7 Deadly sins of Networking ~ Or how not to Network Part 2

And on with part to of some of the networking sins I have seen.  Here are two more and tips on how to avoid making the same errors.

 An Own Goal
You don’t go to see a prospect without establishing the objective of the visit.  So never go networking without goals and objectives.  Just turning up and being part of it will only get you so far.  Here are a couple of tips that I hope will help you explode the results of your networking activity.

When going to one of your regular networking groups, make sure you have a 2 – 5 minute business conversation with everyone there.  This is the only way you are going to get to know the others in your group.  I can’t stress just how important this technique is.   It by these short but regular conversations that trust is developed between members that leads to business between people year after year.

Now you go to an open event or a network event for the first time do you talk to friends or strangers?  My goal is always to talk to at least 6 strangers at these events.  Networking is about making connections. And all you can call the people you know after the event and let them make connections with people they don’t know.

I’m all ears or not
Why do so many people networking believe the world wants to know everything there is to know about them?  You must have met them, Hi I’m Bob and I can do this and that for you or you may want the other 100 things we do?   Why don’t they pause and listen just for a moment?  Early on in my business career I was told God gave you two ears and one mouth, use them in that proportion. . 

Your ability to listen is the most important skills to have.  Why?  Because getting information from others will give you the edge.  You will know more about them and know how to follow up.    Listening is a skill and like all skills has to be practiced.  A friend of mine listens intently to everyone Angie speaks to.  So much so the other person has the impression, that they are the only person in the room. 

Most people don't listen because they are too busy working out what they want to say next. Angie says it’s so much easier to listen and you quickly establish what is important in the other persons’ life.  Again a little practice helps.

Part 3 will be published shortly

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About the Author
Paul M Johnstone is a Professional networker, and executive coach.  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/

P.S.  I’m reading a great book The DNA of success by Chris Norton, which is full of fascinating stories from leading figures from sport, politics, business, the military and the arts from some of the most influential business and thought leaders in the UK today.  So far I’m getting lots of real good information. Anyway please take a look and it would be nice if you fed that back to me. I hope you enjoy it.

7 Deadly sins of Networking ~ Or how not to Network

I would like to share with you some inside tips from the top Networkers in business.

A well known fact inside the Networking community is that companies and business owners who do not network miss out on a rich stream of new contacts and new business.  This additional business can make them more successful, profitable.  It can also help them understand their customers and marketplace better. 

They can test their sales and marketing messages on real people and get an insight in to its effectiveness.

Then there are the business networkers and the mistakes they make that hinder the growth of new business.  Everyone makes mistakes, its how we learn from them that count. What follows is the Seven Deadly Sins of networking.  You probably know this stuff already, but it’s always good to recap now and again.

Don’t Judge a Book by looking at the cover.
We all do this from time to time, and we know we shouldn’t.  When you prejudge someone; you do it mainly out of prejudice or misplaced ideas.  But you have absolutely no idea who they know.   I have had some of my best introductions from people who at first glance I though would be no good for my business.  Now we are back to the book cover again.  Give people time and your attention and let your business relationship grow.  And you will all know the saying “All that glitters is not gold”, so don't jump to conclusions.

Your Mother told you not to
Remember the instructions from your mum when you were growing up?  I’m here to tell you to go against what she said.  You know one of the biggest sins in networking is not using the F word ~ Follow up!  You spend time getting the contacts, business cards and introductions but fail to follow up.  How dumb is that?

The best networkers know that the follow up is more important than the initial introduction.  Once they have done that they also know the power of keeping in regular contact.  You meet at business networking as equals, they do not want to be sold to, think about that for a moment. They do not want to be sold to! After all when was the last time you went to a network meeting with a shopping list?

Your objective at this stage is to find out about them and build rapport with the view to becoming an advocate of their business. Business like spot and Trades are about skill.  The top performers develop skill and success through persistence and a focus on continuous improvement.   It may help you to think of networking as a marketing tool, a promotional activity, not just an breakfast that you go to regularly.   So do the thing your Mother told you not to do Use the F~Word. Follow Up.

