How to get what you want from your networking in 2010

Yesterday I posed the question 'What do you want from your networking in 2010?'. The way to ensure you get what you want is to go about it strategically. Set your goals and plan the activities that will help you achieve them.

The temptation is to set yourself the goals you have as targets. The problem with this is that you may be targeting things outside of your control. The important thing is to target yourself with those activities that you do control and that will lead to the results you desire.

I discussed this in 'Applying the 7 habits to your business networking'. Habit 3 of Stephen R Covey's Seven Habits of Highly Effective People is 'Put First Things First!' Set yourself targets for the things that YOU can control.

In 'Applying the 7 habits to your business networking' I included these as examples:
• The amount of time you can devote to networking
• The number of events you can attend
• The number of 1-2-1’s you can arrange
• How much time you can spend online
• Building a contacts database
• What introductions you can give
• Choosing the right networking organisation for you

Listen to this short podcast for the simple steps involved in developing a strategy to generate more business from your network.

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Dave Clarke
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What do you want from your networking in 2010?

As you reflect on the year gone by and maybe make some resolutions for next year it is worth thinking about what you want to achieve through your business networking activity.

In 'Applying the 7 habits to your business networking' I wrote about Stephen R Covey's Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. Habit 2 is Begin with the End in Mind. Unless you know what you want from your networking then how can others help you?

Once you have clearly identified what you want that's a great start. Combine that with going about it in the right way and you are well on the way to achieving your networking goals.

Take a listen to this podcast on the subject;
'Why are you networking & are you prepared?'

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Dave Clarke
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Merry Christmas & Happy New Year

Season's Greetings!
Dave Clarke

A simple way of standing out from the crowd

I recently changed the email address I use to send out emails. I am still using the old one and have not informed anyone that I am using a new address. I did it to simplify the way things get dealt with in my office. What I find interesting is that new messages to the older email address have dropped by over 90%. Further analysis shows that the vast majority of regular emails (excluding spam) are replies to me rather than new ones. This is not unusual as most people react to events rather than initiate them. In other words most people are reactive rather than proactive.

In business networking this means that most do not follow up after you have connected at a networking event. This gives you a great opportunity to be different by becoming one of the proactive few. By simply getting into the habit of following up first with that nugget of information or that helpful introduction.

'Be Proactive' is the 1st habit of highly successful people according to Stephen R. Covey in the best selling Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. Read about 'applying the 7 habits to your business networking here'.

Good Networking!
Dave Clarke
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How do you manage your contacts?

After yesterday's post on 'how good are you at staying in touch' a couple of contacts asked how can you 'manage' your contacts. It's becoming a problem for them because they use a combination of Outlook and other software and online networks are adding complexity.

Here are some things that I do to help manage the interactions with my network:

1. I use our internal contact management system in the member area of the NRG-networks website.
2. In Outlook I arrange my contacts into categories so that I can ensure I am spending enough time with my Inner Network & Advocates. I talked about these categories in a podcast, How to start building your network.
3. I arrange my online contacts into lists or groups on the different platforms.
4. I use an Outlook plug in from Xobni.com which shows me whether a contact is on Linkedin, Facebook or Twitter together with their latest updates.

I would be very interested in learning how you manage your contacts.

Good Networking!
Dave Clarke
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Are you good at staying in touch?

Like many others at this time of year we receive a number of letters from old friends summing up the year just gone by. It's great to hear about the stories they share. Sadly this seems to be the only time of year we do hear from some people. So it is great to find that more and more old friends, colleagues and acquaintances are creating profiles and posting updates on social networks and social media sites.

My experience is that online networks are great for staying in touch and a really good way to get started is to connect with the people you already know. You can also reconnect with people you have lost touch with. The major ones for me are Linkedin, Facebook, Twitter and Ecademy.

I created my profile on Linkedin about six years ago. More and more people I meet express the view that Linkedin is increasingly more important for business connections.

I joined Ecademy six years ago too and I have found it great for two things;
1. Connecting with some great people and building friendships through the clubs that meet offline.
2. Learning all about online social networks and social media.

