Bad Habits in Business!

Blogging is habit forming, yes it is.  And as habits go it’s pretty safe and non intrusive. But news just in would suggest otherwise.  Wordpress that bastion of bloggers the world over has been accused of censorship.

Tod Fast writes in today’s Technorati about recent issue where he was not able to edit or update a piece he wrote on Lady Gaga. Lightweight, or a serious review of her music is surely just an opinion and as anyone he is entitled to his. Check out his piece http://bit.ly/hcaDdH in Technorati for the Goss!

This brings me to censorship of the Internet, OK not my usual fair.  Has anyone not heard of Wikileaks?  Now there are a plethora of look alike sites sprouting up all over the place  http://huff.to/fNCRsS sheds light on this fascinating issue.

Back to my habits – Blogging gets to you and it’s a great way of reaching people.  Lots of business people I meet say they just don’t have the time to blog.  The opposite view is the one I stand by “You don’t have the business not to blog”.  Just like networking is the most cost effective route to market there is. One of those things we all should be doing.

A while ago I was told by a marketing person, he spends 30% of his time working on his business.  Now that will include blogging, social media, email shots as well as more traditional marketing activity.  But 30% is a day and a half spent on his business. 

Well this obviously works as the company is one man and some outsourced support and it turns over in excess of 150K a year - He must be doing something right!  Iguess there are not many bad habits here.

So back to blogging:  It always surprises me when I check my short url statistics to see just how many people have followed them.  And once I got the technique so many people started visiting my site and interacting with me.So blogging is good for business, once you get the ball rolling.

However I’m not sure if I could spend a day and a half writing blogs and working social media, the Jury’s still out on that.

Helping Real People do Real Business Through Real Networking

©Paul Johnstone

Please Comment on this or any of my earlier Blogs

Where building relationships can lead

At Refer-On we recently surveyed our members to find out what our members got out of the Refer-On relationship. I was (pleasantly) surprised to find that over half our members were actively collaborating with other members.

This means they are using the extended network of advocates to generate more and more business. As the business community tightens it’s belts now the economy is slowing down the more we can leverage these introductions the easier it will be for us to ride out the storm.   

This is fundamental to successful networking. No if’s or but’s advocates out seeking out opportunities for like minded individuals.

One member put it this way. “"Well, think about it - if your members do spend time getting to know others in depth surely you shouldn't be surprise when a lot of them want to work together, share projects, jointly go to market - in other words, collaborate!"

 
Oh how simple it is when you think about it like that 

Helping Real People do Real Business Through Real Networking

©Paul Johnstone

Please Comment on this or any of my earlier Blogs 

Fun with ditloids

First of all what are ditloids?

Some of you may be familiar with them others in the dark. 

Ditloids are puzzles for quizzes, icebreakers, team building activities and can be great  fun.

They provide an easy source of materials for organizational development and team building exercises, team building games and quizzes of all sorts.

Ditloids work because the format is very quick and simple, and they combine aspects of maths, logic, lateral thinking and general knowledge.

Ditloids are very quick and easy to create, so you need never be at a loss for some light relief at any gathering. For example, as an exercise ask teams to create their own ditloids puzzles for the opposing teams - using terms from their own organizational context. Creating ditloids puzzles in workgroups enables all sorts of otherwise dry materials to be brought to life in an interesting way.

Ditloids are also fun in training coffee-breaks, or as ice-breakers, especially if created for a relevant or topical theme.
The ditloids below generally include connecting words like 'in' and 'to', which is not always the case in ditloid puzzles.

The origin of the word ditloid is apparently from a cryptic crossword clue which appeared several years ago in the UK Daily Express newspaper: 1 = DitLoID, whose answer was One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, which incidentally is a novel written by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn.

Many ditloids adhere to the structure of the original crossword clue, that is, a number followed by the equals sign (=) then the abbreviation. Others have a more flexible format, which enables a wider variety of information and facts to be used in their creation, like the ditloids below.

Here's an example of the format used in the ditloids puzzles below: 12 M I T Y - (Answer, 12 months in the year)

How many of the following ditloids can you answer?

