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Becoming a Master Networker – Step #11 – Tracking Your Results

Speaking for myself, I am all about R.O.I., Return On Investment. As such, I look at my networking activities as investments rather than expenses. While I can tell you that I can credit millions of dollars in projects directly to my networking efforts, you are going to want and need to track your own results.

It’s not difficult, there are only a few key metrics to monitor, and the tools to do so range from zero cost to whatever you want to spend. If this is the only thing that you want to track … free is more than adequate. Continue reading “Becoming a Master Networker – Step #11 – Tracking Your Results”

Becoming a Master Networker – Step #10 – Power Partners

Let’s talk a bit about power partners. Power partners are the secret sauce of the networking world. They can and should be a subset of every networking type group that you belong to and particularly in any leads group. They also function as a standalone networking resource. I’ll start with a true story.

In 2005 I resigned from my last management job. I had been in management positions, with a few short-term exceptions, continuously since 1979. I took about 6 months off to plan my next moves and came to the decision that I wanted to go back to selling only which was something that I had not done in a great deal of time. Additionally, I wanted to work on a commission only program. Continue reading “Becoming a Master Networker – Step #10 – Power Partners”

Becoming a Master Networker – Step #8 – Real-Life vs. Social

Dependent on a variety of factors, the dynamics of effective networking can substantially change. At the very least, certain behaviors will become more critical based upon these variables including whether we are operating within a small or large group setting, engaging one-on-one, or we are actively networking online.

Let’s start with the finish. Regardless of the setting, your one goal is to always develop one-on-one relationships, in real-life, with the right people. The goal in social networking is to move new relationships to some sort of a real-life status (face-to-face, phone, Skype). There are no exceptions. Continue reading “Becoming a Master Networker – Step #8 – Real-Life vs. Social”

Becoming a Master Networker – Step #7- The Fundamentals

Now that we have discussed some of the qualities that will help you to become a master networker, what about some actions? What will it take to become successful in any networking activity?

Let’s focus on some fundamentals …

You don’t have to be a mad extrovert to be a successful networker – I am largely introverted. I can appear to be extroverted when needed, but only to a limited degree and not in every situation. I work best in smaller venues and I will avoid larger gatherings like the plague.

Oddly, I am comfortable in front of large crowds but not in one. As there are a ton of suitable networking opportunities out there, avoiding large venues becomes a non-issue.

Take it slow – Wherever you are, be sure to take your time to get settled in. You must get to know people before approaching them. More importantly, they need to become comfortable with you.

I once joined a group and on the day of our first meeting, a member who was not in attendance called me on the phone and suggested that we exchange our email lists. All of them. Uh … no. It don’t work that way.

Show up – You have to be active and be consistent. Only an idiot would make a monetary investment in any networking activity and then not make the necessary time investment in order to realize a return. It just makes no sense and it is an opportunity that has been fully squandered.

Learn to listen – People who are the most successful are those who genuinely show more interest in learning about others than they do talking about themselves.This is the time when the old adage … God gave you two eyes, two ears, and one mouth for a reason … carries absolute weight.

Do your homework – Performing your due diligence before reaching out is important. I expect people to do some research on me before getting in touch, With social networking and the internet in general, it’s not like it takes a lot of effort.

If you don’t, I may view it as being rather insulting and especially if your assumptions about me are blatantly in error. On the other hand, if you do, I’ll be pleasantly surprised. You might even become R.U.M.

Refer others before asking for referrals – Remember that givers get. Practice giving quality referrals and introductions to others. You probably want to know who, what, when, where, why and how and people you refer will want to know the same.

Then teach others how to refer you – One of the most important steps to first take is to take advantage of opportunities to let people know who you are and what your offered value proposition is. You are going to be hard to refer if folks have no idea as to what the hell you do.

When presented with a general opportunity, contact the giver for more info and ask … “can I use your name?”. By the way, this simple action is a powerful way to build one-on-one relationships. Speaking of …

One-on-ones – Meet with others one-on-one and outside of the group setting. It’s a funny dynamic that is also critically important with power partners. When I was in the sign business, I had some extremely powerful power partner relationships.