I joined Facebook more recently and it is very useful for both social and business communication. I have a personal profile and a business one too. On the social side I am regularly in touch with family and friends who share news and photos. On the business side I can interact with people with similar interests.

Twitter is great for sharing content and signposting others to the useful stuff that people in my network provide regularly.

For more how the online fits into networking generally see 'How to Effectively Combine Offline & Online Networking'.

Good Networking!
Dave Clarke
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Getting in front of the right people at the right time

Many people in business networking often say that they have no problem selling. Their biggest problem is getting in front of the right person. I feel they often need to add something else. It is not just getting in front of that person, but doing it at the right time.

Business to business and professional services are usually bought when someone has a problem or issue they need to solve. You need to have a very good idea of these problems and issues within your target market. The critical thing then is to educate your network with the signs that identify someone with those needs. They can then advocate you and your services to the right people AND at the right time.

Good Networking!
Dave Clarke
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Is this the ultimate in networking?

In a meeting earlier this week someone was describing how he was developing a new venture with a business partner. He described his partner's approach to building business, "Give me one contact and I will build a business!"

It was very refreshing to hear him describe how he went about this by genuinely building close working relationships. Over time both parties gain substantially from the investment in the relationship. His approach is the opposite of many people who think networking is mainly about meeting new people. In reality they are spending lots of time getting to know very little about the many people they meet.

Most of us will need more than one close relationship to build a business. I think the important lesson is to spend more time getting to really know the people that we do meet. You really can build a business by spending your networking time in developing relationships and growing advocates within the right group of people.

Good Networking!
Dave Clarke
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Are you casting your net too wide?

When you are networking you don't want to miss on any possible opportunities that the people you meet may know about. This can lead you to casting your net very widely and talking about what you do far too broadly. In this podcast 'What is Your Niche?' I take the fishing analogy further to help you really focus on your target market. Listen here:

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Dave Clarke
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What Matters Now

In 'What Matters Now: get the free ebook' Seth Godin writes about a new ebook he has organised. In it 70 big thinkers each contribute a page in which they share an idea for you to think about as we head into the new year. Then after thinking about them to do something with what you learn. Download and read it below.
What Matters Now
The overall idea I take from it is how much more we can achieve when we collaborate!

Good Networking!
Dave Clarke
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A simple way of helping

Have you ever listened to someone introduce their business at a networking event and thought to yourself "I have no idea what that means"? It happens a lot, but most of the time that person will be unaware that they are not communicating effectively.

Whenever it happens I am reminded of a scene from the film, "I, Robot". In this scene Dr Calvin (played by Bridget Moynahan) was asked by Detective Spooner (played by Will Smith) “What do you do?”

She replied "My general fields are advanced robotics and psychiatry although I specialise in hardware to wetware interfaces in an effort to advance our anti-amorphisation project.”

He clearly had no clue what she was talking about and asked again, “So what exactly do you do?"

She replied, “I make the robots seem more human.”

The next time you hear someone and have no real idea what they mean you can help by asking them some questions to find out exactly what they do and who for.

Then suggest that they might want to use the simple version next time.

Good Networking!
Dave Clarke
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Networking with Decision Makers

"I need to be networking with decision makers and budget holders" or something similar is a phrase I hear often. It is often a result of a misconceived idea about networking. The idea that networking is about finding a room full of prospects, exchanging business cards then moving on to the next. That is not networking, it is selling.

Business networking is about building relationships with your peers so that over time you help, support and introduce each other to opportunities to sell your services. Over time you build trust through a series of exchanges or networking transactions. The people you meet in business networking are decision makers and the route to those budget holders you want to meet. They are constantly making decisions about whether they like you, trust you and are prepared to refer you.

The quickest way to get them to make a negative decision is to constantly sell to them. In short, as I have said and written before, networking is not selling!

Good Networking!
Dave Clarke
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Survival of the kindest

On his blog this morning Internet Psychologist Graham Jones poses the question "which kind of people do you like the most? Those who divide and rule, or those who are less selfish and try to help others?".

