Tag: collect business cards

Attending Networking events may be a key comment in your marketing.  If it isn’t, you might want to consider how networking could benefit your referrals and recommendations.  It is a proven fact that people do more business with people they like, know and trust. So, what are some things you can do to build that in your first encounter?

(1) Ask The Right Questions

Instinctively we ask people we meet, “What do you do?”  They in turn have a canned, preprepared answer or sales pitch on a 5-10 second highlight of their best services.  What if you asked the question differently?

– “What is your gets you up every day?”

– “How is your most ideal client?”

– “If I were to introduce you to your most valuable Power Partners, who would they be?”

– “With knowing what you do, who would be someone I could introduce you to?

– “What is your favorite book and how has it helped your business?

– “Where do you find you get the most business?”

– “In given a specific ideal client, what can I tell them in Why you would be the best fit?

—-> You get the idea

(2) Write Down Key Take Aways 

Document some memorable notes on their business card or in a notebook.
*** Be sure to collect 3 business cards (you’ll see why in a moment). 
How in the world will you be able to remember every single person, their ideal client and niche without writing it down?  This is great for your memory as well as enhancing that encounter further, reminding your contact what you remembered and how best you can refer them. If I took the time to visit with you on a deeper level, I would want you to remember key points of our conversation.

(3) Earnestly think of the 3 people in your network this person might find value in meeting 

A key networker in my cycle shared with me, that if I collect 3 business cards from the person I am meeting with, I am more likely to earnestly make efforts to refer them to 3 other people. If this is your business, and you are gaining credibility, making a personal introduction hand in hand with a business card with show far more value to your meeting than just a meeting with no additional follow-up.

Networking and relationship management will either build or halt your efforts.  It takes a village to build a business and it also takes consistent visibility, follow-up and relationships to take you to a higher level of business.