“I am really glad we met. I want to do business with you”. How would you like to hear a statement like that? It’s Easy! All you have to do is network. You can take all the great ways there are out there to meet, communicate, and make interactions into transactions but none will be as successful for you as networking. Nothing can every replace that face to face interaction that builds bonds between two people. No other form of contact is so strong to drive your life and your business to the greatest heights.

What is networking you may ask? There are many definitions, but it is simply connecting with people of like interests for the purpose of uncovering opportunities, sharing information and learning of best practices. You cannot do it alone. So it is imperative that one gets out and meets new people that they can get help with for information, contacts and business. You will find all parts of your life are filled with networking starting way back in kindergarten. You learn to talk to other people, learn from them and make connections that allowed you to make differences in your life.

I remember having had a friend that had a friend that was having a slumber party. I got invited because I was the friend the other friend knew. But you know by the end of the slumber party I was great friends with the one who had the party. In fact twenty-eight years later I was able to find the house where the slumber party had been and found the girl had bought the house her parents had lived in. After all those years having only been five years old at that time we still remembered each other. Networking can create long friendships and great business relationships.

The truism of networking is that when you talk to a person you have just met; you are not only talking to them but their network of hundreds of people too. You have got to be aware of that or you could make a critical mistake. Too often people look at name tags as they are coming up to meet someone. They see the name of the person’s business and they start to make judgments. They think “oh they are a plumber, plumbers aren’t going to be interested in my jewelry business” or they assume “oh I have already met several coaches or makeup retailers or whatever” and then they are already shutting down. They are already deciding that that person isn’t who they want to talk to grow their business. That is such an inaccuracy it almost takes your breath away. What a way to lose the very business you are trying to grow. They could easily have a friend or a sister or co-worker or any number of people that need to know you. But you will never meet them if you have already prejudged who is going to be the right or wrong person to talk to. Another point to consider in this matter is that what they are doing right now may not be what they are always going to do. And there very well may come a time when they too will become your ideal client.

Most people after they have heard the term networking from time to time get a pretty good understanding of what networking is. Some people though get a bit confused if you will on what is you should and should not do. You should be meeting as many people as possible. It is not about trying to see how many business cards you can give out in a certain time period. Yes, there is an exchange of cards that is important but more importantly there should be an exchanging of self. It is a time to start growing a relationship. It is not a time to be looking for a sale. This is hard for people at times. Especially at first when you are trying so hard to get the clients you want and you want to just get them as fast as you can. That is not how networking works.

To be the best networker you can be means you have to know the appropriate way to network. To start off, the very best way to network is to find out how you can be of service. What is it that you can do for the person standing in front of you that can help them grow their business? This is such a wonderful way to approach networking because it allows you to give of yourself and feel even better about yourself than you did before you started to network. Some people struggle with the best way to put this into words. Look into your heart and find what works for you. It may be “how can I be of service to you”. For others something else may work better like “what can I do for you that you haven’t been able to do for yourself”. Only you know your personality and what works best for you. The main thing is be sincere and be of service and see what happens for you.

The next best thing that you can do is to be ‘other focused’. Like being of service you want to see how you can help them. This goes even further than just being of service. When you are other focused you are listening intently to what the other person is saying. You are not waiting your turn or thinking about what you will say next. Your focus is on them and what they are sharing with you. They may help you understand what your client is looking for. They may give you clues to how you can sell to them. They may simply be giving out emotions and information that will help you grow a true relationship with this person. Always look at them and not around to see who else you could start talking to. See only them and what they are telling you. Listen, respond, and care and you will build the best relationships and networks without ever even having to really try.

This kind of falls in with the last paragraph above and that is that you always want to strive to be more interested than interesting. When trying to prove how interesting you are you will often lose the person either physically or mentally as you are talking to them. But when you focus on them and you are more interested in what they are telling you, you will see great strides in the depth and width of your network. When you are interested in someone you will start to understand them and be able to relate to them better. Instead of taking years to form friendships you will find that you can become ‘fast friends’ with them. You will know more about them and be able to understand their needs. This will aid you in helping them, serve them, and you become the person that everyone wants to be around. How would that be for growing your network if you are the one that people like to be near?

