“Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.” 

–Thomas Edison

Some business people are not networking effectively. Most are networking according to old rules, which are really old habits. And old habits really do die hard when it comes to business networking.

1.     Talking with those you already know for an exorbitant amount of time. Business networking is about making contact with strangers. One of my favorite sayings by “best selling” author Harvey Mackay is, “If you’re networking with people you already know. You’re not a network, you’re an ant hill!” By the way, an exorbitant amount of time is any amount of time over five minutes. How long does it take to ask and get an answer to “How’s things since I last saw you two weeks ago?”

2.     Walking into a networking event and making a “bee line” to the first person you spot that you already know. Old habits are hard to break. If you want to avoid the results mentioned in number one above. You must make the effort and have the courage to walk up to the first stranger you come face to face with at a business networking event. If you don’t do this immediately it will become even tougher to break out of your comfort zone. The function will quickly turn into net-socializing instead of “Net-working”

3.     Spending a lot of time around the buffet table and wet bar. If you have read any one of my three books on Fearless Networking, you know that these locations are where the shy and bashful people hang out. Having sold over 120,000 networkers my books, right here in the Houston, it’s a pretty good chance that you have been pegged. Just kidding. People that spend a lot of time around the buffet tables or wet bars are some of the easiest people to approach. Just don’t block my path to the hors’ d’ oeuvres are to the wineJ.

4.     Not having any business cards to hand out. This can easily happen.  You can leave them in the coat you wore last. So, keep twenty business cards on hand in your car’s glove compartment. Even if you parked three blocks away, around a corner, go get your business cards!

5.     Failing to take the time to build a relationship first, instead of immediately jumping into your 60 second product or service spiel or your 30 second elevator talk. It’s a proven fact that People do business with people they know and like. The next time you are tempted to do this, ask yourself:  “How can people get to like and know me, when I am talking about myself and my needs rather than listening for their needs, concerns and business issues?” Remember the old adage, “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” Trite but true!

6.     Using a networking meeting as a way “net-fun” or “net a date.” Those who do this, you know who you are. The sad thing is, just about everyone else also knows. When your primary purpose is to “net-fun,” just know that this type behavior gets around very fast. Even if you are a terrific businessperson you can quickly gain an unwelcomed reputation.

7.     Drinking to gain the confidence to meet strangers at a networking event. This usually backfires for several reasons. Unbeknownst to you. You become louder, sometimes red-faced and sometimes jumble your words. Even when you’re good at, as you might say, “holding your liquor” others quickly can detect when a shy person is drinking to act braver. A shy person, who is drinking to overcome his shyness, is still a shy person when he drinks. He just thinks he’s braver.

8.     Signing up on LinkedIn, Twitter and Face Book and never going beyond signing up and agreeing to link with others, Social networking is a terrific way to promote your product and services, brand yourself and build relationships.

9.     Joining a networking group and not vetting the group to see whether it is the right fit.

10.   Being a part of networking group to primarily seek referrals and not much interested in giving referrals. As Dr. Ivan Misner, founder of Business Networking International (BNI) says, “Givers Gain.”

Find out more about fearless networkng for business and a job at www.fearlessnetworkers.com

“Success is like wrestling a gorilla. You don’t quit when you’re tired- you quit when the gorilla is tired.”

–Robert Strauss

Networkers and salespeople are too quick to jump into their product and service spiel. In other words, they rush into their 60 seconds product/service introduction or their 30 seconds elevator speech. Why is this? Well. For one thing when you meet a prospect at a networking function say, the first thing after a polite introduction is the question “What do you do?” This is our cue, to say exactly what we do, how well we do and how we differ from the competition. It is also our cue to exchange business cards. What’s the problem, you may be asking? The problem with this approach is that no attempt to build a relationship has been made. After all, people do business with people they like and trust. Note: It’s okay to state your job or business title however it is not the time to go into detail about what you do for a living. It’s wise to remember at this point the old adage: “People don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care.” Show people you care by asking questions about them and listening attentively for ways to help or contribute to their business or profession through the sharing of advice, information, resources and referrals.