Easy ones first...
Answers at the bottom of the post

Here are some easy-ditloids for the weekend

7 B F 7 B  
101 D
3 B M
T 10 C
366 D I A L Y
T 39 S
6 W O H T E
A B A T 40 T
T 7 W O T W
50 W T L Y L
N 10 D S
12 S O T Z
16 O I A P
T 3 W M
13 I A BD
26 L I T A
10 G B H O T W
4 L O A H
A T W I 80 D
2 W O A B
52 C I A D
2 P I A Q
Let me know if you enjoyed this

Oh Here are the answers

Seven Brides for Seven Brothers
 101 Dalmations
 3 Blind Mice
 The 10 Commandments
 366 days in a leap year
 The 39 Steps
 6 wives of Henry the Eighth
 Ali Baba And The 40 Thieves
 The 7 Wonders Of The World
 50 Ways To Leave Your Lover
 Number 10 Downing Street
 12 signs of the zodiac
 16 ounces in a pound
 the 3 wise men
 13 in a baker's dozen
 26 letters in the alphabet
 10 green bottles hanging on the wall
 4 legs on a horse
 Around The World In 80 Days
 2 wheels on a bike
 52 cards in a deck
 2 pints in a quart
 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea


Helping Real People do Real Business Through Real Networking

©Paul Johnstone

Please Comment on this or any of my earlier Blogs 

Something we don't know about you

 

Paul Johnstone ©

 
Does any of this sound familiar?

Have you ever been to a business networking event and left feeling that you didn't really get to know anyone?

The conversations at some business networking events can be dull even lifeless, especially if everyone just talks about their business.

Now one of the main reasons we go networking is to increase our sphere of influence.  This works because other members start to understand what it is that makes us special. 

There is more to business than business itself. 

A truism in business is this.  “People buy People” they don’t necessarily buy from people in the same group.  This is where your social skills come to play.

Ask others about their family, hobbies and so on.


We are all taught to ask questions and then respond.  The problem with this technique is that it is not conversation, it is interrogation.  “Who are you?”  “What do you do?”

A conversation in real live usually starts with a statement or an observation.  “You’ll never guess what happened to me today.”  Or “”What a fantastic time I’ve just had” 
 “What did you think about that great show on the TV last night” Ok that’s a question but it’s one that starts a conversation.

When you’re out networking, a good idea is to build up a pool of knowledge about others in your group.  If you like a bag of facts that will help you enjoy a conversation with them.  Once you have taken an interest in their interests, they will become interested in you.

Often this is when people come alive, smile and reveal their true nature. Especially when they share one of their passions with you..

That often is the spark for a conversation with someone and a real connection where you get to know and like each other. It's those connections that lead to follow up and a good business relationship based on trust where you become advocates. That's when networking really starts to work.

Helping Real People do Real Business Through Real Networking

Face to Face or On-Line, which networking type brings you the best reward?

Paul Johnstone ©

We are more or less involved in networking of one sort or another.  I was at a Refer-On presentation the other day and was challenged about the time allocation between Face to face networking and social media networking.

The thrust of the conversation was he had analysed his time in both areas against the rewards he had in return.  Not surprisingly he got the vast bulk of his networking business form his face to face activities.  What he had not been prepared for was just hoe little he could trace to social media!

Personally I prefer face to face networking.  The reason is simple if someone expresses interest in my products, I have body language and verbal clues to help me understand what the person wants.

Face to face networking also has one other great benefit and that is you work with people regularly.  This helps in developing a trust based relationship with them, and with that comes more business.

Not that you can’t do that on line, but be honest you do not know much about the other person apart from the image they have loaded on the site.   Now don’t get me wrong I’m not saying anything about the people who use social media to network, I use it.  And I have generated business online through social media.

The point is we buy from people we know, like and trust, whenever we can.  Just think about the brands you associate yourself with.  You buy them because you know and understand what they can do for you.    It’s so much easier, I believe to generate interest in your products or services in person.

These days I tend to use sites like Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter to generate interest in the product or offering. I find I ma spending less time

Now this is one person and s as such should not be seen as a trend.  However I would be interested to know from you what strategies you use?  Can I ask you to take a look at the following questions and post your answers.

• How you segment your time?
• What you describe as profitable networking?
• So where do you get most business form?
• And how do you review / asses your activity to rewards?

