Tag: Business networking

Becoming a Master Networker – Step #12 – Wrapping it Up

Our final post in this series will be a little bit recap and a bit more for some additional tips …

Starting out

Remember that this is not a race. You will need to get to know your fellow networkers, and earn their trust, prior to seeing any real returns in terms of referrals. Be visible, learn about others, and always remember that givers get. Nothing will sink you faster than trying to circumvent, expedite this process. 

How much time is needed to see a return?

How much time do you give an opportunity? Time is important but effort is even more important. If you don’t put in the effort … no amount of time will be adequate. I would allow a year minimum and during that time you should be constantly evaluating your own effort. Are you doing everything that you can do to maximize your returns? 

Taking it to the next level

Most people that I know, and even those that I associate with in a networking capacity, are what I would call passive networkers. They show up, share a few leads, and will give out referrals when the chance to do so arises. Very few will follow-up on warm leads or seek to interact with others outside of a planned setting.

That’s a shame because they are only receiving a fraction of the potential benefit from any networking relationship. They do just enough to get by. If that works for them … who am I to say.

For those of you who are seeking the maximum return, and those of you who are willing to work for it, here are some tips …

Effective networking does take work and no amount of pixie dust is going to change that – Your one overriding goal is to develop mutually beneficial relationships and these take time. Real relationships are also real-life and that means, that if it is at all possible, you need to get face-to-face. Ditch any device that glows.

You can control the networking narrative – I figured this out early on. I built a number of power partner relationships but, as previously stated, most networkers are passive. As such, as much as they might like me, they rarely thought about me unless … I created an event that put us nose-to-nose. That event was called lunch.

Show genuine interest in others – I’ll let you in on a little secret. I absolutely hate talking about myself which is good because … rarely am I ever asked to do so. Rather, I spend my meetings having the other guy or gal tell me about themselves. Winner winner.

What can you give others? – This can sometimes be challenging and sometimes the best way to determine what value you can provide to a partner is to ask them straight out. Don’t be surprised if you hear … “All I want is someone who I can count on to take care of my customers.”  Being able to make quality referrals adds value to their, and your, services.

How else can you leverage these relationships? – Start by being proactive about your needs … Do you know anyone at firm “x”? I see that you are connected on LinkedIn to “x”, would you be comfortable in introducing us? 

Speaking of referrals and introductions, teach others how to do both for you and … you do the same for them! A solid introduction includes … name, company name, contact info, nature of the referral, they are expecting your call, and use my name. These are minimums!

This concludes our 12-part series and I hope that you have found it to be beneficial. If you have any suggestions for future articles or if you would like to learn more about NetWorks! Boise, please reach out to me at craig@adaptive-business.com.

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 #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.?”

Becoming a Master Networker – Step #3 – Evaluate Networking Opportunities

There are a number of different networking opportunities out there so let’s talk about some of the most common and give each some pro’s and con’s. Before that, we will start with this general statement. The best opportunities for you will be found in the same places that match your target personas. Different personas may yield different results.

This is critical … any attempt to do business with any other member of any of these networking opportunities should only occur once a relationship to do so has been established. These opportunities are earned. They are not given and they are not entitlements.

It is also only fair to say, and we will discuss this in depth in a future article, that any results will be in direct proportion to your efforts. Certainly some activities are designed to yield higher returns but, I have personally achieved great results from some really terrible organizations while I have also seen people fail miserably in desirable settings as a direct result of their lack of effort.

A few options …

Leads groups – Weekly (frequency) – NetWorks! Boise is a traditional networking, or leads, group that is entirely focused on generating business opportunities for its members. The strength of groups like this is found in the membership and whether or not your fellow members share your marketplace, goals, and target personas. Continue reading “Becoming a Master Networker – Step #3 – Evaluate Networking Opportunities”

Becoming a Master Networker – Step #2 – Establish Your Budgets

Last month we created three target personas that will be used to help us to identify our ideal opportunities. They were: Target Buyer, Target Power Partner, and Target Networking Opportunities.

Today we want to establish a budget in terms of time and dollars that we will be willing to invest in networking activities. Note that I said invest and not spend. Any successful networking opportunity will deliver returns in excess of your investment. If it does not, find one/some that will.

While we might mention different types of networking activities, we are not here to discuss those today. We definitely will in our next article and will do so in depth! Not all networking opportunities are created equally.

I’m one of those people who are keenly aware that there is selling time, when you see customers and prospects, and non-selling time, before and after work when you can do paperwork. Networking is a prospecting activity that should be engaged in during both times.

So, let’s start with time and we can look at this a couple of different ways: Continue reading “Becoming a Master Networker – Step #2 – Establish Your Budgets”

Becoming a Master Networker – Step #1 – Define Your Opportunities

It’s been said that it’s going to be difficult to get where you are going without some sort of map to plot out your course. The same can be said for selling and networking. In fact, you will have multiple maps that together should be used to create a part of your sales process.

Today we are going to focus on the creation of Target Personas and I am going to suggest that you will want to create three …

  1. Your Target Buyer/Market Persona – What does your best buyer look like and where will you find them? You are going to want to network with those who share at least some of these commonalities.
  2. Your Target Power Partner Persona – That’s what I call these folks but, I have heard others refer to them as strategic alliances. These people are from non-competing industries who will most likely refer you to potential business since they are folks who call on your same target buyers and markets.
  3. Your Target Networking Opportunity – There are plenty of meetings and events out there but, you will want to set certain criteria that will allow you to narrow your search.

Continue reading “Becoming a Master Networker – Step #1 – Define Your Opportunities”