The above approach (jumping into your product or service spiel) actually slows down or even blocks our attempt to establish a business relationship. A better approach after a polite introduction is to do the following:

1.     Begin to build rapport by making small talk about how the person is associated with group hosting the networking function. Also, talk about a popular, non-political media story. For example, the weather, gasoline prices or perhaps a recently aired reality TV show.

2.     Start to identify common ground by asking about family, hobbies and giving back to the community.

3.     Finally, it is okay to share what you do for a living. Doing so in your well written 60 seconds product or service introduction or 30 seconds elevator speech is right on target.

4.     Begin listening attentively for challenges, needs, wants, and goals as you ask appropriate and timely open ended questions about customer or employee challenges, technological needs like web site design or search engine optimization or goals to build a more profitable business.

5.     Keep in the forefront of your mind business associates that can help meet the issues, needs, challenges or goals mentioned.

6.     Offer the help of someone in your network of business associates that can help meet the issues, needs, challenges or goals mentioned.

7.     Perhaps set up a meeting over  refreshments (coffee or tea) to discuss how you can help each other by sharing advice, information, resources (for example: a social media link) and referrals.  Follow the One-on-One (Dance) track found on page 96 of the book “Fearless Networking – 2^nd Ed” and learn specifically how to market your associate’s product or service offerings and she yours.

8.     Now, exchange business cards and jot the date and time of the one on one meeting on the back of the card received. Later enter your appointment for a one on one on your digital calendar.

Hopefully, you can see the importance of establishing a relationship before jumping into your usual spiel about your products or services. After all, think about how you feel when you meet someone that you like because you share common ground, goals and values. Don’t you feel much more relaxed about doing business with this person?

NOTE: To find out more about fearless networking, go to www.fearlessnetworkers.com.  

“Fear exists only when you’re focused inward”
–Mary Kay Ash

In my opinion, networking at trade shows, conventions and business expos is quite simple when you know how to make connections fearlessly. Follow these steps to dramatically boost your efforts at making the right contacts at these venues:

1. Have a written plan with 3 hot topic areas that you would like more information on and 3 professional development skill areas you would like to enhance. Seek to gain this knowledge and information not only in presentations/workshops and at expo booths, but also from contacts you meet in the hallways between these events.

2. Prior to walking into a job fair and trade show, convention or expo-type event, visualize yourself confidently greeting others with warmth, sincerity and enthusiasm. The key here is to use visualization (seeing you taking positive action) with emotion.

3. Then focus solely on being of service to others. Ask yourself: How can I help others to feel good about them selves? And how can I contribute to this person professionally? When your focus is on “how can I get others to feel good about me?” you come across as insincere and, perhaps, needy. When you focus on helping others you come across as caring. Caring attracts.
4. Set a reasonable objective of the number of people you will help. A good rule of thumb is to meet one person in between each presentation and during each break.

5. Look to connect with others that impress you with their knowledge/ideas through their comments and questions in presentations and at expo booths. Target the connections that match your written plan topic areas.  Before setting out to meet a connection, think about what you may be able to add to a conversation in your topic area.  

6. Strive to spend at least 10 minutes to begin building a relationship and to plan at a later time to communicate via phone, e-mail or social networking sites such as Linkedin, Twitter or FaceBook. If there appears to be a strong mutual interest in getting to know each other professionally, you may suggest meeting in between the next presentation or during the next break or for lunch or dinner to continue your conversation. If you’re at the venue for several days plan to meet before the end of the trade show, convention or expo.

7. After introducing yourself with a smile and firm handshake, start off by talking about the venue or even the weather to break the ice. Compliment the person on what impressed you and then begin to identify common ground by talking about family, interests and a work related topic.