It will be good to understand what you do, and thanks for your time

Helping Real people do Real Business through Real Networking

Mixed Messages

Paul Johnstone ©


A lot of what determines success or failure is NOT the obvious stuff that you see and are concerned with.


Studies have shown that whether you're talking to someone their impression of you and what you say is based ONLY ABOUT only 7% are words, you use!! The other 93% is made up of 38% verbal, 55% visual in other words most of it is your body language. 

This combined with the sound and qualities of your voice. I'm sure it's easy for you to understand that if you sound uncertain, no one is going to follow you. To be successful, you must sound and look like you know exactly what you are doing.

Face to face networking should help you develop these skills. Also a great resource is the Association of Speakers clubs http://www.the-asc.org.uk who hold meeting all over the UK.  

As a networker the ability to address groups is one of the keys to your success.  We will all have seen people present who do not get their message across and as a result don’t get business.

Every 60 seconds needs a start a middle and an end, and these components need to be joined up.  A bright opening followed by an example of your skill with a nicely worded conclusion is what will make you stand out form the crowd.

Networking is not just social networking, nor is it just face to face networking.  

The great networkers have a presence in both camps.  Because they both support each other.   And the higher your profile off line as well as on-line will determine how successful your networking activity will be.

Those of you who have read my 10 steps to profitable networking will be aware that being regular when networking is one of the cornerstones to success.

At Refer-On through our meeting topics we show people how to get the most out of their networking.  It’s just part of what Refer-On does. 

You invest a lot of time, effort and money in your networking activity, and you deserve success.  This is great once you have trained yourself to be regular.  Turn up at every networking meeting you are supposed to, weekly, monthly or annually. Raise your profile on line by offering to help others first. 

Never start a social networking connection with a sales pitch, you will loose so many friends that way.  When you message people make it valuable to the reader and don’t dump on them a date, time and place of an event.

When networking face to face never start by selling your product or service, you must sell yourself first.  And if you are I in MLM never, never try to sign up distributors from your regular group.  This last one should be self evident but so many get it wrong.

Be positive when speaking to groups and help them where ever possible.  Which is where your ability to address a group, normally in your 60 seconds is worth it’s weight in gold. Show people you care and they will come with you. 

If all you do is use networking as a sales opporunity, it is probable people will turn away from you.  After all everyone has a choice who to buy from.  Most people buy from those they know, like and trust. 



Helping Real People do Real Business Through Real Networking

You Ever See A Pit-Bull Network?

Paul Johnstone ©
Pit-Bull Networking what’s it all about?
Most of us at some time have come across the Pit-Bull. They are in your face, they won’t leave you alone and all they can do is talk about their products. They are not natural networkers:

The Pit Bull is all business. He doesn't come to work to make friends, either with co-workers or with sales contacts. Instead, he churns through prospects until he maximizes his sales. It's all a numbers game to the Pit Bull. If he loses an account, so be it—there are more out there.

What lets the Pit-Bull down is their lack of customer service. It is usually what they have no idea about or they think customer services is showing up on time and pitching for all they are worth. This lack of customer service often leads to them losing repeat business!

There are Pit-Bulls that use a soft technique, but don’t be fooled its sell, sell, sell for them. And they don’t mind whose toes they tread on to make a sale. They will usually be successful but they will have enemies both in house and in the field.

How can you spot a Pit-Bull at a networking event? Well here are a few tips that may help spot the Pit-Bull.

Focus: Business, the bottom line.

When the Pit Bull thrives: Pit Bulls prosper when they're let off the leash. They appreciate having the freedom they need to do deals on the spot.

Here are some of the places you are more likely to find Pit-Bulls in full cry:
Property,
Car sales,
Telemarketing,
and stock brokering over the phone.

What the Pit Bull needs from you to succeed:
· Independence.
· Enough pricing fredom to close the deal as soon as possible.
· Customer service support, to mitigate the weak points.
· If appropriate, adjust compensation to account for the added costs.
· A simplified closing process, so he can move on to the next sale.

What motivates the Pit Bull: One word—money.

He wants to be appreciated for his drive,he thinks its all there is to selling.

So next time you go networking you know how to spot a Bit-Bull and take the appropriate action!