These people loved me as much as I loved them but, much to my surprise, they did not spend their days thinking … “How can I best take care of Craig??” Talk about selfish 🙂 However, when Craig was buying lunch it was “what can we bring!?”

Next month will be exploring this topic further as we dig deeper into group sizes as well as individual relationships.

Becoming a Master Networker – Step #6 – Being R.U.M

What are some of the traits that you admire or respect in other salespeople?

Humor – Relax! Inject some humor!
Manners – I was raised in the liberal use of please, thank you, and respect. Put your phone away!
Honesty is also a big part of this. Your word is your bond.
Rapport – The correct amount of chit-chat is always important and this correct amount is dictated by the customer. You need to be able to read that. You need to be able to mirror your prospects.
Do your due diligence! Be prepared – This is one area where the social networks (and the web in general) can be invaluable as a research resource.
Personalize your approach – People are lazy and, as a result, everything is mass marketed and nothing is personalized.
Educate vs. sell – Establish yourself as the authority
Attract vs interrupt – Social profiles and activity
Being assertive vs. aggressive – Be non-threatening while still displaying confidence. Being diplomatic helps. Cushioning, providing reasons before asking tough questions or having to deliver unwanted answers, is a powerful technique!
Urgency and responsiveness – Being on time is late. Replying the next day … is late. Don’t be late. Do you want to be viewed as unique, remarkable, and memorable? Start here. When was the last time you heard … “He/she is a great salesperson but, they are just too damn responsive.”?
Be Proactive – The absolute last thing that you want to see happen is for the customer to contact you to check on the status. They have been thinking about it for some time prior to reaching out and, when they are thinking about things … it’s never good for you.
Mix it up! Don’t be predictable – You have a lot of different weapons in your arsenal so why is it that the only tool you use is a hammer? Additionally, you pop up at the least expected times with unexpected items of value.
Practice clear communication – With other team members as well as with clients.
Listen – Take notes. Recap. Clarify and confirm.
Never be afraid to tell them “no” – This includes when it is in their best interest or when it just can’t be done. You are also not afraid to tell them that “I don’t know”. This makes you human and it also means that you will always have a reason to go back, even if it is to answer a question.
Organization – Always stay ahead! Beware of selling vs non-selling time. Selling time is for being in front of a customer. Non-selling time is for prep and paperwork.
Set clear expectations – Let them know what will happen and when and how and also makes it clear what parts they have to play in order to keep things on track!
Under promise and over deliver – As a general rule, however much time I am going to tell you that it will take for me to do “x”, is going to allow me enough time to make that date even in the event of … unplanned open-heart surgery. Whatever I agree to give you, in return for your business, I will give you more.

The bottom line is that RUM salespeople will consistently exceed customer expectations and, as a result …

Your sales ratios will increase
You will attract better prospects as your reputation becomes more established and recognized
Referrals and repeat business, from all sources, will increase dramatically.

Note that each of the above will directly support the other two. As an example, referrals, repeat business, and better prospects will ALWAYS result in higher closing ratios. Simple:)

Becoming a Master Networker – Step #5 – Are You R.U.M.?

One of the most basic tenets of networking is that you are going to have to figure out ways to stand out in a crowd. The bigger the group, the bigger the challenge and. speaking of large groups, how about the internet and social networks? Very crowded! You are going to need to be …

R.U.M. – Remarkable, Unique, Memorable

It’s not magic …

Where everybody practices bad behavior, you don’t. You are remarkable.
What everybody else does, you don’t. You are unique.
When they think about the best person for their needs, they think about you. You are memorable.

You stand out because you are perceived as being different from your competition and in a good way! You are R.U.M..

There is even more good news when it comes to your competition. If you don’t think that the bar to leap over them has been set low … think of yourself as the buyer, the consumer. When was the last time that a salesperson or a company exceeded your expectations? How about never or close to it!

There are only three possible outcomes from any sale. What are they? Continue reading “Becoming a Master Networker – Step #5 – Are You R.U.M.?”