8. When complimenting or giving positive re-enforcement to others, always use evidence to support your compliment. For example, “Sue, you were very helpful to Frank, offering him on-target advice on how to solve his dilemma.” Or, “Bob your presentation on the latest technology was very informative. I learned a lot of practical, useful advice.”
9. Keep your network of associates in the forefront of your mind. Be ready to help others with a referral by learning more about the other person’s job or business frustrations, concerns, needs and wants. Also, you can learn more by listening actively and attentively.
10. When in direct conversation, make sure that you get enough information (behavioral examples) through using open-ended questions beginning with who, what, when, where or how. This will help identify members of your network qualified to assist the connection with a solution to their needs, concerns, frustration or wants, if you can’t

To learn more about fearless networking, go to www.fearlessnetworkers.com or follow and link with Ken on Twitter, FaceBook, Linkedin or Plaxo.

“People do business with people they know and like.”                                                                                                                                                                              –Nationwide “Business Week” survey

I believe the best way to obtain quality referrals, is by having a one-on-one meeting. Preferably face to face but it can work online through direct or private messages. One-on-one meetings help you learn the details of how to market the services of an associate to people you are connected to online and offline. Even Twitter realizes the need to meet with followers for networking purposes when logistically practical. Thusly, Twitter has coined the phrase “Tweet up.” Meeting one-on-one will not be effective without a marketing strategy and commitment by both parties to share information that will help or contribute to marketing each other’s services to each other’s associates. This is the point where I will, once again, share a personal definition of business/Career networking: Building relationships by striving to share advice, information, resources and referrals that will help or contribute to the business or professional development of your connection, friend, fan or member. The operative word is sharing and the sharing begins in the one-on-one meeting. Both parties will ask and answer the questions in the S.H.A.R.I.N.G. track.

What type of information are you sharing during your one-on-one meetings or Tweet ups? Here’s a help. Following are 7 steps toward providing business networking referrals through S.H.A.R.I.N.G.:

Service or product specialties: Ask, “What product or services do you or your company specialize in?” List no more than 3 or 4. For example, an associate of mine is an SEO (Search Engine Optimization) specialist. In addition to providing SEO services, his company also develops or revises web sites and provides assistance with writing Blogs and press releases for additional brand visibility.

Help or contribute. Ask, “How can I help or contribute to your business or professional development?” For example, my SEO specialist associate said to “provide referrals that need to generate sales leads or web marketing strategies to position their services in the top positions on search engines like Google and Yahoo, or to update their web site or develop a new web site.”

Approach a prospective referral. Ask, “How would you recommend I approach a prospective referral for you?” For example, my SEO specialist said that when I am in conversation with a prospective referral I should say “You know how when a prospect Google’s you? They type in key words related to your services and if you are not found on page one or two you are definitely missing out on potential sales. Well what my friend Al does is he gets and keeps your business seen in top search results consistently. What that means to you is that you consistently generate sales leads.” “Is this something important to you?”

Relate a service story. (Use the S-A-R format, S = Situation (Problem/Need) A = Action (Action taken to resolve problem) R = Result (Result of action taken, preferably, bottom-line impact or return on investment)) For example, my SEO specialist said “One of his SMB (small and medium business) clients:    S = Needs to increase brand visibility and generate more sales leads across 3 market segments. A = Al’s SEO and Search Engine Marketing (SEM) monthly process set key metrics in the 3 market segments for increased brand visibility and lead generation on a consistent monthly basis. R = Delivering consistent measurable results (Month after month client is consistently in the top positions on Google/Yahoo) and has generated a 42% increase in sales leads on average across 3 market segments.”

Identify prospective referrals and where to find them.  Ask, “Who are your most profitable prospective referrals and where will I most likely find them?” For example, my SEO specialist associate said for me to “look for small and medium businesses C-level staff members who are expressing, a sincere desire for ROI in marketing, brand visibility and lead generation. You can find them at B2B (Business to Business) networking groups like the Greater Houston Partnership and at Chamber events.”