Paul

Helping Real people do Real Business through Real Networking

Help Me I’m Drowning

Paul Johnstone ©

It's one thing to ASK people to lend you their support on your great new project. But it's quite another to GET it.

Have you ever wondered why is it that some people get the help we need on a new venture? And others don't!

It’s just that some people know how to ask for help.

They understand that getting people to help you is a negotiation technique. It’s a technique that requires a blend of vision, skill and perseverance.

Problem is, most of us hail from the "Why don't we get together for lunch sometime?" school of negotiation. Our requests are usually limp, ineffective, poorly timed, and do not get us where we want to be.

The reasons often include we:

· feel undeserving of support
· are unwilling to support others
· inadequately communicate our ideas
· present our requests as either/or propositions
· never ask for commitment or closure
· don’t follow up on our requests

Is there a way out of this mess?

Yes there is. And the following guidelines will help to get others to help you

GET THEIR ATTENTION!
Don't assume that your potential "helpers" have been waiting all week for you to approach them. Chances are good that they are already up to their armpits in other projects. Start your conversation by asking them if they have a few minutes to talk. If they do, great. If they don't, at least you won't be stealing their time for no good reasons, apart from the coffee. Simply agree on another time to talk and take it from there.

SET THE CONTEXT
Let your potential supporters know what the ensuing conversation will be about before you go rushing into your impassioned requests. A simple sentence or two will do, something like, "Is now a good time to talk? I'd like to tell you about a fascinating new project I'm working on."

DESCRIBE YOUR PROJECT
Now that you've got their attention and created a context for your discussion, provide a few details about your venture to engage your listener more deeply, i.e. "I'm inventing a new way to mow the lawn.”

ASK IN OVERALL TERMS
By this time, your listener's interest should be yours. However, they will not necessarily understand what it has to do with them. This is your time to invite them into the project. Phrases like "It looks like I'm going to need some help to achieve this and I wonder if you'd be available to be part of the people I access from time to time?"

BE SPECIFIC - ASK THEM FOR WHAT YOU REALLY WANT.
If your ally hasn't put the shutters up and is still be interested. Help them buy showing them a simple way to be involved, i.e. "Great! I'd really appreciate it if the two of us could have lunch once a week and I can pick your brains.”

ARE YOU OPEN FOR NEGOTIATION?
Remember when negotiation you want a win – win situation. Lets be honest not everyone you approach will either want to or be able to help. That’s not a problem. Work with them on an alternative way they can help you. Offer alternatives, lie different days, times and places for them to input to your project.

OFFER YOUR SUPPORT
You are far more likely to create a network of support if you remember to offer your support to others. Beware of the tendency many aspiring innovators have of only asking for help, but never giving it. The Golden Rule applies: What goes around comes around. "Is there some way I might be of support on one of your projects?" you might ask.
AND NOW A QUESTION FOR YOU:
Who are you going to ask for help? And when are you going to ask them?
Helping Real People do Real Business Through Real Networking

Helping Real people do Real Business through Real Networking

A little winter networking

Paul Johnstone ©

I don’t like making excuses for things that have not happened but last weeks weather saw several events cancelled and those that took place were down on numbers.

However the good side of this inclement weather was the quality of meetings. Real valuable discussion with some tremendous outcomes took place and many people got the connection they needed.

Anyway to cheer you up follow this link for a little well, warmth check this out

Helping Real people do Real Business through Real Networking

Open Sesame or Knock and you the door will open

Paul Johnstone
At a recent Refer-On meeting I saw what I call the Key ring motive to getting advocates to work for you.

As a concept, most people understand the idea of Advocating for people.

If you are in a room of 20 people, simply ask everyone to take out their keys.

Take a look around and find who has the most keys on their key-ring.

Then take that key ring. You say to the roomful of people: "There are 20 people in this room. Would you agree that there are more keys than people?"

After everyone agrees, you pick up one key from the key ring you borrowed and ask, "Can anybody tell me what door this key can open?"

When most everyone shakes their head, you say, "The only person who can give me the right answer is hopefully the person I borrowed the keys from."

This simple tale demonstrates that advocating is really about opening doors for one another. Your job as an advocate is to tell us which doors you would like us to open for you; our job is to look at our keys and see if we have the right key to open that door.