He asks this in his article, Helping others online could boost your business, which is well worth a read. He writes about recent research from the University of California at Berkeley which suggests that the helpful, altruistic individuals around us are the ones that are doing best in our modern society. The article referred to by Graham is entitled Social scientists build case for 'survival of the kindest'. The article includes this

"In a wide range of studies, social scientists are amassing a growing body of evidence to show we are evolving to become more compassionate and collaborative in our quest to survive and thrive."

Good to see some solid academic research into the whole ethos of how networking works. As we know the more you help others the greater your chances of success.

Good Networking!
Dave Clarke
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Networking and starting a new business

Someone said to me yesterday, "there are a lot of people starting new businesses so where you advise them to start networking?"

My advice was that they should start by listing all the people they already know. They will already have trusted relationships amongst their existing social and work contacts. They should make contact with those people and re-establish those relationships if necessary. They will then be able to identify any gaps in their network and where they need to start addressing those.

In this podcast, 'How to start building your network', I talk about how to identify the people already in your network. Listen here:

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Dave Clarke
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Are you willing to share?

In a meeting yesterday with a couple of people who run mastermind groups we were discussing the attributes of people who are successful in those groups. First and foremost they need to be open minded and keen to grow. They also need to be willing to share, learn, contribute, take responsibility and apply what they learn.

Very similar attributes to the people that are successful in networking. They are also willing to share, learn, contribute, take responsibility and apply what they learn.

They share their knowledge and contacts and learn all they can about those they meet and their needs. They contribute fully to the groups they belong to and take responsibility by providing leadership and inviting others. They apply what they learn about the others by connecting them to the things and people they need to succeed.

All that motivates others to do it for them too.

Good Networking!
Dave Clarke
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Building friendships that will lead to business

I was chatting on Friday with someone about my last blog post, Should you join that networking group? She agreed with the view that you need to like the people when joining a networking group.

She said that she also looked for groups with professionals from similar backgrounds to hers and who operate in similar markets. She is not looking to just make friends, but build her business along the way.

It struck me that 'building friendships that will lead to business' is a pretty good definition of the process of business networking in a group.

Good Networking!
Dave Clarke
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Should you join that networking group?

At the end of a recent event a visitor said to me "do you think I should join this group". I replied that I was biased, but could he answer yes to the following 3 questions.

1. Do you like the people in the group?
2. Over time could you introduce them to your trusted contacts?
3. Do you have the time in your diary for attending the events and following up?

He asked why those questions and I said, "Unless you like the people you are not likely to make the effort. If you can make introductions for the others then it is likely they can do the same for you. Finally, you need to have the time to invest in building relationships."

He smiled and asked for an application form.

Good Networking!
Dave Clarke
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The Not So New Rules Of Networking

Yesterday I wrote about the New Rules of Networking. Of course this is not new as I was reminded by this quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson is his Essays on Compensation nearly 170 years ago!

"It is one of the most beautiful compensations of life, that no man can sincerely try to help another without helping himself."

Good Networking!
Dave Clarke
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The New Rules Of Networking

I found some great advice from Paul Simon in this blog, The New Rules Of Networking.

"Not too long ago, networking consisted of walking into a huge meeting room at your local hotel or a large business site and handing out business cards to as many people as you could. Now that is all but ancient history. Networking today can build your sales, but only if you heed the new rules.

Successful networking nowadays means toting along a sincere interest in helping others instead of a box of cards and brochures, shelving your selling fervor in favor of making genuine acquaintances, and recognizing that creating reciprocal relationships will pay off much greater in the long run than any possible quick sale."

Good Networking!
Dave Clarke
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Social, Learning & Business

At a recent networking meeting the discussion turned to why people were networking. The consensus was that it was about business, but it was important to build relationships first.

One of the members said for him it was social first, learning second and then business. He drew this picture to demonstrate.

He explained it further by saying,  "firstly it's social as it can be lonely working in a small business so it's great to meet other relevant professionals. Secondly it is important to learn new things from your peers. Then as you get to know, like and trust the others a natural consequence is business."

It reminded me of a quote from someone at a networking seminar a couple of years ago when I asked what networking was to him and he said, "Networking is about making friends you can do Business with".


The key point is that it is the relationship first and business follows.

