to one simple question: What are you doing?”

Now on to Facebook, what exactly is Facebook anyway?
“Facebook gives people the power to share and makes the world more open and connected. Millions of people use Facebook everyday to keep up with friends, upload an unlimited number of photos, share links and videos, and learn more about the people they meet.”, as defined by Facebook themselves. Open a free account at www.facebook.com

What the heck is ChaCha besides a dance? That’s what I said when I first heard someone talking about it. ChaCha is “conversational, fun, and easy to use. Simply ask your question like you are talking to a smart friend and ChaCha’s advanced technology instantly routes it to the most knowledgeable person on that topic in our Guide community. Your answer is then returned to your phone as a text message within a few minutes. ChaCha is much more helpful to mobile phone users than typical computer-driven search engines.” This is a great tools for people on the go. Go ahead and try it can you find yourself or your company through ChaCha? www.chacha.com

What I have been talking about are technology driven marketing tools. Nope they are not just for kids and their silly videos or just talking with friends. But are they? The technology that our youth today embraces we can also embrace as marketing tools for connecting with friends, family, clients, art directors, newspapers, magazines. You name it the possibilities are endless! As people choose to stay around the their homes more in the coming year due to the ecomonic climate- remember they still have their computers and communication devices that they are always on in some way, shape or form. From the laptop to the iphone people are easier than ever to find. And you don’t need the typical promo card.

Article courtesy

www.TracyRasinskiPhotography.com

——————————————–
Mrs. Susan Squillionaire
Managing Director
Spiffing Widgets Limited
Acomb

Dear Susan,

Many thanks for speaking with me earlier. As discussed, my business group meet on Tuesday morning at The Village Hull.

I have provisionally reserved you a place on the 9th and 16st December and will call you later to discuss which date suits you best.

In the mean time I have circulated your details to the group to make them aware of who you are and what you do so that they may consider opportunities for you before your visit…

Kind regards