You can read this posting at Business networking Now.com The website of BforB Hull, Eastb Yorkshire and North Lincs
Thursday 30 September 2010
Wednesday 29 September 2010
The S Word
When you go networking, keep in mind the S word – it will get you more referrals and better results in general.
What am I talking about?
Specifics.
Here are 4 (of the many) reasons why being specific is of great use at your Business For Breakfast meetings:
Firstly, you can talk about the specific benefits of your business. Which of these 2 pitches do you think you will remember in half an hour?
A – We provide a high quality coaching service that covers many aspects of business growth. Customers are always happy with our service and we get many referrals.
B- Our business coaching covers on and offline marketing, leadership skills and advertising. Last year we were responsible for on average a 20% profit increase in our clients’ business. Referrals account for 70% of our new clients.
Another reason to be specific is that statistics are more
easily remembered than more general statements. In the above example the 70% is impressive because it is something measurable that we can apply to our own businesses.
Thirdly, if you use your pitch to ask for specific referrals this is likely to yield better results. Asking the group if anyone can introduce them to a web designer, or better yet to John Smith the (very hard to reach) web designer, will stick in their minds. Even if they don’t know whoever you want to meet, they may know someone who does.
These are just 3 ways to leverage the S word. What other ways can you get more specific at networking meetings?
What am I talking about?
Specifics.
Here are 4 (of the many) reasons why being specific is of great use at your Business For Breakfast meetings:
Firstly, you can talk about the specific benefits of your business. Which of these 2 pitches do you think you will remember in half an hour?
A – We provide a high quality coaching service that covers many aspects of business growth. Customers are always happy with our service and we get many referrals.
B- Our business coaching covers on and offline marketing, leadership skills and advertising. Last year we were responsible for on average a 20% profit increase in our clients’ business. Referrals account for 70% of our new clients.
Another reason to be specific is that statistics are more
easily remembered than more general statements. In the above example the 70% is impressive because it is something measurable that we can apply to our own businesses.
Thirdly, if you use your pitch to ask for specific referrals this is likely to yield better results. Asking the group if anyone can introduce them to a web designer, or better yet to John Smith the (very hard to reach) web designer, will stick in their minds. Even if they don’t know whoever you want to meet, they may know someone who does.
These are just 3 ways to leverage the S word. What other ways can you get more specific at networking meetings?
The Greatest Virtue in Networking
What is one of the main reasons for failure in networking?
Impatience.
We all know that networking is very rarely something that producesimmediate results, but it is wise to take a step back sometimes and really understand the power of patience when it comes to networking.
Just consider the following:
It takes anything between 7 and 37 contacts on average to make a sale these days. (A contact is any occasion that a potential customer is exposed to your brand. So meeting you at a networking event + visiting your website + receiving a mailshot + an email + seeing your advert = 5 contacts).
Do you really think that you can turn up to a group, make your 60 second pitch, and watch the orders roll in?
People’s buying behaviour has changed since the credit crunch. Consumers(including business customers) take longer to come to a buying decision than they ever used to. You need to plant the idea in your prospects’ heads, then wait for it to take root.
You never know when someone will need your product or service. The selling guru Richard Denny once told his sales staff that the person with the most number of ‘No’s from potential customers would get the following Friday off work. Why was this? Because he knew that a ‘no’ often means ‘not today’ – and that the prospect might well come back when the time was right.
These are 3 extremely powerful reasons to be patient with your networking.
Impatience.
We all know that networking is very rarely something that producesimmediate results, but it is wise to take a step back sometimes and really understand the power of patience when it comes to networking.
Just consider the following:
It takes anything between 7 and 37 contacts on average to make a sale these days. (A contact is any occasion that a potential customer is exposed to your brand. So meeting you at a networking event + visiting your website + receiving a mailshot + an email + seeing your advert = 5 contacts).
Do you really think that you can turn up to a group, make your 60 second pitch, and watch the orders roll in?
People’s buying behaviour has changed since the credit crunch. Consumers(including business customers) take longer to come to a buying decision than they ever used to. You need to plant the idea in your prospects’ heads, then wait for it to take root.
You never know when someone will need your product or service. The selling guru Richard Denny once told his sales staff that the person with the most number of ‘No’s from potential customers would get the following Friday off work. Why was this? Because he knew that a ‘no’ often means ‘not today’ – and that the prospect might well come back when the time was right.
These are 3 extremely powerful reasons to be patient with your networking.
Tuesday 28 September 2010
A strong CASE for speed networking
Just got back from a speed networking event at the KC stadium in Hull. Very worthwhile as I met a good number of interesting people. Most interesting of all was Andy Batty who runs CASE, an employment support charity.
Andy's job involves finding employment for people with learning difficulties. He works with employers to find people work placements, short term contracts and even full-time contracts. Andy and his team assess employers' needs and match them to the skills of the people he supports. Very often, thanks to Andy's intervention, employers are able to adapt their work place to help accommodate people with learning difficulties who, as Andy says, are often the most talented, honest and loyal of employees.
Part of the buzz I get from networking is the opportunity I get to lear about other people's skills and the services they offer. Here's the link to his website, I thoroughly recommend it.
Sunday 26 September 2010
Why miss out on F ups?
F ups refer of course to follow ups, as an essential component in effective networking.
This link is to an article by Kelley Robertson. He is talking for a sales perspective butthe points he makes are valid from the perspective of developing networking skills with ethos of Know Like and Trust.
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