Next level needs. Ask, “What would you need to do to take your business or profession to the next level?” For example, my SEO specialist associate said that he is looking to hire 4 inside sales reps who can qualify leads and 3 employees that have at least 2 years proven experience as effective networkers for new business development.

Giving what you want. Ask, “If I could wave a magic wand and resolve your top 2 business or professional development challenges, what challenges would they be?” For example, my SEO associate said that his “Top 2 challenges were a) recruiting sales staff willing to work for commission only, and b) finding a B2B (Business to Business) group that meets at noon or after hours.”

“People will pay a great deal of money if you can help them become fascinating.”     –Sally Hogshead, author of Fascinate: Your 7 Triggers to Persuasion and Captivation

If you are using social networking to build your business presence online, the following assessment questions will provide insight into how well you are utilizing social networking sites/services. Below is an answer legend to help score your personal assessment.

1. Do you approach social networking by focusing on giving first, to build your influence?
2. Have you asked, through direct or private messages, your friends, fans, followers, members and links for a commitment to share advice, information, resources and referrals?
3. Do you provide value to your friends, fans, followers, members and links in the form of business/professional tips, Blogs, inspirational quotes, articles, helpful links (videos, podcasts) and questions that are thought provoking and that engage them?
4. Do you invest time to find out what fan pages, community pages, groups your friends, fans, followers, members belong to so you can best help or contribute to them in a business or professional way?
5. Do you invest time in reading profiles and biographies prior to becoming friends with people requesting that you become friends with them?
6. Are you developing a presence by providing consistent quality to your friends, fans, followers, members and links in the form of links to helpful business videos, Blogs, press releases, podcasts, or articles, at least every 7-10 days?  
7. Are you familiar with the jargon of the social media sites you have joined?
8. Do you always give credit to authors of inspirational quotes/clips, business tips/quotes and excerpted diaries, articles and books?
9. Do you promote your friends, fans, followers, members and links through recommending them?
10. Do you update your profiles, biographies and photos in a timely manner?
11. Did your write your profiles and biographies with regard to keywords or key phrases that will get you noticed by potential customers?
12. Do you have a working knowledge of the main features of the social networking service you are a member of?
13. Are you dressed professionally in your public profile avatar (photo)?
14. Are you using proper grammar in comments, Blogs, profiles and biographies, for example, the proper usage of “Who versus Whom,” “Its versus It’s,” “That versus Which,” and “I versus Me?”
15. Do you give ‘thanks’ in your comments to friends, fans, followers, members and links who provide helpful advice, information, resources and referrals?

Answer Legend:

In the above personal assessment, if you answered ‘yes’ to questions 1 and 3 and to at least 10 other questions, you are a savvy business social networker. If you answered ‘yes’ to at least 10 questions and ‘no’ to question 1 or 3, you are an “average” business social networker.

Use the above personal assessment as a guide to what you need to be doing to become a savvy business social networker.

To learn more about Fearless Networking go to www.fearlessnetworkers.com

“We grow in direct proportion to the number of people we meet and serve.”

–Tom Hopkins, author of “Selling in Tough Times: Secrets to Selling When No One is Buying”  

As you read and implement these 7 approaches, you will discover that the following definition of “Fearless Networking” will help keep the ‘big picture” in mind: Building Relationships with a focus on sharing advice, information, resources and referrals by first striving to help or contribute to the person you come in contact with before seeking to persuade him or her to do business with you.

1. Approach social networking the same as you would face-to-face networking by giving based on astute listening. When face-to-face networking, you are listening attentively between the lines for emotional needs, wants and concerns of your connections. When social networking you should be reading between the lines for needs, issues, concerns of your followers, friends, fans and members.