It's All about Trust

You have the key, now find out if the person who gave it to you and trusted you with it. Turn to them and ask, "Can I take the keys with me?"

The person usually refuses. How do they know you are trustworthy? Trust is the key that unlocks the door.

This is the second stage of Advocacy:

Developing trust. In any relationship, someone may give up their home key or office key. But without that trust, we hold on tightly to the key, and miss out on an open door.

Helping Real People do Real Business through Real Networking

Follow up your promises and commitments

Paul Johnstone

There are two main reasons for the importance of following up:

1. Networking only produces good results when it is followed up.

2. Following up with contacts builds trust, reputation, and relationships.

Put negatively, to emphasise the points:

1. Networkers who meet people and never follow up are wasting their time.

2. Networkers who never follow up will eventually become known as time-wasters.

Follow up is a matter of relevance and commitment: If a contact or referral is not relevant, then say so, which avoids any expectation of follow up.

If there is relevance, follow it up, in whatever way is appropriate for the situation.

If you find that you are not wanting to follow up meetings and referrals because of lack of relevance then you can re-examine your group targeting strategy. You might be chasing the wrong groups and connections, and could need to redefine these issues.

Helping Real people do Real Business through Real Networking

Be a positive influence

© Paul Johnstone

To get the best out of your Networking a positive approach if helpful. Be positive when you network. If you are positive you are more likely to attract others and as a result get to speak to more people more often.

Use positive language.

Smile. See the good in people.

Be known as a really positive person. It rubs off on others and people will warm to you for being so. It is good practice if you Keep your emotional criticisms of others and personal hang-ups to yourself.

Speak ill of no-one.

Be passionate and enthusiastic, but not emotional or subjective. Avoid personalising situations and always remain objective.

Look for feedback and criticism about yourself and your ideas from others. It is the most valuable market research you can obtain - and it's totally free.

Be tolerant. Be patient. Be calm and serene - especially when others become agitated. Followers gather around people who remain positive and calm under pressure, and who resist the herding tendencies of weaker souls.

At many networking events and situations you will have the opportunity to give a presentation to the assembled group. This is a wonderful chance for you to demonstrate your expertise in your specialist area, your positive confident character, and also to pass on some useful information.

When presetting avoid the hard-sales pitch.

Networking is more about telling a storey and informing people. It’s best to inform and educate rather than to sell. In many networking situations a strong selling presentation is regarded as insulting by those present. This is especially so if you are a guest of a group that you would not normally meet regularly. You will sell yourself best by giving helpful information in a professional and entertaining credible manner.

Be confident, positive and enthusiastic, but do not let this develop into pressure on the audience, or a sense of your trying too hard.

Try to find and present within your specialism the most helpful information for the group concerned. Your aim at the end of the presentation is for the audience to have learnt something useful about your area as it applies to them, and to have been impressed with your professionalism and command of your subject.

Helping Real People do Real Business thorugh Real Networking

The Three Foot Rule

© Paul Johnstone
There are many sales manuals and Network Marketing Gurus who promote this. In many sales-oriented networking books and course, people are taught that networking is a selling tool and part of that lesson is what’s known as the Three Foot Rule: “Anyone within three feet of you is an opportunity to make a sale.”

Here we teach that networking is all about telling people how we can help. Never, Never sell at a networking event, you are not there to sell. It is at best short sighted. At worst very rude.

At a networking event the people there ARE NOT YOUR MARKET they are your route to market, and always remember that.

Some organizations are set up so you promote your product and service directly to other members or visitors. Now there is no doubt that some members will find your products or services useful to them. But many products promoted through networking are Network Marketing or MLM. That is all perfectly normal.

However many people involved in network marketing find it difficult not to pitch directly to anyone within 3 feet. The down side is it also creates a negative feeling to the whole concept of networking in the minds of others.

As a result, people begin to avoid any event or activity labeled “networking” because they neither wish to participate in this hard-sell technique, nor do they wish to be exposed to it, especially in a concentrated form, in doing so we all lose out on valuable opportunities for service, connection and growth.

But what so many people miss is the detrimental effect on others. If I have been pitched by a NLM person, I will not get involved. I am already part of a NML organization and would not want to take n another product. But basically they are telling me they want to use me so they can make money.

What they have done is close the door to my contacts.

What should they have done?

