How sure are you that every person you give a referral to does the best job possible!
Business networking is often dependant on your ability to refer people and business to others; it's on of the cornerstones of face to face networking and its why people look for and find a networking club.
I just finished a survey of more than 1,000 businesspeople from the UK on the subject of networking.
One of the questions we asked was "Which of the following is most important to you when referring business to others?" The choices were:
- Understanding a person's character.
- Understanding how competent a person is.
- Being a user of the person's product or service
- Understanding a person's success.
Hardly a surprising result, "Understanding a person's character" was most peoples first choice in the survey. "Being a user of the person's product or service,” came third out of the four choices!
This is important to understand when building your network of referral sources; it shows that they are looking at more than just the quality of your products and services.
Often, we think that the best source of referrals must be our clients. And many times they are. But they are not our only source of referrals. In fact, based on this survey, personally using and experiencing another person's product or services was not as important as other factors.
To build your credibility with people who know you, whether they've used your business or not. It’s a fact that if people trust your character and feel you are competent, they are likely to refer you regardless of whether they've actually used your products or services.
This is an important paradigm shake. It means that many of your referrals may actually come from people other than your clients, once you learn how to network effectively.
Face to face networking is a great example of how this works. It is a suggestion that you use the services of the other business owners you meet out networking. This is not absolutely necessary. Ask for testimonials as this show what other people have experienced and how others have found the service. Make sure you have up to date testimonials to share, as well as on your web site.
Make it easy for people to get information on you and your company, every little helps
Often, we think that the best source of referrals must be our clients. And many times they are. But they are not our only source of referrals. In fact, based on this survey, personally using and experiencing another person's product or services was not as important as other factors.
To build your credibility with people who know you, whether they've used your business or not. It’s a fact that if people trust your character and feel you are competent, they are likely to refer you regardless of whether they've actually used your products or services.
This is an important paradigm shake. It means that many of your referrals may actually come from people other than your clients, once you learn how to network effectively.
Face to face networking is a great example of how this works. It is a suggestion that you use the services of the other business owners you meet out networking. This is not absolutely necessary. Ask for testimonials as this show what other people have experienced and how others have found the service. Make sure you have up to date testimonials to share, as well as on your web site.
Make it easy for people to get information on you and your company, every little helps
I'd love to hear your thoughts.
About the Author
Paul M Johnstone is a Professional networker, and executivecoach. He has build two businesses by using the power of the network and with almost no other marketing. He has worked for 3 of the largest networking organisations in the UK and is a network mentor. He can be reached at +44 (0)7711 324362or through his website at http://www.paradigmshakers.co.uk/ and http://www.pmjohnstone.co.uk/Please comment on this or any of my earlier Blogs. All feedback is great feedback
Helping Real People do Real Business Through Real Networking
©Paul Johnstone
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