Networking Skills: The Power Of Patience

This time next year Rodney ...

POSTED BY JACKY SHERMAN ON 30/12/2015 @ 8:00AM

Are you like me and get loads of emails and online advertising from men (and it's always men, usually with cheesy ''trust me'' smiles) telling you how, if you follow their five simple steps, they can make you rich quick just like them? I never believe them, do you?

''This time next year Rodney, we'll be millionaires''

However, I do believe the people who tell you that if you follow a sound systematic process to your sales and marketing then you can achieve success and over time even achieve millionaire status if that's what you desire.

Referral marketing is no different. It's a business strategy to attract new customers through the process of building relationships, which results in a flow of personally recommended business. And the process of building referral relationships is all about working with those messy, unpredictable, cynical, distracted, worried, overworked creatures ... other business people ... so it takes time.

Time to find the right people
Not everyone you meet will know your type of client, so it may take a while to meet the right person. You can reduce this by ensuring you are networking with people who do, in fact, know your type of client but even then you are likely to have many false starts.
Time to get the know and trust this person
Remember, you are going to trust each other with your contacts so it's worth spending a bit of time ensuring they warrant your trust and equally demonstrating your trustworthiness to them. For some people, you may not cross their trust threshold for a year, or maybe even longer.
Time to motivate them to want to refer you
Anyone who has gone networking for any length of time will know that some people just never get motivated to make a referral for you. Most networkers have experienced newcomers who promise to refer and then disappear within weeks.
Expect people to need some evidence that you are serious before they reciprocate. Part of getting to know someone is finding out their passions and dreams and needs. If you take actions towards helping them with these then they are far more likely to reciprocate and help you back.
Time training them in how to help you
Most people will not know how to help you at first. You need to invest in giving your potential partner the information on who you want to meet, what you offer and most importantly how to introduce you. And you need to learn this from them too!
Time to work with their contacts
Give them the time they need to work with their contacts to find the right way and the right time to introduce you. Their contact has to be at the right point in their buying cycle to want to meet you.

So my tip this week is to cultivate the art of patience and follow a systematic process of building up strong referral relationships with the right people.

You may not become a millionaire by this time next year but by working through these stages in a systematic manner you will have a strong sustainable group of referral partners. They'll regularly refer you to your ideal clients, your income will have substantially increased and you will have more of that most precious commodity ... time.

If you want some help putting in place the most efficient ways of building these relationships then call me on 07970 638857 or click here to ping over an email because building the right relationships with the right people can certainly put you on your way to becoming a millionaire.

Until next time ...

JACKY SHERMAN