Good Networking!
Dave Clarke
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Do you get networking?

I was chatting with a couple of people yesterday after a networking meeting that I facilitated. One of the people said, "The great thing about this group is that all the people get it"

I asked what he meant by 'get it' and he said "They are a likeable, intelligent and friendly bunch with solid businesses. Everyone is there to help the others achieve their business goals first and foremost. They are relaxed, not desperate and not selling to each other."

A wonderful summary of the attributes of great networkers!

Good Networking!
Dave Clarke
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Advocacy by Penny Power

I was really pleased when Ecademy founder Penny Power asked if she could quote me on Advocacy in her new book Know Me, Like Me, Follow Me - what online social networking means for you and your business.

Penny was at a meeting when I presented and subsequently wrote about here a couple of years ago on networking for advocates. She wrote about this in her book and what she learned about advocacy.

"The greatest aspect of 'like me' is is the power of creating advocates around your knowledge, people who will 'talk about you when you are not in the room'. To me this is real network value. 'Know me' cannot achieve this ... you cannot achieve this advocacy without having a relationship with that advocate."

Read more from Penny at the Know Me, Like Me, Follow Me Blog.

Good Networking!
Dave Clarke
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Leaving the wrong impression

A recent post, 'Are business cards a necessity for business networking?' received replies here and also on links to the post on my profile on Twitter, Facebook, and Linkedin. A great example of the need to keep up with your conversations online.

The consensus of the replies about business cards was that they were a necessity in business networking. I agree with that view and they should support the professional brand image you are looking to build through your networking. A strong visual identity is a very important outward manifestation of your brand and the quality of your business cards needs to be aligned with that.

A word of warning though about using free business cards with 'Business Cards are FREE at...' on the reverse side. I have seen a couple of people using these recently and the recipients all said they raised serious doubts about the credibility of the presenter.

Good Networking!
Dave Clarke
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Who answers your phone whilst you are out?

One of the points covered at last week's Client Attraction Techniques Masterclass from Small Business Marketing Expert Nigel Temple was response time. Your clients or potential clients often want an answer right now. Indeed this is so important that 80% of business people do not leave a message if they get an answer machine or voicemail.

If you are investing valuable time in generating leads and referrals from networking and other business development activities you don't want to lose out when you can't answer the phone personally. It is uneconomic for may small businesses to employ a receptionist. There are, however, many virtual office and phone reception services available for a relatively small fixed fee or you can pay as you go.

We use a phone answering service from Verbatim for our inbound phone calls. It's an efficient, professional and cost effective way of ensuring we don't miss those important calls. Especially those that require a quick response!

Good Networking!
Dave Clarke
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Networking Lessons from the Law of Contract

One of the first subjects I studied in Law was the Law of Contract. In order for a contract to be a legally binding agreement a number of distinct elements need to be in place:

1. Offer and acceptance
2. Intention
3. Capacity
4. Consent
5. Consideration
6. Legality
7. Possibility

These indicate that the parties have not just discussed a possibility, but have a definite agreement about a desired outcome and the specific things required by each to fulfill this.

There are great lessons to be learned from this in networking. Many people are not really getting the most out of their networking. They are just meeting people and hoping for the best. Success in networking is something that will remain a possibility rather than a probability.

Those that follow a structured and systematic approach to building trusted relationships do really well. They do the things they need to do for others in their network and those others will know what they need too.

It is a good idea to get together with your really good business contacts and find out if you can agree specific things to help you each achieve your business goals.

Dave Clarke
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Who do you want to talk to?

In a One2One this week a mutual acquaintance was mentioned by my friend. She said this about him "I really like and trust him, but I have no idea how to help him in business because he is really vague about who he wants to talk to".

Later I was able to relay this message and ask the person who would be a good prospect. After a few minutes I understood clearly the frustration felt by my friend. He committed to work on the problem and come up with something to help his network to help him.

It is really important to get people to know and like you, but it's equally important to be clear about who and what you are looking for.

Good Networking!
Dave Clarke
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Your past can connect you with your future

At a networking meeting lunch last week someone said to the person sitting next to me "what did you do before this new business of yours?" He talked about his previous Corporate role and said "but that won't be relevant to anyone here". He could not have been more wrong!

