Friday 16 October, 2009
Networking groups pay off handsomely in terms of referral
business, so make the most of every single meeting and avoid wasting
time - especially in the following ten ways.
Word-of-mouth marketing is a sure-fire way to generate new business. A
single referral can bring in a chain reaction of business, as one
satisfied customer tells others, who in turn tell more still. It’s no
wonder that networking groups pay off handsomely in terms of referral
business and a membership in a good networking group can be worth a
considerable amount of money.
Make your time and efforts worthwhile. Don't squander your opportunity by doing the wrong things in those meetings! Success in a networking group comes when the rest of the group members trust you enough to open up their best referrals to you. Until they've seen your work, you have to earn that trust by demonstrating your professionalism to them.
Here are the top ten ways to waste your time in a networking group (avoid all of them):
We all need to be aware of these ten pitfalls and take great care to avoid them. They are great reminders that doing business through word-of-mouth marketing requires a special ingredient that only you can supply: your commitment. You have to commit to the process from the beginning. You have to be an active, responsible, professional, accountable participant and show your fellow networkers the respect, attention, and support that you want them to give you.
You see, the key concept in referral marketing is relationships and referral relationships don’t just spring up full grown; they must be nurtured. Avoid the ten mistakes on this list because they are detrimental to growing your referral relationships and they will cause the time you spend in your networking meetings to be nothing more than a waste of time.
Focus on growing your referral relationships by acting in ways that are exactly opposite of what’s described above and concentrate on building relationships based on mutual trust and shared benefits. You’ll get a lot more out of your group and so will your fellow members. So, print out this list, memorize it, and share it with your fellow networking members.
Remember, your network is not something you can start putting together when the need arises. When you need it, you need it now. You need to begin developing relationships now with the people whose help you will need in the future and your networking group meetings offer the perfect opportunity and the perfect place to do this. Make the most of this opportunity because there’s no room for wasted time.
Make your time and efforts worthwhile. Don't squander your opportunity by doing the wrong things in those meetings! Success in a networking group comes when the rest of the group members trust you enough to open up their best referrals to you. Until they've seen your work, you have to earn that trust by demonstrating your professionalism to them.
Here are the top ten ways to waste your time in a networking group (avoid all of them):
- Go ahead, air your grievances among your fellow networkers and
guests; after all, they really want to hear about your complaints.
- Wing it in your regular presentations to fellow members, you've got plenty more chances anyway.
- Use one on one meetings to talk about your networking groups' issues instead of learning a lot more about each other.
- Focus your efforts on selling your services primarily to the members of the group.
- Don't rush to follow up on a referral when someone gives you one.
Hey, they know where to find you if they really need you… right?
- While other people are doing their introductions, that’s the perfect time to think about what referrals you can give that week.
- Why invite your own guests? Just focus on those who show up.
- Don't worry if you get to the meeting late. No one will notice.
- Be absent, it's no big deal. You can just call in your referrals... right?
- It's OK, take that phone call or text message during a meeting, it won't bother anyone and it's a real sign of professionalism that everyone admires.
We all need to be aware of these ten pitfalls and take great care to avoid them. They are great reminders that doing business through word-of-mouth marketing requires a special ingredient that only you can supply: your commitment. You have to commit to the process from the beginning. You have to be an active, responsible, professional, accountable participant and show your fellow networkers the respect, attention, and support that you want them to give you.
You see, the key concept in referral marketing is relationships and referral relationships don’t just spring up full grown; they must be nurtured. Avoid the ten mistakes on this list because they are detrimental to growing your referral relationships and they will cause the time you spend in your networking meetings to be nothing more than a waste of time.
Focus on growing your referral relationships by acting in ways that are exactly opposite of what’s described above and concentrate on building relationships based on mutual trust and shared benefits. You’ll get a lot more out of your group and so will your fellow members. So, print out this list, memorize it, and share it with your fellow networking members.
Remember, your network is not something you can start putting together when the need arises. When you need it, you need it now. You need to begin developing relationships now with the people whose help you will need in the future and your networking group meetings offer the perfect opportunity and the perfect place to do this. Make the most of this opportunity because there’s no room for wasted time.
Author Credits
Called the father of modern networking by CNN, Dr. Ivan
Misner is a New York Times bestselling author and Founder of BNI
(www.bni.com), the world’s largest business networking organization.
His latest book, 'The 29% Solution' can be viewed at
www.29PercentSolution.com. Dr. Misner is also the Sr. Partner for the
Referral Institute, an international referral training company
(www.referralinstitute.com). He can be reached at misner@bni.com
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