2. Build your ROGI (Return on “Giving” Investment) by focusing on “giving” first and watch your influence grow.

3. How to increase your ROGI? Think of 3 things that would be important to your followers, fans, friends, fans and members and provide links to articles, Blogs, audios and videos related to 3 things most important to them. To help accomplish this, invest time in finding out what pages they are a fan of, what groups they belong to, and become more familiar with their profile and community pages and be consistent in “giving” them what they want. As a dear friend and associate of mine, Gerry Fusco of Fusco Consulting, who coined the phrase ROIT™ (Return on Invested Time), would say, “Increase your ROIT™ through developing a culture of humble listening.” Your ROIT™ will be reflected in a dramatic increase in the number of followers, fans, friends and members.

4. Keep track of your ‘giving” and your ROIT™ by using a source like Google.com/analytics.

5. An endorser of my book “Fearless Networking!), Dr. Ivan Misner, founder of BNI (Business Networking International), popular mantra is “givers gain.” Don’t be reluctant to ask your friend, fans, followers and members for their commitment to share information, advice, resources and most of all, referrals. This is best done by face-to-face meet ups, if possible, or via personal e-mails, or social networking direct/private messages.

6. One of the quickest and most effective ways to get found on social networking groups is by “giving” value. Value comes in the form of business/professional tips, inspirational messages or quotes, and questions that engage your followers, friends, fans and members, as well as, the Blogs, articles, etc. mentioned earlier.

7. Keep “giving” at the forefront of your mind. After all, “giving” just as building rapport and trust, is a foundational principle of successful face-to-face and social networking.

Find out more about “Fearless Networking” at www.fearlessnetworkers.com.

“To accelerate trust, a message can tap into values that extend over time.”

– Sally Hogshead, author of “Fascinate: Your 7 Triggers to Persuasion and Captivation.”

When asked, “what is the reason for your success”, most successful realtors will point to “relationship building.” In any business, relationship building is based upon value-added behavior. What are you doing to add value to the service you’re providing your clients and prospective referrals? Following are success steps for building and maintaining trusting relationships:

1. Your primary focus should be on how you can help the other person achieve her goals.
2. Before, during and after networking functions think about helping others in attendance in their personal and professional lives. That could simply mean offering a sincere, uplifting thought or idea. Poor networkers approach a networking function with this single overriding thought, “how can I make myself look good to those in attendance,” or “How can I persuade others to buy my product?” This type thinking focuses solely on you providing the help through your product or services and leaves out your network.
3. When someone does a favor for you or helps you in any way, send a handwritten note of appreciation. In this day of electronic messaging sending a handwritten note will set you apart from most other relationship builders by making a lasting impression on the receiver.
4. When you determine through questioning that your client or prospective referral is having a difficult time reaching a hard to get contact, use your personal connections to help.
5. Become more adept at giving the other person a fine reputation to live up to and becoming genuinely interested in the other person. These two principles I use to help build and maintain relationships can be found and explained in detail in Dale Carnegie’s popular book, “How to Win Friends and Influence People”.
6. Be observant for needs and wants and offer the assistance of others in your network.
7. Create joy and happiness for others by joyously giving unconditionally to others your time, interest, connections and support.
8. When making heart felt connections with others, make notes of important key information such as birthdays, anniversaries, hobbies, interests, favorite sport teams and business interests and reconnect with cards, give gift cards like “Starbuck’s”, magazine articles and tickets to sporting events.
9. When listening to others talk about their business, think about how you can help them grow their business rather than thinking how you can convince them to buy from you.
10. Practice asking penetrating questions of who what, when, where and how variety to elicit areas of needs, wants, opportunities and concerns. Once you have identified 3-5 needs, asked the other person to prioritize them in order of importance and then identify the services of someone in your network who can help the client or prospective referral.
11. Find something you have in common with the other person. Building a relationship based on common ground builds trust quicker than trying to schmooze.
12. Become adroit at listening intently at what the other person has to say. Learn to really want to hear their story. Active listening shows a genuine interest and respect for others.
13. Arouse in the other person a strong desire to want to know more about the product or services of the member of your network you are referring. Let’s say you heard your client or prospective referral speak a concern about not having a security device for his home while discussing several break-ins in his neighborhood. Instead of simply saying my prospect John M. sells top quality alarm systems. Instead, learn to make an emotional connection (Tom Hopkins “Selling for Dummies”) and get a far better result for the person you are connecting with through a question like this:

