Networking Time Management

Can you measure your ROI?

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POSTED BY JACKY SHERMAN ON 22/05/2019 @ 8:00AM

Research shows that those who spend the most time on networking activities achieve the highest success. No great surprise there then ...

Are you making the most of your networking time?

However, it also says that on average, to achieve a regular flow requires at least 20 hours a week on networking activity. For such an investment in your valuable time, you need to be sure that you're going the right things with the right people. If you add two simple measurements into your marketing plan you can check that your referral marketing gives you the best return on your investment in time.

Below, I outline two incredibly useful measurements:

Who is providing you with referrals?
It's easy to keep a track of who actually referred you business. Most CRM systems will record the source of your customers. However, in networking it's worth tracking back the original source of the referral. As your network deepens, it also gets more complex and you may accidentally neglect the true source of new business.
When I first published this blog I undertook an exercise, tracking back my work for the previous 5 years. Nearly all the work could be traced back to my BNI membership. That membership could be tracked back to me standing in for a BNI member 9 years ago - and that referral came from a fellow associate in the Institute for Independent Business (IIB). The longest chain was 10 people long!
Why don't you try it yourself? Who referred your most recent customer? How did you meet them? Who referred you to that source? And who referred that source? It can surprise you where your business really comes from. Are you still investing in that original relationship or even the sources along the way?
What activities results in referrals?
It can be notoriously difficult to measure actual success for many forms of marketing. A famous Henry Ford quote comes to mind. "I know only 50% of my advertising works, but I don't know which 50%!".
However, unlike advertising, your activity in referral marketing is targeted to particular individuals where you have a strong relationship. So, you can measure what you have done for them and what you got back in return. Also, you know this person really well so you ask them what really motivates them to help you and let them know what really motivates you to want to help them in return.

In my work with Asentiv, I have had so many "Aha!" moments that I pass onto you through my courses. How great would it feel to find out how to maximise your networking return on investment by developing your own referral partners and building a mutually beneficial relationship with them?

You may now think it's a great idea to call me on 07970 638857 and find out more. You can also click here to ping over an email and I'll get straight back to you.

Until next time ...

JACKY SHERMAN