You will find in part 2 more tips and it will be published shortly

Please comment on this or any of my earlier Blogs. All feedback is great feedback.
To keep in touch with Networking techniques just click the ‘Join this site’ button.

About the Author

Paul M Johnstone is a Professional networker, and executive coach.  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/

P.S.  I’m reading a great book The DNA of success by Chris Norton, which is full of fascinating stories from leading figures from sport, politics, business, the military and the arts from some of the most influential business and thought leaders in the UK today.  So far I’m getting lots of real good information. Anyway please take a look and it would be nice if you fed that back to me. I hope you enjoy it.

Are you sure, are you really sure? Paul M Johnstone

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:

1. Understanding a person's character.
2. Understanding how competent a person is.
3. Being a user of the person's product or service
4. 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

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

60 second presentations - Old Humour Is Good Humour - Paul M Johnstone

Humour is only old if your audience has heard it before and if they remember it.  

Most people don't remember the exact details of jokes, one-liners, and stories. This is not contradictory to the fact that one of the uses of humour is to make your points more memorable.  How often have you thought when hearing a story, I know this but what is the punch line?

One of the reasons people don't remember jokes and other bits and pieces of humour, it is often heard out of context. The humour was not used in conjunction with a point being presented.  This is the way you should use it in any presentation. When humour is used just for entertainment value, it is often enjoyed and quickly forgotten.

When you use humour, old or new, you will be tying it to your point which makes it acceptable to your audience.  Also, even if some audience members recognize the humour, they probably don't remember the punch line. If you tell it well, even these people will enjoy hearing it again and you have a much higher chance of making them smile, even laugh out loud.

A great technique to tell a very old joke or story is to tell the audience it is old. This is the time when you should tell the audience you have a joke or story coming. Old jokes and routines work time and time again, if you tell them well. If you don't tell them that you know it is old, they may think you are out of touch. If you tell them you are going to tell an old story, you are telling them you know it's old, but it makes the point so well that you think it is worth telling again.  

When you use humour in your 60 seconds set it up correctly and you will have a winner every time.  Even with old stuff.   Here is one of my all time old stories. “An Englishman, Irishman and a Scotsman walk into a bar. The barman says Is this some kind of a joke?” They do get better…..

If you’d like to improve your public speaking and presentation skills – get in touch! Feel free to comment if this tip has helped you, share your own ideas or ask a public speaking question Paul will try to help!

About the Author

Paul M Johnstone is a Professional networker, he 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/ 

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

Social Networking Ok its different Paul M Johnstone

Social Media is becoming more and more an acceptable face of networking.  Like all networking it has it’s us as well as it’s downs. But you can’t ignore it.  It it’s LinkedIn or Facebook or Twitter.  All have a place in the networking marketing mix.
There are lots of people on both sides of this argument.  Many have had considerable success using the power of social media.  But many people have spent lots of time fumbling in the dark, getting nowhere. 

Social media is like any other form of marketing, it takes time or money or both to complete.  It’s not free there is a cost, but for most small business people that will be in time.  OK small business people and time are not usually words used in the same sentence but here it’s worth looking a little closer.

Lots of people look at social media and ask the same question “What’s the big deal and what do people spend their time on social media?”

The numbers involved in social media alone are staggering which is a start as well as hooking up with lost school mates and ex colleagues what else is there?   It’s called sharing. 
When you go to visit a client or prospect or even talk to them on the phone, there is a degree of social interaction before you get down to business.  It’s natural – How’s the children - What was your holiday like – Where are you having your birthday party – How’s your golf handicap and so on.  We all do and social media allows you to have those conversations with potential business people where ever you are.

