We all have a circle of friends. We all know people with whom we work or do business. Most of us belong or have belonged to an organization. This is our own networking system, but it extends further.
Let's investigate Your Sphere of Influence, and how to enlarge it through a multitude of possibilities.
POWER PLAY #18
List all the groups to which you belong or have access to. You may not be a Boy Scout of America, but your son is. You might not be a regular at Clog Dancing Club, but you've been there a few times. The roses in your garden only grow so profusely because Nature has taken matters into hand, yet you could join the local garden club. And isn't Uncle Max a Rotarian? Another possibility.
These are examples of organization to which you already have an entree. These are all prospects if you follow the concepts of Focused Networking.
Now list all the organizations you plan to join in the next six months.
Now list the organizations you will contact this week.
Now make a call (or calls) to your network and locate a few people who are members of these organizations. Ask if you can go as a visitor.
Now mark your calendar with these new events. Organize your goals before you go.
Go to the events and gatherings. Why not suggest to a business associate (in your network) that they go along, too.
Reconnect with every one of the people you meet.
One warning: Some folks I have come in contact with over the last few years are initially overly enthusiastic, joining group after group. Cornell Avers, a realtor in one of the suburbs of Baltimore, raised this point during one segment of the Focused Networking workshop. He admitted he tried too hard and tried too fast to build a network. Networking hadn't worked like he hoped.
I remember Cornell explaining, "What happens is that there's too little time to develop a strong Focused Networking system. All those networking opportunities sounded great on paper and looked wonderful in my calendar."
"In reality, my loyalty, energy, and time between groups was fragmented. I couldn't do a good job of networking. I pared it down to two groups and now I'm able to provide quality referrals instead of the haphazard ones I previously gave out. And within a month, I began getting quality leads in return."
As you target where you want to go and how Focused Networking can help you accomplish it, limit your commitments. Quality not quantity counts in people-oriented Focused Networking.
Do you have any advice to add to this? Please comment below. We welcome all suggestions, advice and tips.
One of the easiest ways to nurture your network is by sending handwritten notes. I'm sure you know the feeling of receiving a handwritten envelope in your mail. I bet it's the first piece you open, isn't it?
Here are a couple of tips to help you implement sending handwritten notes.
Find a very nice box in which to store your cards and stamps.
Get some "pretty" stamps for your envelopes.
Set aside time to send out 3 to 5 cards a day. It takes 4 minutes to write a card, address the envelope and place the stamp on the envelope. You're looking at 15 to 20 minutes a day. The rewards you will reap are well worth the time it takes.
Please, let me know how you use handwritten notes and what benefit you think they are, or could be, to your business!
Are you guilty of telephone abuse? Answer yes or no:
Is the phone answered after the second ring either by you or a machine?
Do you answer the phone by identifying yourself (or your company name if appropriate)?
When you must put a client on hold, do you get back to the caller within 30 seconds?
Do you give the caller the option of being called back instead of being placed on hold?
Do you return your calls promptly?
When calling, do you pre-plan what you'll say, making notes to optimize your time on the phone?
Do you have a prepared message to leave should you reach a machine and not your caller?
If you leave a message, do you offer a time that's best for getting back to you?
When leaving a message, do you speak clearly and slowly especially when you're giving your telephone number?
When speaking to a caller, do you smile and concentrate on "seeing" the caller as if you're talking in person?
If you answered "no" to any two of the above questions, you are convicted of telephone abuse in the first degree!
The telephone is the most powerful tool in your office.
Polish your telephone skills. Use the quiz as a list of ten suggestions to improve your telephone know-how. Use the telephone to your advantage to network and connect with new clients and contacts, reconnect with those you've met and in your network, and to increase your business.
Here are a couple of tips:
Place a mirror in front of you when you're on the phone to monitor your facial expressions.
Record your voice. Would you enjoy a conversation with someone who sounds like you?
Slow down your rate of speech and lower your voice slightly.
Spell your name, street name and city if you're giving instructions.
Repeat instructions or the order. Make notes so that you can follow through. You'll be considered dependable.
Always return calls promptly. If you can't provide the information requested, be frank and polite.
When you design your answering machine message, take care to speak clearly, speak warmly and provide enough information so your caller can leave a message that makes sense.
Los Angeles travel agent Heather DuValle, whose company specializes in senior tours now laughs about the recorded message on the company answering machine when she bought the business. But it wasn't always so funny.
"There was a two minute monologue of the upcoming trips that droned on and on. Then the caller only had 30 seconds to leave a message. I'd say half of our callers who got the machine hung up before the message finished playing. How could I blame them? I would have too. You can bet that changed immediately. Who can afford to turn off clients? The message we're using now is inviting as well as effective."
Share your telephone tips by adding a comment below.
Think of your network as an ever expanding universe of links, alliances and ties. I'm a visual person, I think of my network as an interrelated highway system. At each junction are acquaintances, friends and professional associates who can call on me and to whom I can call for help, information, idea exchange, business opportunities, social experiences. The best way to maintain and extend your Focused Network is to:
stay active with networking efforts
be visible
reconnect with those you've met
find ways to become trusted and valued in other networks
put out quality leads and referrals, and that's what you'll get back
Think of the people you meet and connect with as individuals who need and want more business contacts as seriously as you.
What can you do for them? . How can you help?
Your efforts will come back ten-fold.
Adele Sheily, Ph.D., wrote Skills for Success. Now in its eleventh printing, the information is still extremely "on target". She writes "Those of us who are achievers also enhance our careers by building contacts and alliances with others. We look for opportunities to establish new relationships and maintain our existing ones. Connecting gives us perspective about how we work, provides us with different approaches to problems and sharpens our ideas of what is important, relevant or new. And makes us visible to others like us."
Do you remember Alice in Wonderland? There's a great scene where Alice asks the Cheshire Cat, "Would you tell me please which way I ought to go from here?"
The cat replied, "That depends on where you want to get to."
If you'd like to measurably increase business, you must tell potential clients about yourself. You must have a "commercial" prepared and rehearsed to discuss your business.
Sincerity in the business world might have once been considered "corny", now it's a trait that is essential to good customer service skills.
Your commercial: Putting yourself in that picture.
Who knows your business best? You do! That's why it is imperative that you tell people your name, what you do, how you do it and how your business or service can enhance their lives.
The way you do that is by talking with people, going out of your way to make others feel comfortable, by asking questions and really listening to their responses. You'll be surprised at how genuinely easy it is to get more business by simply asking for it.
In Leads Club, we call this a "promotional." It is what we use when we have our "moment in the sun". It's that opportunity twice each meeting where we let others who may be able to help us reach our goals learn about who we are, what we do and how they can provide good business opportunities for us.
Your promotional should answer three questions:
Who are you?
What business are you in?
How does your business benefit your listeners or someone they know?
Leads Clubs offers Focused Networking Workshops to help you hone those valuable networking skills. Check out our website, Leads Club for more networking tips and information.
