Business Networking in the 21st Century - Who knows your customer.
I have spoken to so many of you who have been to my Art of Networking™ sessions who have had great success in today's marketplace. Each week I will share a conversation with you.
Impatience never commanded success. - Edwin H. Chapin - Building business relationships take an investment of time. Payoff is priceless.
Finding connections on the Internet through Facebook, Twitter or Genie Network directory is an investment in the future. How does one accomplish this? You need to become real. How does one become real with so little time and the pressure to be a top performer at the workplace or in your business.
Over the next few weeks we will explore how to build these relationships, when to abandon a relationship and how to create a give and take experience.
Last week we left off creating a list of five items that create your customer. This list will include a list of event and/or situations that cause the need for your services. Today we will learn how to make the contacts that you need to receive the referrals you are seeking.
The main key ingredient here is knowing what creates your customer. What circumstances, event, situation or problem has to be present for your product or service to have a solution.
With this being said most of us run about our day without even giving this much thought. We meet people and never ask the right question. If you do not give me what you are looking for - how am I going to give you what you are seeking.
Everyday people meet people and talk to people without even giving the thought of business networking on the top of mind. Business networking becomes a way of dealing with people. It becomes a subconscious way of communicating that comes with daily practice. But the concept is a simple process. Listen for a need - fill the need with a referral or a lead of someone you know. It then becomes a reciprocal process of people knowing people.
I talked with my friend Brian who is building a business. With much frustration of banging his head against the wall the light bulb came on one day. "Who knows my customer?" Once he took the time to determine the simple question of who knows his customer - he then knew who to talk to and locate these professionals that could open doors for him. Needless to say the doors have now opened as well as the windows and every crevice. People now call him asking him about the service he provides because "so and so" said he could fill the need of the service he provides.
Now you are probably think he has a very unique product. Not really but it is a very good product. We can discuss this later.
During this conversation - I said well Brian in all the conversations we have had over the years you finally decided to start business networking. He then laughed and we continued our conversation.
When he started this new business he did not think about reorganizing what creates his customer much less who knows his customer. With this simple shift in thinking Brian has now gone from hundreds to thousands.
Think about this for a moment and make a list of the five key events, circumstance, problem or situation that needs to occur to create your customer's need. Remember this is what people are talking about. Not your solution or product. They are talking about - what creates your customer. I typically like to use events - having a baby, death in family, new job, promotion, marriage or divorce. These events create a string of needs financially which include the mortgage, finance, investments or a new home or a move to a new home. The people you are talking with are not talking about the way you invest monies or the mortgage you can provide they are talking about the event. So why do you not ask - "Who do you know who is getting married within the next year?"
Once you have thought about this it is time to think about who knows your customer.
In the example of a realtor or mortgage person a florist would be a great referral source. Why? Because if someone dies, marries, gives birth, retires or gets a promotion it usually involves a gift of flowers. A florist knows about the creation of your customer before the customer realized they need you. Why would you not meet with a different florist weekly over coffee? What can you give back? In this scenario every closing, maybe unique listings you can reciprocate with sending flowers or gift from these individuals.
Over the next week create your list of five major "key" events that create your customer. I want you to think about what your potential customer is saying that you have the solution for. You will be amazed at the leads and referrals that are everywhere when you know what to listen for and ask for.
By doing this exercise you become very factual of what you are looking for. You will talk, walk and think differently. With purpose you accomplish each and every task because you know the purpose is to get you to your next step. It is the way you think about it that make the huge difference. Each step is with purpose and cause. You now know is this person a lead? a referral? or someone to refer to another person for potential growth of their business.
Understanding the basic concept of business networking is so key if becoming very an effective business networker.
So how does Facebook, Twitter and the Genie Network directory play into all this? If you know what category of business you can partner with based on the creation of your customer you can start there. With Twitter send a direct message introducing yourself. Start a dialog of direct messages that build trust. Once you have built the trust you will eventually mutually talk and email one another expanding your business into territories and more.
Don't be afraid to ask for what you are looking for. Not everyone will be a good fit. Some are out of your territory or not interested in helping someone else. Respect this, it is OK move on to the next.
Once you have developed a group of 20 - 25 lead generation sources you will want to nurture these relationships. Some you will want to end. What makes a good business referral relationship you ask - next week we will discuss in more detail.
In my free CD and Networking Boot Camp you will learn more details.
Strategic partners and alliances are a key element in all business networking. If you belong to a group and want to learn more check out the Networking Toolbox. Check out the
Strategic Business Referral Mapping - a very powerful tool to help you learn.
As I have stressed over and over the biggest part of your success is ACTION. With no action there can be no success. Thinking about ploughing the field does not get the field ploughed or planted.