There is a great piece I read recently which shows how several companies have made it big and in some cases bigger with the help of social media.  Read it at http://ow.ly/53l7z 

Social media is not for everyone, but by simply interacting with others, contributing to discussions and sharing some f your tips and experience does not have to take up much time.  But it will raise your profile, help create a Buzz about you or your business.  And That’s no bad thing

Next Time Training and social Media

About the Author

Paul M Johnstone is a Professional networker, he 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/ 

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

Colaborating is the way forward: Paul M Johnstone

More from the A to Z of networking this time we are into the letter C.  Hope you enjoy the journey. 

Collaboration:          

Similar in application to Synergistic partnerships and joint venture, collaboration

Collaboration is a recursive process where two or more people or organizations work together in an intersection of common goals.

For example, by sharing knowledge, learning and building consensus to achieve a common goal. Most collaboration requires leadership. 

Share resources and contacts with people who have a similar target audience as you.  It helps if some decisions are mad on the resources you need:

Agreements help maintain both parties focus and identify what resources will be required.

Communication:

A huge subject, and with over 70% of communication being visual, its worth spending time here.  In networking as in all other activities, like it or not image is important. 

We do not have enough time to detail everything in this section.  We will therefore just pick the network golden moments for you.

Your Voice:  Resonance in your voice gives you a rounded, richer sounding voice.  This creates depth, substance and weight to your delivery.  One of the great benefits of this is, when you are nervous speaking to a group, it stops you sounding shrill.

Your Handshake: This makes a great impression on who you meet. It contributes to the impression you make.  Not to firm and not too weak, firm but forgiving is what you are looking for in a handshake.

Posture: There is tremendous benefit from the Alexander Technique on posture. Place you feet directly under your shoulders.   In short be natural and a quick tip if you have poor posture or experience pain when you are on your feet for a long time, try the Alexander Technique, great for repairing poor posture.

 

Relax: When you are relaxed you breathing is deep and even, its how the body likes to do it.

About the Author

Paul M Johnstone is a Professional networker, he 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/ 

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

What can you tell from Body Language? Paul M Johnstone

Carrying on with the A to Z of networking, we are now at Body Image and Body Language , two topics many of us struggle with. 

Body Image:

Body image is a term which may refer to a person's perception of his or her own physical appearance, or the interpretation of the body by the brain. Essentially, body image describes how one perceives one's appearance to be to others, which in many cases may be dramatically different from one's objective physical condition or how one is actually perceived by others.  How you look at a networking event influences others in their view of you and the business you run.

Body Language

Part of your non verbal communications; Well that’s a bland statement of fact!

Body language is a book in itself. There are however some simple pointers to improving and using body language beneficially while networking.

Body language is a form of non-verbal communication: Consisting of body pose, gestures, and eye movements. Humans send and interpret such signals unconsciously.
It is often said that human communication consists of 93% body language and paralinguistic cues, while only 7% of communication consists of words themselves - however, Albert Mehrabian, the researcher whose 1960s work is the source of these statistics, has stated that this is a misunderstanding of the findings   Others assert that "Research has suggested that between 60 and 70 percent of all meaning is derived from nonverbal behavior."  Next time you are at a networking event check other and see if you can work out what they are thinking.

Body language may provide cues as to the attitude or state of mind of a person. For example, it may indicate aggression, attentiveness, boredom, relaxed state, pleasure, amusement, besides may other cues.

The technique of 'reading' people is used frequently. For example, the idea of mirroring body language to put people at ease is commonly used in interviews. Mirroring the body language of someone else indicates that they are understood.
Body language signals may have a goal other than communication. Both people would keep this in mind. Observers limit the weight they place on non-verbal cues. Signalers clarify their signals to indicate the biological origin of their actions.

Physical expressions like waving, pointing, touching and slouching are all forms of nonverbal communication. The study of body movement and expression is known as kinesics. Humans move their bodies when communicating because, as research has shown, it helps "ease the mental effort when communication is difficult."

Physical expressions reveal many things about the person using them. For example, gestures can emphasize a point or relay a message, posture can reveal boredom or great interest, and touch can convey encouragement or caution. 

