3 Important Parts of Successful Networking
Tips & Tricks, Work - - Posted on July, 25 at 8:20 pm
I recently attended a networking seminar taught by the owner of a Chicago based consulting firm. It was pretty basic, yet interesting so I thought I’d share my notes. He said he had a ton of good information, but only a limited amount of time, so if he had to give us 3 important part of successful networking they would be this…
3 Important Parts of Successful Networking:
- “Givers Gain”
- Spheres of Influence
- Follow Up
“Givers Gain”
- Giving builds trust
- Make the first gesture - do a favor or give something to a prospect. It will help make you more memorable and sometimes, it will subconsciously make people feel indebted to you. If they feel obligated to return the favor it may help get your foot in the door.
- Ask them how you can help them
- “What should I be listening for in order to find a good lead for you?”
Spheres of Influence
As = Best prospects
Bs = People you should know
Cs = Talk to when no As & Bs are around
When you attend a networking event and collect business cards, mark an A, B, or C on the back of the cards along with any notes to help remind you of this person. This will help you organize your prospect list later.
Follow Up
- Following up with prospects is so important - Send them an e-mail or give them a call thanking them for their time, invite them to lunch, if you’ve promised to send them additional information on your company or put them in touch with another person, DO IT.
- Create a tickler system to continue to keep in touch with this person - Include detailed notes so three months from now when you follow up you can look like a shining star when you ask “How are Billy and Maggie are adjusting to their new school? I know last time we spoke little Maggie was pretty upset about leaving her best friend Jill.” instead of “So, how are the kids?”
- Even if this person isn’t ready to do business with you themselves, they could be a great referral source. If you keep in touch regularly and continue to give (see above) they will think of you when someone in their network could benefit from your product or service.
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