A said "I am not really sure about this networking stuff".
B replied "It's about getting to know, like and trust people. You build relationships and as you help and refer others then others do the same for you".
A then said "That all sounds a bit woolly to me. I prefer things I can predict my cash flow with".
I described how I have a number of regular meetings with people in my network where we share an agreed number of referrals so we can predict cash flow. These are people for whom networking is not woolly, but a proven and reliable method of business development. We have invested time in building relationships and are happy to share our contacts with each other openly so as to maximise our referral opportunities.
Last week Sarah Owen of the Referral Institute presented a Networking Masterclass before the NRG Charing Cross networking lunch in London. One of the things she want through was their VCP Process™. This stands for Visibility, Credibility and Profitability*. People can believe the activity of attending networking events is enough. It is not as that can only really build your Visibility. Good networking groups provide the environment for you to build on this and create profitable relationships with people you know and others you want to know.
One of the elements of their Referrals for Life Programme is the Referral Pipeline where you get to spend a day with a trusted contact and execute a process that will efficiently generate enough referrals to completely fill up your sales pipeline!
Networking is only woolly if you are!
*VCP Process™ copyright Referral Institute 2010, all rights reserved.
Good Networking!
Dave Clarke
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