One of the most basic and powerful body-language signals is when a person crosses their arms across the chest. This can indicate that a person is putting up an unconscious barrier between themselves and others. It can also indicate that the person's arms are cold which would be clarified by rubbing the arms or huddling. 

When the overall situation is amicable, it can mean that a person is thinking deeply about what is being discussed. But in a serious or confrontational situation, it can mean that a person is expressing opposition. This is especially so if the person is leaning away from the speaker. A harsh or blank facial expression often indicates outright hostility.

Consistent eye contact can indicate that a person is thinking positively of what the speaker is saying.  It can also mean that the other person doesn't trust the speaker enough to "take his eyes off" the speaker. Lack of eye contact can indicate negativity.

On the other hand, individuals with anxiety disorders are often unable to make eye contact without discomfort. Eye contact is often a secondary and misleading gesture because we are taught from an early age to make eye contact when speaking. If a person is looking at you but is making the arms-across-chest signal, the eye contact could be indicative that something is bothering the person, and that he wants to talk about it. 

Or if while making direct eye contact a person is fiddling with something, even while directly looking at you, it could indicate the attention is elsewhere. Also there are three standard areas that a person will look which represent different states of being. If the person looks from one eye to the other then to the forehead it is a sign that they are taking an authoritative position. 

If they move from one eye to the other then to the nose, that signals that they are engaging in what they consider to be a "level conversation" with neither party holding superiority. The last case is from one eye to the other and then down to the lips. This is a strong indication of romantic feelings.

Disbelief is often indicated by averted gaze, or by touching the ear or scratching the chin. When a person is not being convinced by what someone is saying, the attention invariably wanders, and the eyes will stare away for an extended period. 

Boredom is indicated by the head tilting to one side, or by the eyes looking straight at the speaker but becoming slightly unfocused. A head tilt may also indicate a sore neck or Amblyopia, and unfocused eyes may indicate ocular problems in the listener.

Interest can be indicated through posture or extended eye contact. Such as standing and listening properly.

Deceit or the act of withholding information can sometimes be indicated by touching the face during conversation. Excessive blinking is a well-known indicator of someone who is lying. Recently, evidence has surfaced that the absence of blinking can also represent lying as a more reliable factor than excessive blinking. 

It should be noted that some people use and understand body language differently, or not at all. Interpreting their gestures and facial expressions (or lack thereof) in the context of normal body language usually leads to misunderstandings and misinterpretations (especially if body language is given priority over spoken language). It should also be stated that people from different cultures can interpret body language in different ways.

Here are some examples for your next network meeting:

·         Hands on knees: indicates readiness.

·         Hands on hips: indicates impatience.

·         Lock your hands behind your back: indicates self-control.

·         Locked hands behind head: states confidence.

·         Sitting with a leg over the arm of the chair: suggests indifference.

·         Legs and feet pointed in a particular direction: the direction where more interest is felt

·         Crossed arms: indicates submissiveness.

Check back for more A - Z of Networking

Helping Real People do Real Business Through Real Networking

©Paul Johnstone

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2 Great Networking applications Appearance and Attitude - Paul M Johnstone

Appearance:

Appearance can be the way you dress and look as well as an appearance at an event.  Along with posture it provides non verbal information about you and your business. 

YOU cannot be too smart for an event.  Note I said smart not fashionable.  

Most networking events expect you to be smartly dressed, some say dress as you would for your business and if that is a trade have a clean polo or branded top for the meeting.

It’s best to be a smart as you can, no matter what your job function.  I have seen Tillers with a clean branded top and clean pressed work trousers look 10 times smarter than an accountant with a joke tie and evidence of a previous meal on his suit.

Make an effort.  You never know who will turn up, and just because you don’t dress up for work of have the take me as you find me attitude does not mean you are not making an impression.  

Go back to the accountant for a second.  He would have to offer me some pretty smart advice and prove himself to have integrity before I would see past the stain on the suit. 

