Trust Based Business

Trust Based Business

In a 1:1 meeting recently the person said to me, "Almost all my business comes from client recommendation. I get these referrals because I have done a great job for them, but as a small company I don’t have enough clients to make my word of mouth business generate the income I need. So how do I generate more word of mouth referrals??"

A common enough question as it is a common issue. The answer has four stages. Networking as we know is about building trust based relationships so the first step is engaging with people.


How do I engage with a networker that will see me generate more business? That question is not unusual and the answer is all about how you engage and follow up after making contact.

The mantra of networking is Tell don’t Sell. It may be worth explaining that phrase as some out there look at networking as a market place a sales forum or a trading floor. It is non of those things. At a networking event, you are selling, yes selling to the contacts of the people in the room. This is best done by telling a story about your business, a story that is easy to remember. That way it will be easy to retell by a third party.

Follow Up: The number of people I meet at networking events who never follow up a meeting. You want success you follow up. A quick email or phone call is all that is required.

Form a relationship with people. Best done by frequent conversations at least 4 mins every time you meet at the networking event.

And make it easy for the people you have a relationship with to refer you and your products. This is sometimes referred to as advocate marketing.

Take these four simple steps and you will be a successful networker.

Paul

Helping Real People do Real Business Through Real Networking