Show Up

Woody Allen’s said: “Eighty percent of success is showing up.” Showing up counts. The more often you show up, the more visible you become, and the more people know you and recognize you.

Opportunities abound at the Holidays to meet new people at a very social and happy time of year. Invite someone you enjoy to go along with you—perhaps a new acquaintance or someone you haven’t seen in awhile. They make new connections, and you both win.

Many sales people refrain from actively networking. When I tell my clients that I expect them to attend at least one business networking event a week, they gasp. Am I asking them to do something so terrible?

We encounter so many people who network poorly. They shove business cards in our face and ask us to do referral marketing for them. They are loud and pushy and fail to understand that referral networking means connecting to people—one person at a time.

Get Involved

Consider networking an essential tool in building your Business Referral Network. The contacts you develop because you attend networking events emerge strong. You not only attend business networking gatherings, but you volunteer. Every organization needs and welcomes volunteers. Think about ways to contribute. Even if it is a small amount of time, you develop lasting relationships because others know your work, you deliver what you promise, and keep your time commitments.

Once you get to know people and they get to know you, you discover many opportunities to provide business referrals. Refer someone to a potential client, alliance partner, or to a person in a similar business. Give a personal referral—to an accountant, banker, or mechanic—a resource to help the other person. We become referral marketing sources for each other. How perfect!

One salesperson told me that she stopped going to certain networking groups because she didn’t receive any sales leads. She sounded desperate to me, and I bet she came across that way in her networking interactions. I told her if she relied on sales leads as a measure of networking success, she attended for the wrong reasons. Networking is building relationships and expanding our network of resources. Ultimately, we want to refer business back and forth. But that only happens when we take the time to get to know people. People do business with people they know, like, and trust. Period. End of story.

Build Your Business Referral Network

Referral networking means building relationships and being genuine. You network to make friends, sell a product, promote your company, find a job, find new clients, learn the latest from others, or gain more visibility in the business community. Business networking opportunities exist everywhere—meetings, professional associations, alumni groups, sports groups, community groups, weddings, parties, and any place people come together.

Set a goal and attend at least one networking event per week, where you meet potential referral sources. In fact, my referral marketing strategy includes proactive networking. This is a non-negotiable. Attend a breakfast, lunch, or evening networking event—or all three. Get out of your familiar places. Go where you clients go, go and hear an exciting speaker, attend professional association meetings, ask your colleagues what events they attend. Just show up!

Want great networking tips? Learn from the Mingling Maven, the leading authority and original expert on how to work a room: Susan RoAne and get her latest book, FACE TO FACE: How to Reclaim the Personal Touch in a Digital World (check out page 50 for a mention of yours, truly.)

Three Networking Goals

Manage your networking goals. My three goals when I attend a business networking event:

1. Meet interesting people
2. Learn a tip from an engaging speaker
3. Have fun.

When I achieve at least two of these goals—and I make a point to do so—great things happen!

So go out there, build your Business Referral Network, meet terrific people, and watch your business soar!

Your Affinity Network

There is a non-traditional source of referrals that we don’t often consider. I call it your “Affinity Network.” These are your natural, everyday cultural, geographic, and special-interest connections that can lead to new and increased sales.

Think about people you know, with whom you share the same cultural background (or geographic area or country). There is an affinity – a connection – among those with a common custom, perspective, or manner. In the United States, the South, the Midwest, New England … each has its own social, business, and historical culture. People from these locations often share a certain manner of speech, approach, or perspective. Think about it: Tapping into this Referral Network can provide a natural connection to new networks and new business-development opportunities.

What about others who share the same political agenda or passion for travel or sports? You feel an immediate connection to them – a natural liking, inclination, or feeling of identification.

Tap into this connection and build your referral business through your new Referral Network.

The Cultural Connector

Cultural connections can be a powerful lever in creating new sales opportunities. Think of a British businessman working for a company in the United States. The company has an important sales lead in the United Kingdom. Who would this company send to explore the new opportunity? Given the choice, it wouldn’t be someone from Texas or New York or Asia or Latin America. Smart sales execs would send the Brit, because he would more likely be perceived as “one of them.” This immediate network connection could potentially seal the sale. The sales approach, conversation, and tempo of new business development would more likely be in keeping with the client’s culture. Familiarity breeds comfort, breeds trust, breeds new sales opportunities.

I was working with the Asia-Pacific sales group of a large organization. I needed to know more about the cultural nuances involved in building relationships and referrals in that part of the world. That part wasn’t difficult to discover; I simply asked the client for some background. My biggest challenge was to make an immediate connection with the group. I began by telling them that I was fortunate enough to have made a trip to China a few months before and that I had learned two words in Mandarin – “hello” and “thank you.” I recited those two words, and they all laughed and said that my accent was really good. We connected immediately.

The Travel Connector

Travel is one of the greatest connectors. No matter what your nationality, if you are traveling in another country, you immediately gravitate to people “from home.” One of my hobbies is hiking. My sister and I travel together every year – typically on great outdoor excursions. Recently, we traveled to Patagonia. We stayed at a fabulous lodge and went on organized hikes twice a day. On our last day, I was hiking with a couple from New England. It turns out that I was familiar with the man’s industry and, in fact, I was good friends with one of the key leaders in his professional networking association. We exchanged cards (yes, I always carry business cards) and I continue to stay in touch. In fact, I might hear from him when he reads this newsletter.

The Sports Connector

And what about sports? It’s not just a “guy thing.” Before I visit a client in any city in the world, I find out how the local professional sports teams are doing. We can exult if they’re doing well and commiserate if they’re doing poorly. Football, basketball, baseball, soccer, cricket … there’s something going on all year long. And if you’re traveling in the Midwestern United States, know your college ball!

Get Human, Get Personal

You get the picture; if you can establish a common interest, the networking connection is immediate … and significant. The faster you can tap into the various connections you have, the faster you will become accepted and build your new Referral Network.

In this era of distinctly social networking, the more personal and human your connection with people is, the more valued the connection will be. Your new Referral Network will become a powerful source of new sales for you. Your sales prospecting will never be the same.

Tap into your Referral Network: Leverage your personal network and connections to propel your sales!