When I was growing up, my farther always made me polish my shoes.  Why?  His rational was that people who take care in their appearance including having shiny shoes, take care of a lot more and therefore are worth talking to.  

Back to the tiller:  He had it down to a fine art and would have a suitor in his van so he had clean clothes to change into.  This he found especially useful when going on to a prospect to talk about work.   Here was a tradesman who looked well presented. He got more work than a lot of his competition.

Unlike some sports and celebrities you don’t get Appearance Money for attending a Networking event, unless you are the star attraction.  Appearance should be seen in the same light as Always and Regular. 

There are some organisations, where people travel thousands of miles to attend their local networking meeting.  More of those in the lest of networking opportunities

Attitude:

Always be positive and have an open caring attitude towards you fellow networkers.  If you come across as someone who is only in it for what you can get.  Others will see through that and you will fail in your networking activities. 

A willingness to help others is a vital cog in your networking activity.  It will open doors for you and get you into places you did not believe possible.  But it all starts with the right approach.

Check back for more A - Z of Networking

Helping Real People do Real Business Through Real Networking

©Paul Johnstone

Please feel free to comment on this or any of my earlier Blogs. All feedback is great

Three more A’s in the A to Z of Networking - Paul M Johnstone

Today I would like to share with you three often overlooked networking techniques.

Allocation Your Time:

Crucial to networking success:

There are lots of helpful tips on how best to allocate your time.  And like all tips some can be taken with a pinch of salt.  However the best tip I can give you here is BE EARLY:

Also when you are networking have a meaningful conversation (between 5 – 7 minutes) with as many people as you can. 

Plan your 60 seconds, write it and rehearse it Out Loud, so you get a feel for the pace and impact of your words.

Alumni Groups:

Usually meaning University groups, the Cambridge dictionary defines it as: someone who has left a school, college or university after finishing their studies there.

If you have a university alumni group, they are great places to work on open networking techniques.  Just practice

Always:

There is no doubt that EVERY business should network, so Always do it.  You will see from the Seven Keys to Profitable Networking (when we get to S) that regular attendance is a must for successful networking.  In fact once you start to allocate time to attend more networking meetings you will quickly become well known.  Once your name is out there you can adjust some of your marketing messages to capitalise on that fact.

Check back for more A - Z of Networking

Helping Real People do Real Business Through Real Networking

©Paul Johnstone

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The A- Z of Networking by Paul M Johnstone

You’ve probably head lots of urban myths about Networking, even to the extent some people believe B2B Networking to be part of Network Marketing.

There is so much waffle talked about Networking- You must do this and You must not do that.  All of which generally gets in the way of people making business connection that develop into business.

To help you, here is the start of a series of the A - Z of networking.  Not a tomb or a novel, a series of shorts that will, I hope help with your networking activity.  Please feel free to feed back to me on any of these tips, techniques and defenitions.

first up here is the A- B - C part.

A. B. C of Networking

A.     Aspire to reach your full networking potential

B.     Believe in your self and your offerings

C.     Create good offerings to fellow networkers

D.    Deliver what you promise

E.     Enthuse others

F.      Forgive others, we all make mistakes so help them

G.    Give before you receive

H.    Help support and encourage other to succeed

I.      Integrity is vital to your success.

J.      Join In; help your group by contributing.

K.     Kindness and manners will repay you in spades.

L.      Local networking = local business miles

M.    Mentor new members to success

N.    Nurture others so they reach their potential

O.    Organise your networking activities

P.     Planning is essential to your success

Q.    Quality in everything.

R.     Respect others in the group

S.     Sixty Seconds hold the key to success

T.     Think before you act

U.    Understand you networking goals

V.     Volunteering will help your club

W.  Work the Room

X.     Excuses are never the best way ahead

Y.     You should strive to improve

Z.     Zest for life and networking

Helping Real People do Real Business Through Real Networking

©Paul Johnstone

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The early bird catches the worm, But Don't leave early! Paul Johnstone

The early bird and all that!!!!