Last week I asked for your feedback on your goal setting I have heard from some of you I would like to hear more about your progress.
Please let me know about your goals and how your are tracking and working toward them. Write me here.
If you missed last weeks lesson you may view the archives at GenieNetwork.net.
In summary - One must always think - what creates my customer? Once you understand what creates your customer you now understand and know what to ask for. Now that you know what creates your customer - who knows your customer. Make a list of five categories of business professionals that know your customer and can provide you with introductions.
This week start with your list of five (5) categories of business professionals that know your customer. You will learn more in Networking Boot Camp. (coming soon) We will also explore this topic over the next few weeks.
Your destiny is in your hands. The choice is yours to take action.
If you are in a group and want to begin setting goals please take a moment and review tools to assist your group. Group Exercises
Next week - Business Networking - I now have my list of business categories that know my customer. How do I get introductions? What do I say? How to say it.
I have spoken to so many of you who have been to my Art of Networking™ sessions who have had great success in today's marketplace. Each week I will share a conversation with you.
Impatience never commanded success. - Edwin H. Chapin - Building business relationships take an investment of time. Payoff is priceless.
Now that you have your goals in place we need to work on how to build your business network and make your investment pay off.
Finding connections on the Internet through Facebook, Twitter or Genie Network directory is an investment in the future. How does one accomplish this? You need to become real. How does one become real with so little time and the pressure to be a top performer at the workplace or in your business.
Over the next few weeks we will explore how to build these relationships, when to abandon a relationship and how to create a give and take experience.
I like to refer to Krista who is very successful and says it so eloquently that you still need to have a face to face presence with building a relationship. With building these relationships comes referrals. Referrals are the heart of having business come to you. If you have built these relationships all along you probably did not notice the recession other than it took longer to close the multitude of possibilities.
Lance also agrees you still need to press the flesh (a good handshake) of introduction. Meeting contacts that are strategic to building your business.
How does one do this with so little time and so much to do each and everyday?
The main key ingredient here is knowing what creates your customer. What circumstances, event or problem has to be present for your product or service to have a solution.
With this being said most of us run about our day without even giving this much thought. We meet people and never ask the right question. If you do not give me what you are looking for - how am I going to give you what you are seeking.
Think about this for a moment and make a list of the five key events, circumstance, problem or situation that needs to occur to create your customer's need. Remember this is what people are talking about. Not your solution or product. They are talking about - what creates your customer. I typically like to use events - having a baby, death in family, new job, promotion, marriage or divorce. These events create a string of needs financially which include the mortgage, finance, investments or a new home or a move to a new home. The people you are talking with are not talking about the way you invest monies or the mortgage you can provide they are talking about the event. So why do you not ask - "Who do you know who is getting married within the next year?"
In business maybe it is doing more with less or creating a larger presence or possibly cash flow. The potential client would be talking about - moving to a smaller office or moving the business home. If you sell VOIP what a great opportunity to create a larger presence without the big spend. Are you getting the idea.
Over the next week create your list of five major "key" events that create your customer. I want you to think about what your potential customer is saying that you have the solution for. You will be amazed at the leads and referrals that are everywhere when you know what to listen for and ask for.
By doing this exercise you become very factual of what you are looking for. You will talk, walk and think differently. With purpose you accomplish each and every task because you know the purpose is to get you to your next step. It is the way you think about it that make the huge difference. Each step is with purpose and cause. You now know is this person a lead? a referral? or someone to refer to another person for potential growth of their business.
Understanding the basic concept of business networking is so key if becoming very an effective business networker.
So how does Facebook, Twitter and the Genie Network directory play into all this? If you know what category of business you can partner with based on the creation of your customer you can start there.
Next week I will talk about using email, voicemail and short introduction call that can expand your area of business.
Strategic partners and alliances are a key element in all business networking. If you belong to a group and want to learn more check out the Networking Toolbox. Check out the
Strategic Business Referral Mapping - a very powerful tool to help you learn.
Taking action and creating accountability is the largest part of achieving your goals.
Last week I asked for your feedback on your goal setting I have heard from some of you I would like to hear more about your progress.
Please let me know about your goals and how your are tracking and working toward them. Write me here.
If you missed last weeks lesson you may view the archives at GenieNetwork.net.
In summary - One must always think - what creates my customer? Once you understand what creates your customer you now understand and know what to ask for. This week start with your list of five (5) key events, situations or circumstances that create your customer. You will learn more in Networking Boot Camp. (coming soon) We will also explore this topic over the next few weeks.
Your destiny is in your hands. The choice is yours to take action.