One person had worked for another division of the same corporate and another was engaged in a project with them currently. It's a big mistake to think that the people you used to work with are not relevant or not interested in what you are doing now. As you build new relationships that will be very important in the future don't forget the people you have worked with in the past. You have already invested in these relationships and built trust. If you have moved on then they might have too.

In 'How to get started with this networking stuff' I wrote about the importance of keeping up with existing relationships.

Good Networking!
Dave Clarke
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Does Your Selling have the Partnership approach?

Many business owners and professionals are strangers to the world of selling and can run into problems with a misunderstanding of the approach required. Richard White's The Accidental Salesman® is often a very apt description. Successful selling is not about being pushy and looking to 'close' everyone you meet. The best networkers are very clear about what they do and for who - their target market. They are friendly, helpful and constantly looking for opportunities to connect their network with people, knowledge & opportunities. They also understand that people will buy from them when they are good and ready and adopt the same approach of helping and educating prospects.

I attended an excellent Client Attraction Techniques Masterclass from Small Business Marketing Expert Nigel Temple yesterday. I am sure Nigel's stuff will inspire a good few blogs in the days ahead. He touched on the psychology behind the new sales & marketing several times. A powerful illustration was the experience of shopping at the John Lewis Partnership. The Sales Assistants there are truly deserving of that 'assistant' title. They are`there to assist us in making an informed buying choice. Always ready to answer questions and leaving us with the decision at all times. They understand something I learned from a Sandler trainer about Newton's Third Law and the way it also applies in selling. The law of reciprocal actions states, 'To every action there is always an equal and opposite reaction: or the forces of two bodies on each other are always equal and are directed in opposite directions'. If you try and push someone to buy something they will push back. I know what my reaction is when I get pounced on as I walk through a shop door.

Nigel suggested spending some time in John Lewis watching them in action. Not a bad idea if you have the time.

Good Networking!
Dave Clarke
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Which conversation would you join?

If you walked into a networking event & the subject of everyone's conversation was in a speech bubble above their head which one would you join? During a recent seminar from Ecademy founder Penny Power about what online social networking means for you and your business Penny got the attendees to split into groups. After a few minutes she invited everyone to share the subject of the conversations. In spite of being at a business event the majority of the conversations were not business related. They were about the things that people were interested or passionate about.

Most of the time we will not have a useful 'speech bubble' so ask questions to find common ground. Be interested and you will find as I wrote yesterday Everyone has something to say. Finding what someone has to say and giving them the time to say it means listening first. That's what the people who do really well in networking do all the time. Listen and engage first rather then pitch and move on.

Good Networking!
Dave Clarke
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Everyone has something to say

Ecademy have been running a series of blogs about members to inspire others and show the power of social networking. In the 11th Community Story Steven Healey shares his story and provides great a couple of great insights into networking in general:

"To me networking is about listening... everyone has something to say.

To me networking is about doing... unless you take action nothing happens."

If you have the time read the whole story at the link above.

If you are wondering how to get started then follow Steven's challenge:

"My challenge is a simple one - Take the first step.

If you start networking online, and simply create a profile on a website then sit back waiting for the world to beat a path to your door... nothing will happen.

You need to be the one who takes the first step.

Write a blog, and interact with the people who comment... then write another blog.

Write an email, and interact with the person to whom you sent it , then write another email. Greet people at meetings , listen to what they have to say. Repeat until you know everyone in the room. Take the first step if someone needs help and you (or the people in your network) can."

Good Networking!
Dave Clarke
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You had to dance

I remember an Uncle telling me about Saturday nights at the local dance hall. It was the night when young men and women would go to meet their dates or in the hope of finding someone to date. My Uncle told me that in order to get to know someone you first had to dance. This was easier when it was organised to ensure everyone got to dance with someone. Other times you just had to pluck up enough courage and ask a stranger.

I was reflecting with a couple of people yesterday that this is very similar to networking. You have to have the equivalent of a dance before you can get to know the other person and build trust in a business relationship. In networking that means having a meaningful conversation and creating a connection first.