You know that’s true but for some of you not easy to achieve. You may have child care issues, busy lives to organise or, you may just be one of those people who can't seen to arrive on time. The age old saying about the early bird used to drive me nuts when I was a child. To me getting there on time was no big deal.  

That all changed on the day when I went to play for the under 15's town team, in a cup semi final.  I strolled into the changing room with 20 mins to go to the kick off only to find no one there and no spare shirts!  I found out because I was late (20 mins) I had been dropped for that game.  The real killer was we won and my replacement had a blinder.  You can guess who played in the final ~ not me.

Networking is no different, when you arrive early you have an opportunity to have a business c conversation with al the other members.  This is just one way you build trust between members.  And you know trust leads to business.

Be careful not to leave too early

Now at the end of  a really good networking meeting you will often see people still engrossed in conversations. Many of them will have their diaries to hand arranging meetings. It is this follow up activity in between networking meetings that really make the difference. If you are always rushing off right on time you might be missing out.

Next time you put a networking meeting in your diary try and leave some space beyond the formal end so you don't have to rush off.

Helping Real People do Real Business Through Real Networking

©Paul Johnstone

Please feel free to comment on this or any of my earlier Blogs. All feedback is great

The 10 Commandments of Networking - Paul Johnstone

Saw this on an American Chamber of Commerce e web site and thought this bit would be a good Blog

The 10 Commandments of Networking:

1) Thou shalt drop the “what is in it for me?” attitude.

2) Thou shalt listen.

3) Thou shalt build a relationship.

4) Thou shalt give the first referral.

5) Thou shalt not tell others of the referral you require; thou shalt “show them” with a story.

6) Thou shalt be specific of the type of referral.

7) Thou shalt reciprocate when appropriate.

8) Thou shalt participate in the network executive, functions, and network time.

9) Thou shalt thank the person who gave a referral.

10) Thou shalt follow up on the referral within 24 hours.

So now you have your own guiding principles when you next go networking..... Enjoy 

Helping Real People do Real Business Through Real Networking

©Paul Johnstone

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10 Open Ended Networking Questions

How to listen to other networkers - using of open questions

Plenty of research has been on why and how open questions work over the years. It has revealed that when talking with a fellow networker or prospect, it is important that you don’t lead or persuade them to answer these questions in a particular way. It’s more important to have them give you a genuine, honest answer hat can involve them in the process.

Many questioning tips include steering clear of yes or no questions by asking open ended question. Open ended question usually start with the words how, what, which, when, or where.  Some of you may be familiar with Kipling 6 serving men, which was how I learned them.  "I keep six honest serving men and true; they taught me all I knew; their names are why and what; and when, and where and how and who." Oh yes, and: "How much?"

Here are ten great open ended questions to help you open up a fellow networker or land a sale:

1.       “What has brought you here today?”

2.       “Tell me why are you looking for this product or service?”

3.       “Where do you currently get this product or service?”

4.       “What do you currently like or dislike about this product or service?”

5.       “What challenges have you faced in the past?”

Building rapport is another networking tip. If the potential customer feels they have a relationship with the sales person, they will be more likely to complete a sale. To help build rapport use the following open ended questions:

6.       “How would you like this product or service to benefit you?”

7.       “What is it about this product or service is important to you?”

8.       “When would you ideally like to start this?”

9.       “What concerns do you have?”

The last open ended question is a great networking tip for a situation when the sales person doesn’t get enough information to make a good recommendation in order to complete the sale.

10.     “How’s that?” or “Why is that?” and “Where do you get that?”

By using open ended questions, a good networker can make an appropriate recommendation and provide a product or service based on the customer specific needs. Introduce them to a noted supplier you network with.  These techniques make the other person feel wanted, but only if you listen to the answers.  This will lead to better qualified and a greater number of referrals for you and your colleagues.

Hope that helps

Helping Real People do Real Business Through Real Networking

©Paul Johnstone

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