The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Networkers
Monday, April 27th, 20091. Be Proactive! Don’t wait for contacts to come to you, get out and meet people, actively network! In order to grow your business you need to be meeting as many new people as you can each day. Go to as many networking events as you can as networking gives you this opportunity. If you’re not networking, you’re not working!
2. Collect Business Cards! This builds your database, so be sure to write on the back of the card if you can where you met this person and any relevant notes you may want to remember. Once you receive a business card from a contact, drop them a quick email or call saying how nice it was to meet them and where you met. This is a great opportunity to arrange a time to meet over a friendly coffee to find out more about what they do and share with them what you do. You never know where this may lead. Remember to ask permission if you can add them to your database to receive mail from you in the future.
3. Ask Open Ended Questions! When you meet someone new be conscious of the types of questions you ask them. Open ended questions such as, who, what, where, when, why, how allows you to find out more about their business and what they do.
4. Don’t pre-judge. Don’t make the mistake of thinking you can’t do business with a particular person or business because they appear to not need your services. It has been said most people know around 350 people, you never know who they know that could use your services and vice versa! Business is about building relationships, not doing a “hard sell”. By getting to know people and what they need and what their frustrations are, you develop rapport and trust. Remember people do business with someone they can trust, if they sense you are only after them for a sale you will lose them before you get started.
5. Prepare Beforehand! Know how to describe your business as quickly and succinctly as possible, this will assist with cutting down the time spent with just a few people at a networking function and allow you to meet as many people that day as possible.
6. Look at forming Alliances. Often people are looking for leads on a one on one basis. However leverage can be used to get better results from just a few contacts. Strategic Alliances, Joint Ventures, Affiliates and Referrals are ways to increase your contacts without meeting a whole lot of people. By tapping into a business you have synergy with, you increase the opportunity for more contacts, as they will no doubt have your target market. They will also refer you to people they know who need your product or service as they know it will be reciprocated.
7. Ask for Help. Identify and attend events where you can meet people who can help you. These are people who may either know or have “access to” your prospective clients or customers. Ask these people for their help, when you meet them. Describe the kind of prospects you’re looking for; ask them to introduce you to prospects when appropriate; and ask about events and opportunities where you might have a chance to meet your prospects directly.