“Wouldn’t you feel more confident entering your home knowing that if there was any danger, you would be warned beforehand? (Tom Hopkins) Without waiting for a response, quickly add, “I have an associate that can help you feel safer and secure in this way. His name is John M. and here is his business card.”

Find more information on “Fearless Networking” at www.fearlessnetworkers.com.

“A prescription without diagnosis is malpractice.” – Author Unknown

1. Thou shall consistently apply the first foundation principle of face-to-face and social networking: Building relationships for the express purpose of sharing advice, information, resources and need-based referrals.

      2.    Thou shall focus on helping or contributing to the success of your friends and colleagues

             before giving your product or service spiel. This is the way to begin building a trusting

             relationship.

       3.   Thou shall not spam.

       4.   Thou shall know and learn the main features of social networking sites like Twitter,

             FaceBook, MySpace and Linkedin.

       5.   Thou shall update your social networking profiles, biographies and contact information in

             a timely manner.

       6.   Thou shall be known for providing quality, helpful, thought-provoking communication on a

             consistent basis.

       7.   Thou shall not steal or plagiarize from others. You shall always give credit to the author.

       8.   Thou shall have a “give first” attitude, including, but not limited to, providing helpful

             links, Blogs, videos, diaries, articles, groups and  group events, that you are confident will

             match your friends and colleagues, needs and wants.

       9.   Thou shall read profiles and biographies to discover more about how you can help or

             contribute to your friends and colleagues in a personal, business and professional way.

       10. Thou shall build rapport and identify common ground and common values with new

             friends. This is the way to begin building a relationship. People do business with people

             they know and like.

To learn more about fearless networking, go to www.fearlessnetworkers.com

“Create joy and happiness for others by, joyously giving unconditionally to others your time, interest, connections and support. You will receive joy and happiness in return.”

–Fearless Networking Principle

In today’s economic recession, it’s unusual if you don’t know someone who is out of work and looking for a job. Following are 10 suggestions on helping an out-of-work friend in his or her job search:

1. Understand that your friend must go through a grieving process (shock, denial anger, 

    guilt, depression/withdrawal, acceptance) and, that it takes time to grieve. Avoid phrases

    like “you need to get on with your life.” Just sitting and listening is most appropriate at

    the beginning.

2. Encourage your friend to consider joining a job support group like a ministry group for

    people in job transition.

3. Buy a book on networking for a job. Of course, I will first suggest going to

    www.fearlessnetworkers.com and ordering my e-book “How to Fearlessly Network for a

    Job.”  Another good job and career book is by Sally Hogshead called “Radical

    Careering.”

4. Give positive reinforcement. Encourage the friend to look at the positive side of being laid

    off, the opportunity for self-discovery. Surveys suggest that 50-70% of workers are

    unhappy with their job/career. This could an opportunity to reassess career choices or

    consider self-employment.

5. Take your friend to a business expo or industry trade show. Getting out and meeting

    others in the industry always helps your friend stay on top of the latest happenings in the

    industry.

6. Provide a referral in the form of a job referral, informational interview with an associate or

    contacts in the recruiting/staffing business.

7. Tactfully suggest that the friend be an active rather than passive job searcher. Passive

    job searchers tend to spend and exorbitant amount time applying for jobs online and

    mailing out resumes. Active job searchers are attending networking functions, being

    active in job support groups, meeting referrals and are personally dropping off resumes.

8. Be an empathetic listener. However, don’t forget to share words of encouragement and

    favorite positive quotations.

