When you are wrong admit it quickly

I received a referral last week from a surprising source. A year ago this person sent me an email complaining about something I had said. My recollection was different and I made by point, but I apologised. After all the meaning of our communication is what is received (which can be very different from what we think we say!).

When the opportunity arose I said sorry personally. It turned out that it was a misunderstanding, but we spoke for a while and furthered the relationship. Our respect for each other grew and, crucially, our mutual trust. I've seen many instances where resentments and feuds have built instead because of the absence of real communication.

Good Networking!
Dave Clarke

Trawler fishing v. fly fishing

I was reading this post from Richard White today, "Know your audience". In it he used an analogy about fishing to illustrate his point that the more you understand your audience the better you are able to attract them. It reminded me of a fishing analogy that I have used when speaking about business networking.

Many people tend to go trawler fishing when they should be fly fishing. In their desire to take every opportunity they widen their net as much as possible saying things like:
"I have no target customer"
"What we do is for everbody"
"We deal with any size of business"
The effect of this is that nobody knows what they are looking for.

Contrast this with the fly fishing approach when the person has honed their offering to a specific problem they solve for their target niche. An example is the person who says "We specialise in helping professional service firms win profitable new business". Immediately they have a point of connection with other people working with professional services firms and a potential new networking relationship.

Good Networking!
Dave Clarke

Word of Mouth: The real action is offline

With everything written about the Internet you could forget the importance of actually meeting people.

Most of us utilise networking in our marketing because we recognise that personal recommendation is the most effective route to market. The Keller Fay group say that "According to McKinsey, three-quarters of all industries are driven by word of mouth. Bain says there is no better force to drive sales growth than strong customer advocacy".

In this article from the group, Word-of-mouth: The real action is offline, they point out that 72% of all word of mouth interaction takes place face-to-face, with a further 18% by phone.

It's important to have an effective marketing mix and the Internet is clearly important. Do make sure, though, that you invest enough time in meeting people. You can't engage in enough conversations personally so make sure that you are building a trusted network of advocates. Your advocates will be talking positively about you when you are not there.

Good Networking!
Dave Clarke

Sharing your expertise 2

In a previous blog (here >>>) I wrote about the importance of finding ways of sharing your expertise when networking.

Small business marketing expert, Nigel Temple, has written a quick guide to blogging. If you find the idea of starting your own blog a little daunting it's well worth a read:
"Blogging: is this the next Big Thing?".

Good Networking!
Dave Clarke

Networking is not Selling!

I went to a "networking event" last week that was promoted as an opportunity to "meet your best potential client". The expectation this sets is all wrong and leads to inevitable disappointment.

Networking is about building trusted relationships with other business people who introduce you to your "best potential client" time after time.

Good Networking!
Dave Clarke

Make Business Networking Follow Up a Habit

Get in the habit before you attend your networking group of setting aside time in your diary for follow up and 121s. Then when you have really connected with someone you have already made time to follow up.

As Aristotle said, "We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit."

Good Networking!
Dave Clarke

How many people do you need to meet?

If business networking is a vital part of your business development strategy you may want to ponder a few questions if you haven't already:

1. How many qualified referrals do you need every month
2. How many advocates do you need to generate those referrals
3. How many relationships do you need to have in progress to grow those advocates
4. How many people do you need to meet 121 to start & progress those relationships
5. How many people do you need to connect with to get those 121 meetings
6. How many groups do you need to belong to in order to get those 121s arranged
7. Which groups do you need to attend to decide which ones to join

Good Networking!
Dave Clarke

To meet your competitors or not

Some business networking groups only allow one representative from each trade or profession. That works for some and not for others.

I met an accountant a couple of weeks ago and he asked me if we imposed such a limit at NRG. I said no and asked him where he got most referrals. He thought for a minute and answered, "Other accountants!"

Good Networking!
Dave Clarke

Do you make time for 121s?

I met someone today who said he had been finding it difficult to make the time for 121 meetings. He knew that they were the single most important thing for building trusted relationships. His solution has been to set aside one day at an easily accessible location with coffee bar, restaurant and wireless internet.

He then schedules meetings from morning until evening and has seen an immediate benefit in his networking results. Make sure you find a way to make time for developing those all important business relationships.

Good Networking!
Dave Clarke

Become a good listener

Some of the best networkers I have met are introverted and shy people. Why? Because they build relationships, which builds trust. Most importantly, instead of pushing themselves forward, they tend to be good listeners. As such, they usually find out more than those looking for the next opportunity to hear their own voice!

Shy professionals also tend to reflect on what people tell them. This ability to remember what others say and value is critical to fostering good relationships.

Good Networking!
Dave Clarke