If you are in a group and want to begin setting goals please take a moment and review tools to assist your group. Group Exercises
Next week - Business Networking - I have my list - Now What?
I have spoken to so many of you who have been to my Art of Networking™ sessions who have had great success in today's marketplace. Each week I will share a conversation with you.
Imagination is the beginning of creation. You imagine what you desire, you will what you imagine and at last you create what you will. George Bernard Shaw
Over the past few weeks we have taken goal setting as a project. We have covered the following:
What are your 5-year goals and vision
How to break them out in bite size pieces
How to plan and map them
How to create a vision board of your goals
Now that you have created your vision and goals it is time to take action. Once you know where you want to be it is time to take action. Plan your work and work your plan.
You can go through the exercises and park them in a drawer, notebook or a safe place however, you will never achieve them if you do not work them.
Your next step is "ACTION"
How do you take action. The first step is take your vision boards and place them in prominent places where you will see them daily. Frame your vision board and hang it in your office.
Next - take out your planner or open up your calendar on your desktop. Now take your broken out bite size piece of your goal setting. Using your electronic calendar it allows you to set-up reminders, reoccurring events and more. I use this option personally.
If you goal was to increase your client count, you have broken out how many more contacts you need to make daily. Create a list tracking system to keep you on track. Each day log your progress into your calendar.
Remember the break out of the sales clerk.
By focusing on a small daily goal you attain the larger one. I met a sales clerk you was selling candy bars. Her goal was to sell 1500 candy bars in a month. She knew if she asked each and every customer that one out of 5 buy a bar. She had calculated based on the number of customer she handles in a hour how many candy bars she would sell in an hour and multiplied that by the number of hours which gave her the daily total times the number of days. Based on her performance she had already surpassed her goal because she was focused on a specific item and at three weeks had sold 2200 candy bars surpassing her goal.
Working your plan and focusing only on your daily goals will accelerate you to your long term goal. My experience has been when I have taught goal setting sessions many people work through the whole process then take it home and put it in a safe place. In the follow up session of 6 months later only 2 out of 20 students will actually take action.
That is why 20 percent of the people do 80 percent of the work and make the money they are seeking. Are you in the 20 percent?
"By doing this exercise you become very factual where you will be. You will talk, walk and think differently. With purpose you accomplish each and every task because you know the purpose is to get you to your next step. It is the way you think about it that make the huge difference. Each step is with purpose and cause."
I would like to talk about my friend Kurt. Kurt created a 10 year plan. His goal was to create independent wealth and a home free and clear. Kurt planned his plan - worked two jobs and did some freelancing on the side. Kurt hit his goal before hit the ripe old age of 40! He followed his plan with the help of a financial planner. He has a $350,000 paid in full home and would not have to work another day in is life unless he chooses to. How did he do it? He set a long term goal, broke it out into daily, weekly pieces, created 5 vision boards and viewed them in prominent places. He located the help of a professional to help achieve his goal and broke it out daily. Then he tookACTION. The small step lead to large results.
Taking action and creating accountability is the largest part of achieving your goals. How does one create accountability. There are several ways. I personally use a mentor. Each week I have to call my mentor and report my actions and accountability. If I fall short - we talk about how I will make up the difference. This keeps me on track.
I also share my goals with others. I walk and talk my goals. When I meet these people throughout the year what do you think they ask me? Not how is business they ask have you _______? What is your - have you? This is a very powerful tool. If you are planning on a purchase of a new home in a year. Tell everyone one - I am buying a new house by (date). When you meet people you have told the first thing they remember is have you bought your house yet? Your reply is no not yet but by (date).
Accountability is very important. Writing down your goals and achievements are key. Tell everyone about your goals and keep them in front of you. Live your goals, breath your goals and you will achieve all of your goals.
Please let me know about your goals and how your are tracking and working toward them. Write me here.
You say you do not have time. Let me break this down even simpler for you. Most of us carry a cell phone. Most cell phones have a note pad or calendar. I like the calendar to record my progress. Weekly I take the progress notes and place them into a spreadsheet. This takes me about 10 minutes per week. It keeps me focused as I track each and every mile of my journey to my 5 year plan.
I have 10 more months on my plan I will accomplish my goal at the pace I am working my plan in 11 months. Can you project with confidence the same?
If you missed last weeks lesson you may view the archives at GenieNetwork.net.
Today it is time today take 15 minutes out of your schedule and go with a pen and paper in hand to a quiet place. Ask yourself silently where do you want to be in 5 years? Shut your eyes and visualize a picture of your life at that point. Visualize details - sites, smell, environment, accounts, job or your life. Create a mental picture of details.