The people I was chatting with all said they found it easier to do this at networking events where there is some facilitation and structure.

Good Networking!
Dave Clarke
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Does your website tell us about you or some Corporate We?

In an excellent talk at an NRG networking lunch in London this week Ecademy founder Penny Power was sharing some of the insights from her new book. Know Me, Like Me, Follow Me is all about what online social networking means for you and your business.

One of the points was that building trust is fundamental. Your clients are more interested in the person behind the brand not the brand. One of the mistakes that small businesses make is to try and look bigger and more corporate than they really are. You can see this in many websites which are all about some 'Corporate We'. People are much more interested in YOU than that.

Good Networking!
Dave Clarke
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When did networking start working for you?

At a recent networking group lunch one of the guests on the table asked a member "does this work for you?"

"It does now!" he replied and then went on to explain that for about six months he had attended the meetings and nothing else. He said "It took me that six months to take note of Dave's advice and start having One2One Meetings. That's what has made the difference."

If you haven't started then why not try and schedule a couple of One2Ones with people in your network. If you're not sure what to do in one of these meetings see my earlier post, 'How to have a good One2One meeting'.

Good Networking!
Dave Clarke
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Competition or Collaboration?

I was speaking at a seminar last week when someone with an IT support business said "I want to find Networks with fewer IT people because that means more opportunity for me". When we explored the subject he agreed that he actually got most referrals from other IT related service providers and said "Forget I said that. What I actually mean is that I want to find Networks with MORE IT People!"

Looking at others as competition is perfectly natural, but very few small businesses really compete directly. Very often other providers will provide complementary services and as you speak to the same buyers you can quickly build a referral relationship. Over time that will often lead to collaborating on bigger projects than you may be able to win on your own.

Good Networking!
Dave Clarke
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How to really connect with someone

Last week in 'How many business cards are in that desk drawer?' I wrote about the meaningless swapping of business cards that sometimes takes place in networking.

Networking is not about swapping business cards and moving on. You need to engage in conversation first to start the relationship. Listen to more about really connecting in this podcast:

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Dave Clarke
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Do you spend too much time meeting new people?

In a couple of seminars and One2One sessions this week we have discussed the amount of time spent on Networking. We have then broken that down into time spent in different aspects of networking:

1. Meeting new people
2. Getting to know existing contacts better
3. Spending time with your Inner Network
4. Building trust with your close contacts or advocates

Most people agree that before people buy from you or refer you they need to know, like and trust you and that takes time. You need to meet first, but then you need to keep meeting the people you like to really get to know them and build that trust.

The people I discussed this with during the week were spending nearly all their networking time on meeting new people with almost no time left for the most important relationship stuff. Getting to know the people they like and have already met. Then building trust with the ones they know and like.

Do you need look at your networking time?

Good Networking!
Dave Clarke
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How many business cards are in that desk drawer?

I was presenting the NRG Business networking Advocacy Model earlier this week when the question of collecting business cards came up.

I was talking about the importance of following up and asked how many in the audience had piles of business cards from events that they had never done anything with. Like most audiences there were knowing and embarrassed smiles from a good number.

I still meet people at networking meetings, who just collect a business card and move on. Sometimes all they do is just give out their own card! Most people are not like this at all. They are genuinely networking to develop relationships, but forget about following up when something else comes up back at the office.

If you don't follow up then you may as well be aiming for 1st prize in a non existent business card collecting competition.

Good Networking!
Dave Clarke
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Building your Pride

A couple of people recently have asked for advice on selecting people for their Inner Network. At the Referral Institute Conference last week Dawn Lyons and Jill Green spoke about the lessons you can learn from the different roles played by the members of a Pride of Lions in organising around a common goal.

Networking is about helping others as a way of growing your business, but it is important to build your pride with others committed to the same approach and with access to the right markets. People who will share your passion for what you do and who you can be passionate about too.

After the conference Dawn emailed me with some more on the subject of building your pride:

"The key to building your own pride is to first realize you have the right to select your pride members. Select wisely! Select pride members who are:
1) professional
2) they understand how to refer you
3) they believe in and are highly skilled in referral marketing
4) they have a want to and a desire to help you
5) you also enjoy referring them to others

Start slow and build your pride to 4-8 members and watch your referral business grow!"