They should have told me what their product or service can do for my contacts.

Avoid the three foot rule in networking

Helping Real People do Real Business through Real Networking

Help others first and you will get better rewards

Paul Johnstone
It is always better to give than it is to receive, as the old saying goes….So prioritise helping and giving to others ahead of taking and receiving for yourself.

Be helpful to others and you will be helped in return.

There are lots of sayings about the joy of giving and the rewards you get as a result of your actions so why not get on with it?

Networks of people are often highly complex organisms. Frequently it is not possible to see exactly how and why they are working for you. Therefore you must trust that goodness is rewarded, even if the process is hidden and the effect takes a while to come to you.

Use the principle of 'what goes around comes around' because it does.

Giving first shows to members of the network you are serious about contribution to the group. It sets you apart from the hunters and fishermen in the networking community.

Good deeds and helpfulness tend to produce positive effects. They are usually remembered and frequently repaid. The giver builds reputation and trust. Referrals tend to result.

Imagine yourself having lots of personal connections like this. You become known as a helpful person. Word about you spreads, and your reputation grows.

People who give are seen to have strength to give. Followers gravitate to strong giving people.

Helping others extends far beyond your personal speciality or line of work.

Networking is about working within a system of people, enabling relevant high quality introductions and cooperation’s, which get great results for the participants. These enabling capabilities transcend your personall ability and area of speciality.

Giving works on so many levels. In networking you reap what you sow many times over.

Helping Real People do Real Businees through Real Networking

The 7 Keys to Profitable Networking PART 1

In the beginning!

Many years ago when I first got involved in Business to Business networking I was keen, and eager. Why? Because I could see what networking could do for my business!


I got the benefits - I got the ethos and bought into the ideal.

But, boy I missed lots of opportunities, I missed out on business.

All because I was the centre of the universe and it was my universe.

All because my techniques of by being eager and enthusiastic, I failed to grasp the main point.

It was like when I just passed my driving test, all I looked at was the road straight in front of me, and missed 80% of the other information essential to success.

What I focused on was only one tiny aspect of networking.

There are those who simply measure their success by counting times someone attends, or the number of pieces of paper passed between attendees. Or spend time working on how many times people interacted with the web site.


Then there are those who graze and talk occasionally to people, or attend a function and spend most of the time at the food / drinks table.


All of these examples are real and they exist and they miss the point of networking.


“Networking is the single most cost effective route to market there is.” Don’t take my word for it, all of the dragons from Dragons Den say so on their web sites, blogs and publications.


My main error: When I started out was thinking business to business networking was selling. Not on your life. It is NOT selling; it is telling people how your product or service can help them with their clients.


You may like to take a moment to reflect on the previous point:- Networking is “The most cost effective route to market there is.”


You have the opportunity to tell your story. Show how you can help. Demonstrate how you have helped other members. Teach members how you can solve their problems and how you can help them with their customers.


At one off networking events you have the opportunity to talk to people who can do great things for your company. But this needs focus and that is covered in part 4 of this series, talking to Plum Prospect.


Lets say you want to get an introduction to a company and provide them with your accounting software. Talk about saving time on sales and general ledgers. Talk about access to problem solving on accounts packages. Talk about how businesses upgrade from a ‘simple’ system to a suite of programmes and how these can grow with them and their business.


What you are doing is demonstrating to the prospect you understand the issues business people have and you are interested in them.


By focusing on one single aspect of a multi facet opportunity is a false economy. By looking at what else is around the road you will be better prepared to take advantage of the situation.


Paul


Helping Real People do Real Business through Real Networking

Learning from our Pets

I came across this the other day and though how appropriate for networkers:

Things we can learn from our Dog…..

• Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joy ride.
• Allow the experience of fresh air and the wind in your face to be pure ecstasy.
• When loved ones come home, always run to greet them.
• When it's in your best interest, always practice obedience.
• Let others know when they've invaded your territory.
• Take naps and always stretch before rising.
• Run, romp, and play daily.
• Eat with gusto and enthusiasm.
• Be loyal.
• Never pretend to be something you're not.
• If what you want lies buried, dig until you find it.
• When someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close by and nuzzle them gently.
• Delight in the simple joy of a long walk.
• Thrive on attention and let people touch you.
• Avoid biting when a simple growl will do.
• On hot days, drink lots of water and lie under a shady tree.
• When you are happy, dance around and wag your entire body.
• No matter how often you are criticized, don't buy into the guilt thing and pout. Run right back and make friends.