Just like my friend Kurt who needed to pull from his network professionals to assist him in hitting his dream you may have to pull from your network.
How can networking assist you with your goals? You now know what you need daily you need to communicate it with others. Lets assume if you are a realtor or mortgage person - ask who do you know who just had a baby? Who do you know will be retiring this year? Who do you know is looking for a job in another state? Why? Because life events people remember and they all effect the home. Using your network of professionals will accelerate your goals but you need to communicate to others. My goal today is to find 5 people who just had a baby who do you know that is having a baby? By using these techniques will accelerate your database of contacts which will increase your closings which increase our ROI.
One must always think - what creates my customer? Once you understand what creates your customer you now understand and know what to ask for. Over the next few weeks we will expand on this subject. You will learn more in Networking Boot Camp. (coming soon)
Your destiny is in your hands. The choice is yours to take action or put your goals in a safe place.
If you are in a group and want to begin setting goals please take a moment and review tools to assist your group. Group Exercises
I have spoken to so many of you who have been to my Art of Networking™ sessions who have had great success in today's marketplace. Each week I will share a conversation with you. Today I am continuing with goal setting.
Imagination is the beginning of creation. You imagine what you desire, you will what you imagine and at last you create what you will. George Bernard Shaw
Over the past few weeks we have addressed creating a path - a goal - a roadmap to your success. With out a goal it is nearly impossible to attain where you want to be. Today we will be creating a tangible vision of your goals. If you missed past newsletters we have archived them here.
Creating a Vision Board
A vision board is a creative collage of your goals. Over the past few weeks we have discussed how to set goals, develop goals, create a vision of long-term goals as well as bite size pieces.
A vision board can be made several ways:
Digital Poster Board Core Board Card Board Portable Photo/Scrap Book
The most important part of a vision board is to have it where you are. Let me explain. Vision boards are to transcend you to where you want to be. It feeds your subconscious mind, conscious mind and places your goals in front of you at all times.
Before you begin you will need to have a few items. The first item is a list of your goals. Clear, concise list of what you want and where you want to be in five years.
Next, you will want to picture of your goals. If a new house is part of your goals find a picture of the house you want to own. May-be not the exact house but one like the one you want to own. Travel is part of your goals find a picture of the place you want to go. Today it is easier than ever to locate photos without buying a truckload of magazines, don't get me wrong magazines work too. I use a combination of magazines and artwork from the Internet just print in color. Locating the artwork is very easy if you have done your homework and have your clear, concise list. If it a money in a bank account make a copy of your account and put the numbers on your statement you want to see on your actual statement in five years. You may choose to use a single word or two. Be creative.
Once you have located all your pictures or scenes of the items on your list you will need a pair of scissors and a glue stick or two. Next you will need a picture of you that shows a time you were happy and smiling.
Now the fun and best part is assembly. Remember this is a collage. First place the picture of you in the center of the board. All around your picture in random order glue pictures of your goals. You may also choose to categorize your vision board by separating goals into categories. Example, personal, business, travel, spiritual, relationships.
Vision boards keep you focused and clear about your goals. The big thing I realized when creating a vision board is it became very clear to me what I truly wanted and clarified my goals.
I spend many hours in front of my computer. In addition to my core board vision board I created a digital slide show of goals. Now while I am working my goals are flashing at a slow pace in the corner of my computer screen. Creating a mini photo album is another great way to keep focused. I keep pictures of trips I am taking, items I am going to own. I share them with people I meet and friends.
Please email me and let me know how your vision boards have progressed. info@GeniUSA.com I look forward to your feedback.
"By doing this exercise you become very factual where you will be. You will talk, walk and think differently. With purpose you accomplish each and every task because you know the purpose is to get you to your next step. Think of this exercise as if you and your family are going to Disney World. You talk about it. You plan where the monies will come from. You set a date and you begin to map your trip. Your career, a new account, your plans for the next five years is no different. It is the way you think about it that make the huge difference. Each step is with purpose and cause."
I have 10 more months on my plan I will accomplish my goal at the pace I am working my plan in 11 months. Can you project with confidence the same?
If you missed last weeks lesson you may view the archives at GenieNetwork.net.
Mapping your success. Success is having a very clear and concise picture in your mind of what you will accomplished. Once you have that picture and you are very clear we will begin to map out how you will get there.
Most people never accomplish their goals because they do not map them. You will begin to map them weekly. The time commitment is minimal - but the pay off of is large.
If you are in a group and want to begin setting goals please take a moment and review tools to assist your group. Group Exercises
I have spoken to so many of you who have been to my Art of Networking™ sessions who have had great success in today's marketplace. Each week I will share a conversation with you. Today I am continuing with goal setting.