9. Help recall good times. Remember, laughter is truly the best medicine.

10. If your friend appears to be battling depression encourage him or her to seek help from

     a grief Counselor; if appropriate his pastor or Rabbi.

11. Purchase or recommend an inspirational book. If you don’t know which to choose,

     suggest “50 Self-Help Classics” by Tom Butler-Bowdon.

12. If your out-of-work friend has not joined a social networking site like linkedin, Twitter and

      FaceBook, strongly recommend that they do so. There are helpful articles on how to

      find a job through linkedin, Twitter and FaceBook. Simply doing a Google search on

      this topic will provide excellent resources.

For more information about “Fearless Networking,” go to www.fearlessnetworkers.com.

“With trust, your message will comfort others, relax them, and bind them more closely to you.” –Sally Hogshead, author of “Fascinate: Your 7 Triggers to Persuasion and Captivation.”

Ever wonder, why business networking seems to not be working for you? You’ve been really putting a lot of effort into networking for over a year. You give many more referrals than you get. Others in your networking group tend to get considerably more than you get. You attend networking events and have no trouble approaching others and discussing business with them. You have even offered a fee if the referral turns into a contract. You begin to question whether the popular statement that “word of mouth advertising is the best form of advertisement” is a fact or a myth. Some people quit networking groups before examining whether they could be the main reason why they are not getting referrals from their group. Following are 7 reasons why networking may not be working for you:

1.         In networking situations, a tendency to focus more on what’s in it for me, rather 

            than how can I help or contribute. You are failing to first build a relationship before

            promoting your product or service. You are failing to build trust and trust is the

            foundation of all healthy relationships. This type of behavior says that you care

            more about you than you do about me. The old adage, “People don’t care how

            much you know, until they know how much you care,” rings so true in this

            situation.

2.         Not giving networking enough time to work. Dr. Ivan Misner, Founder and CEO of

Business Networking International says, that “for some professions, it could take as long as a year and a half to begin getting the quality and frequency of referrals you desire from your business networking efforts.”

3.         Not being specific enough when describing your ideal prospective referral to your

            network associates who are striving to acquire referrals for you. This may seem

            simple to rectify. However, a lot of business people aren’t clear about who their

            target market is. A 30 seconds elevator pitch and a one minute product or service

            presentation sometimes isn’t enough to help someone understand how to market

            you. It takes a one-on-one meeting with open-ended questions like: What are your

            top service or product offerings?, Where do I find likely referrals for you?, What

            makes you different from your competition? What testimonials and case studies

            are available for me to review that backs up what you are telling me? Author’s note:

            A one-on-one meeting should never be one sided. Make absolutely clear that both

            of you will be asking each other the above open-ended questions. If the other

            person seems to only want to talk about him or herself, then this may not be the

            referral sharing relationship you want. See number 1 above and the next to last

            sentence in number 6 below.

4.         Trying to be all things to all people. Most talented and creative people are good at multiple things. Just because you are good at something does not mean it should be part of your portfolio offering. Do you want to be branded as a “Jack-of-all-trades and a Master of None?”

5.         Not understanding and properly applying the law of reciprocity (giving and receiving). Just because you have given a referral to someone does not mean you should demand or expect one from that person in return. Business networkers who understand and properly apply the law of reciprocity believe that givers always receive back.

6.         Not knowing how to gently prod for a referral. This reason seems to contradict reason number 5 above. But, it really doesn’t. Immediately after giving a referral saying “Here’s how you can help me” is just a confirmation of a referral sharing arrangement you have with that person you just gave a referral to. After all, business networking is about building relationships with people you can count on to share information, advice, resources and referrals. You should make clear your desire for a referral sharing relationship before looking for, finding and giving a referral.

7.         Not knowing what your value proposition (VP) is or what makes you different from your competition. Being able to clearly state what your VP is can go along way in presenting you and your product or service, as a smart solution fit for a prospective referral.

Learn more about Fearless Networking at www.fearlessnetworkers.com Or call 832-368-4434.