Author unknown

Have a great weekend

Paul

Helping RealPeople do Real Business through Real Networking

60 SECONDS PART 3

A series of occasional pieces on how to construct a 60 second pitch that GETS RESULTS

TELL ME WHAT YOU WANT, WHAT YOU REALLY, REALLY WANT

Remember the Spice Girls song? Well that is the perfect template for getting business from Networking groups.

Getting referrals from networking events is straightforward. However the first thing you need to do is change your view in the process.

Have you ever heard people at networking events ask for introductions into Small businesses, or start ups, or better still to people who want to save money? You have been told to be specific in what you ask for as a referral and to a point all of the above are specific. Well they maybe to you but are they to the rest of the group?

Asking for something is a skill that has been conditioned out of most of us. When you were a small child you thought nothing of picking things and expecting mummy or daddy to pay for them. One of your all time favourites was “Mummy can I have?”

Over time with the continual No response you asked less and less.

Your ability to return to the times of asking for specific things when networking is so much more powerful than may think.

I will explain: Often I hear people asking for a business group they believe are good potential customers such as Start-Ups. Obvious people to target, they will need a printer, designer. Web designer, Banker, Accountant and a whole range of services networkers can provide.

At this stage I ask one question, “So how would I know that?” The answer is I probably don’t know someone has started up on their own until they tell me. Or if it is a neighbour you notice a changed pattern of behaviour. The car leaves at a different time, they seem to be around more, or less. These signs give you clues things have changed but do not tell you the person has started to work for themselves.

When selecting targets to ask for in you networking groups, it pays dividends to think about your audience.

Ask yourself how your audience will remember what you are asking for?

When you hear people in your group ask for referrals ask yourself “So how would I know that?” Be specific and you will get what you ask for, be general it you will take longer to get where you want to be and you may not get the results you are looking for.

I will be posting a couple of examples in the next Blog.

Paul

Helping Real People do Real Business through Real Networking

With Thousands of suppliers offering you their services-Word of mouth is King

Recently I was at a Refer-on meeting and the marketing consultant explained how the supplier market was changing.

She took us back to the days before the Net, back to a time when you would call the usual list of people who you have used or the ones who called and left details. Or if you were desperate, take a directory and let your fingers do the walking.

Next step would be to probably meet them all before making your final decision. You may have relied on personal recommendations to help in your decision.

That has all changed. Now that you have a choice of thousands on the Internet how do you decide which one to use?

If you ask several people how they chose the answers are often as varied as the supply possibilities. You cannot possibly see them all, so what do you do?

When the group was asked what their solution was there was a common theme.

Almost all of them said they rely more than ever on the recommendation of a trusted contact. This brings us to the question of where you meet the people you trust to give you that advice?

Network groups above all are where these trust based relationships are formed. But what sort of group should you join? More next time until then……

With this world of enormous choice Word of Mouth is more important than ever.

Helping Real people do Real Business through Real Networking!

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

How not to network

At a recent breakfast meeting I was a little dismayed to see that at every place there were several pieces of marketing literature. These had been put there by members but to what end?

If it was to allow everyone to have their up to date information there may be a reason to forgive them. But at no time during the meeting was any of this litter mentioned. This is by far one of the worst things you can do when you are networking.

Think for a moment what this sort of action says about you or your products. Having just called this form of publicity litter I should explain. I took the time to see how many pieces of literature were left behind.


It will no come as a surprise to anyone who has experienced this form of marketing that over 90% was left and binned by the staff at the venue. To understand why is to understand the reason why people go to networking meetings. The main one is they want to influence people in a way that stands out from normal marketing.

They want time to discuss their products as well as take time to understand what others have to offer.

In short they want a face to face exchange of information. If you are ever tempted to distribute materials you have spent time and emotion in creating. Place them on a marketing table and let members know what is in it and why they should pick up a copy.

I would suggest you will get a better return from your networking sticking to proven face to face communication

Paul

Encouraging Real People, to do Real Business Through Real Networking