Good Networking!
Dave Clarke
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Ways of helping your advocates to refer you

I spoke at an event last night about the NRG Networking Advocacy Model*. The model suggests that effective networking is a result of building trusted relationships with your Inner Network. Others that share the same target market as you and provide a complementary service to yours. Over time you will actively refer and introduce some of these as you get to know, like, trust and rate them. Some of these will form your Advocate Network, the small group of people who regularly go out of their way to find introductions and referrals for you.

The speakers at the Referral Institute Conference last week all reinforced this view of networking. Sarah Owen addressed the subject of helping others to advocate you as you advocate them. The very act of advocating someone else is motivation for them, but only if they know! Unless you educate them on this and what you are looking for they will probably miss opportunities.

In your One2One interactions have you made sure they really know what you do and where? Can they pass on why you are good and what you love about your business? Do they know how you want to be promoted and who specifically you want to meet? Is there anything else that would make you stand out?

They may be saying things about you that you could use yourself.

*My previous post 'The Advocacy Model: Develop Advocates' has more detail and links to further posts on this subject.

Good Networking!
Dave Clarke
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Asking for referrals

The subject of when it is right to ask for referrals came up at a networking meeting last week. In 'Are you stuck doing lots of networking with little reward?' I wrote about Mike macedonio's talk at the Referral Institute Conference on the VCP process (tm). VCP is the acronym Dr. Ivan Misner uses for Visibility, Credibility, and Profitability.

Mike emailed this 'nugget' to me afterward on this very subject:

"I do believe that in order to get referrals we need to ask. The key, however, is to know how to ask and when it is appropriate to make the request. When is the right time, you ask? The right time to ask for a referral is when BOTH parties are in the Credibility phase of the referral relationship. Networking should not be a system which ends up alienating your friends and family. Be conscious of the deposits you make into your relationships before you start “writing checks” or, in essence, ASKING for referrals from those you have relationships with."

As I wrote last week to be in this 'credibility' phase requires that each party knows each other and what they do and they perceive each other to be reliable and worthy of confidence. It's no good asking for a referral before someone even really knows you.

Just being part of a group does not mean you are known. You have to put some effort into building relationships. As I have written previously 'You don't get fit just by joining a gym' you have to follow a good process. I spoke to someone else last week who had been a member of a group for a year, but received no referrals. Part of the problem was he was not even known by many other of the others as he had only been able to attend one in four of the meetings! When you join a group make sure you can attend regularly and invest time in getting to really know the other members first.

Good Networking!
Dave Clarke
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Networking and Sex

The theme of one of the sessions at the Referral Institute UK & Ireland Conference was 'Networking and Sex - The Perfect Combination!' Hazel Walker shared some great insights from the findings of research she has completed with Ivan Misner on the different approaches to networking between men and women. Her talk was all about helping men and women to network more effectively with each other. She shared some great advice on the subject of asking for referrals and expanded on the presentation from Mike Macedonio that I wrote about a couple of days ago (Are you stuck doing lots of networking with little reward?)

The research findings suggested that men can have a tendency to go for a referral before establishing a good relationship. On the other hand women can be happy to carry on with the relationship and never ask for a referral. So women need to learn from men about asking for referrals at the right time and men need to learn from women about nurturing relationships first.

Hazel used some great dating analogies to illustrate the different approaches between men and women. Her forthcoming book on the subject promises to be a great read!

Good Networking!
Dave Clarke
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Referral Marketing lessons from the Golf Course

Another speaker at the Referral Institute UK & Ireland Conference earlier this week was Mike Holman, Referral Institute Franchise owner and former Golf Professional. Mike entertained and educated us with the lessons to be learned from golf that can be applied to your referral marketing. In golf you generally have a specific target and play 9 or 18 holes accordingly. Unless you have a real vision for your business you cannot see & share the targets that will help you get there. Successful golf involves alignment, balance, timing and practice. It's the same in referral marketing. Your network needs to be aligned with what you do, the balance of giving and receiving needs to be right. In 'Are you stuck doing lots of networking with little reward?' yesterday I wrote about the relationship building that needs to be in place before the timing is right for profitable referrals.