Imagination is the beginning of creation. You imagine what you desire, you will what you imagine and at last you create what you will. George Bernard Shaw
After talking with hundreds of business professionals from all walks of life - I asked - do you know where you will be in 5 years? The answers I received are alarming. Many have a vague answers. Some are slightly more specific but mostly vague. This is nothing new many of us hear this but take no action - now is the time to TAKE ACTION.
Last week we left off with visualization and where will you be in 5 years. This week we start the plan. To understand and know where you will be it starts with inventory. No not tangible goods although for some it may be tangible goods. Inventory is where you are today. Depending on your passion of where you want to be in 5 years and what your goals are will depend on how you start your inventory.
Imagine you are going on a road trip. You know where you are starting and you know where you are going. You plan your route, miles, stops and events to get there. In life it is no different to setting goals so in your minds eye you are creating a tangible map to get to your destination in 5 years.
Let us start with inventory. If your goal is money related you start with where you are now and how much you will need by year, month and day to get to your goal. Once you have established and broken down each figure you need to calculate how you will attain the figure.
If you are looking to save for a house what down payment will you need? What do you need for a nest egg in case of emergency. Just looking at the figures it is daunting at best. By breaking it down into daily numbers it becomes bite size and you keep you log of progress - watch it grow. You know if you attain the bite size you will automatically get the large goal.
If you are business person trying to grow your business. You calculate your ROI on each transaction (sale). If you are looking to increase your sales by 25% how many contacts to make a sale? How many more sales do you need in a week to attain? This goal is a bit more challenging to stay on track because when you increase contacts and the length of sale time varies for each business. It is best to track daily contacts to meet your goal and track sales by week and month to see the results. Knowing if you increase your contacts to increase sales by 25% the end result does come but sometimes at a slower pace.
By focusing on a small daily goal you attain the larger one. I met a sales clerk you was selling candy bars. Her goal was to sell 1500 candy bars in a month. She knew if she asked each and every customer that one out of 5 buy a bar. She had calculated based on the number of customer she handles in a hour how many candy bars she would sell in an hour and multiplied that by the number of hours which gave her the daily total times the number of days. Based on her performance she had already surpassed her goal because she was focused on a specific item and at three weeks had sold 2200 candy bars surpassing her goal.
"By doing this exercise you become very factual where you will be. You will talk, walk and think differently. With purpose you accomplish each and every task because you know the purpose is to get you to your next step. Think of this exercise as if you and your family are going to Disney World. You talk about it. You plan where the monies will come from. You set a date and you begin to map your trip. Your career, a new account, your plans for the next five years is no different. It is the way you think about it that make the huge difference. Each step is with purpose and cause."
Your challenge this week is to break your large goal into bite size pieces. Start with 5 years, monthly, daily and if appropriate like the clerk who is selling candy bars hourly. The key to your success is WRITING IT DOWN. Keeping a simple log, a record of accountability.
OK you say you do not have time. Let me break this down even simpler for you. Most of us carry a cell phone. Most cell phones have a note pad or calendar. I like the calendar to record my progress. Weekly I take the progress notes and place them into a spreadsheet. This takes me about 10 minutes per week. It keeps me focused as I track each and every mile of my journey to my 5 year plan.
I have 10 more months on my plan I will accomplish my goal at the pace I am working my plan in 11 months. Can you project with confidence the same?
If you missed last weeks lesson you may view the archives at GenieNetwork.net.
Now is the time today take 15 minutes out of your schedule and go with a pen and paper in hand to a quiet place. Ask yourself silently where do you want to be in 5 years? Shut your eyes and visualize a picture of your life at that point. Visualize details - sites, smell, environment, accounts, job or your life. Create a mental picture of details.
Is it financial freedom? A job? A big account? A new house? A new car? What do you see in your mind's eye. Once you have discovered where you want to be in 5 years start writing. Write in detail of how it feels to be there. What you have accomplished in those five years. Take a moment to feel, see and sense the accomplishment of your imagination and goals. WRITE IT DOWN!
In great detail write it all down as if you have accomplished your goals. Write each and every detail as if you are there.
Over the next few weeks we will be breaking down goal setting and mapping your success. Success is having a very clear and concise picture in your mind of what you will have accomplished. Once you have that picture and you are very clear we will begin to map out how you will get there.
Most people never accomplish their goals because they do not map them. You will begin to map them weekly. The time commitment is minimal - but the pay of is large.
If you are in a group and want to begin setting goals please take a moment and review tools to assist your group. Group Exercises
Next week - How networking can make your goals come quicker, more efficiently and lead you to the next level.