Mike quoted Gary Player on the subject of practice when someone congratulated him on a lucky shot. Player agreed with the spectator and said "Yes and you know the more I practice the luckier I get!"

See this great video of Tiger Woods for someone who puts it all into practice on the golf course:


Good Networking!
Dave Clarke
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Are you stuck doing lots of networking with little reward?

At the Referral Institute UK & Ireland Conference yesterday Mike Macedonio spoke about people who spend a lot of time networking, but who are effectively invisible. He spoke about the VCP process (tm) which is the acronym Dr. Ivan Misner uses for Visibility, Credibility, and Profitability.

Mike explained that you have to move through these stages in a referral relationship. This takes time, effort and commitment, but people often spend their time getting to meet lots & lots of people without ever getting to really know anyone. In practice profitability is achieved by going deep and establishing trusted relationships.

Visibility is only established when you know who someone is and what they do and they know the same about you.

Credibility is achieved when you each perceive each other to be reliable and worthy of confidence.

Profitability is when you are both consistently and proactively referring business to each other.

Does that mean that Visibility Networking is not important? No, you have to establish visibility first and that sort of networking will often be the place where you can introduce and find referrals for those in your Inner Network.

Read more about this in Mike's article 'Just Ask. Right? . . . No.'

Good Networking!
Dave Clarke
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A great example of follow up

Making sure you follow up with the people you meet is the vital 2nd step in building business relationships. It's often the thing that gets forgotten as business cards pile up in your office! The people that do follow up stand out and some of those really make a great impression.

Several weeks ago I met someone who promised to send me some information. A few days later the information arrived in the post along with a copy of a book we had been discussing. That has prompted further interactions which are the building blocks of a profitable business relationship.

Are you in the habit of regular follow up?

Good Networking!
Dave Clarke
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More on what networking is not

I met someone recently through networking who asked for a One2One meeting to 'explore possible ways of working together'. I agreed to the meeting, but the experience was entirely different. The other person did not approach it as a mutual exchange amd presented his business for the entire time. Instead of a One2One it was more of a One@One!

Building trusted relationships is fundamental to getting results from business networking. These take time and include many exchanges of help, support and referrals. It is often within One on One or One2One meetings that these exchanges take place. Make sure you approach One2Ones in the right spirit of building relationships through mutual exchange.

See 'How to have a good One2One meeting' for more on the subject.

Good Networking!
Dave Clarke
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Networking is still not about selling

I have blogged before that networking is not selling yet I still meet people at networking events that are intent on selling to the room. I was at an event the other day where a couple of people were complaining that they had got clients the first couple of times they attended, but those sorts of people didn't come any more.

What a shock. They were probably put off by people selling to them all the time. As I often write networking is not about selling directly. If you build relationships in the right way then you don't have to sell. Your network does it for you!

Good Networking!
Dave Clarke
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What is important in your World?

In response to my post 'What you say is less important' Christopher Neufeld said "An excellent point, although it should take note that you need to get the other person to open up and start discussing what is important to both of you."

He is right about the need to engage with someone in order to start a conversation or get them to 'open up' as he put it. The things that really engage someone are those that are important in their world. I was speaking at a recent event for the owners of independent retail and catering businesses about generating business in the run up to Christmas. The brief was excellent because it summarised the main concerns they have right now which meant the speakers could address those immediately and engage from the start.

It's the same in a One on One or small group. To engage and start a conversation ask questions about the issues they have. It's those conversations that create the connections that start the networking process.

Good Networking!
Dave Clarke
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Which email grabbed my attention?

I received an email earlier this week which included "I have an event coming up ... can you promote to to your network". As you might imagine I get many such requests. The same day another email arrived which included "I am just putting together next month's newsletter, do you have an event in November you would like us to promote?" I know that he has an event that he would like me to promote, but he has offered to do something for me first.

He understands that in business networking it is important to give first before you receive.

Good Networking!
Dave Clarke
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