Another way to be the person that people think of as the ‘go to’ person is to share your network. What does that mean? It means that when someone says “Oh, I am looking for a virtual assistant” you are the one that can easily pull out that card and be the one to have a resource for this other person. What you can do is right that resource on the back of your card. So when the person you gave the card to contacts the other person then both people are going to know that you are the one that made their meeting possible. It is best to always have your cards in a holder of some sort that makes it easy for you to turn to and reference the people that other people need. People remember people help them connect with other people. So you want to be the one that always is there for both sides. You then become the great resource person and the one who cares enough to share what they have to help other people. You do this because networking is about giving first. When you give whether it be a name, a friendship, or a service you will get back what you give more than tenfold. It is a universal certainty that this happens. That is not the reason to do it but it is the results of doing it.

Some people ask when they should network. Always! It is that simple. You are constantly meeting people; at restaurants, airports, schools, meetings, etc. Any one can be someone you network with because remember you are not necessarily network with them directly but with all of the people they know. You never know when a casual “I work with people who…” will turn into “My friend (sister, husband, uncle, etc.) really needs to work with you”. So it is vital that you know your 10 second audio logo, your 30 minute elevator speech, and your full benefits so that depending on how much time you have with the person you are coming into contact with will get to know about your business.

Who are you customers? Good, you should know that. Who do you network with though? Everybody. Once again you are not just networking with the person you are talking to. There are so few people you want to take off your list. Just talk to everyone. Don’t prejudge who they will know and if they will know the right person. You came into contact with this person for a reason. Just assume it is because you are supposed to talk to them about your business. So let them know what you do and who you work with and then ask them who they know that could use your service. This is a key point. Because if they don’t know they are supposed to be thinking about who could use your service and they themselves don’t need your service they will think no further than themselves. You have to be the one to remind them that they have a network and someone in their network you can be of service to. Doesn’t that make you just want to go talk to someone so they can help you find your next client?

The next key question that comes up is, where do I network? Though the answer is the same as the last two questions, I am going to give some more specifics on this one. But yes, the answer is everywhere! As you know we are always so busy. Too busy to network some may even say. That is exactly what is going to help us network is the fact that we are so busy. So when you go to your dry cleaner, or pick up donuts, or take the kids to games or scouts; those are the people you can start networking with for your business. When you have to go get groceries, go get the car worked on, or go renew your drivers license; there is your audience, your potential client to begin to grow your business. Don’t waste those opportunities. Take them in hand and make the most of them.

Beyond that though, you do want to do some formal networking. So what all does that entail you may ask. That means that you are going to go to and then join organizations that are based on people networking with other people and helping each other grow their businesses. Now there are hundreds of different organizations. You are going to have to determine which ones are going to work for you. Some are going to be basically the same for any type of business and some are going to be unique depending on what type of business you do. The ones that will work for any type of business is your local Chamber of Commerce. These are people in your area and they need to know that you exist. And the only way they are going to know that if you join the Chamber of Commerce and then actually go to the meetings and events. This will give you not only the opportunity to let people know about your business but also you can learn about other businesses in the area and see what they are doing to grow their business. There may even be some joint venture opportunities that help you gain recognition and strength in your business. There is Business Network International. These are located throughout the world so there is going to be a chapter near you. They are the World's Largest Referral Organization according to their site. You need to be part of a small business network (sba.gov) that can help connect your with groups of people in your area or in your business type. Those are some of the groups that you need to consider being a part of. Along with that you want to join groups that are associated with your type of business or even other small business groups. This can be things like eWomen network, networks4computers.com, international association of botanical gardens, etc. No matter what your business is there are going to be networks associated with that and you need to be a part of them. Visit them first. Make sure they are going to be helpful and have great integrity before you join them. The main thing is you have got to be a part of networks to grow your business. And the information you learn and the relationships you build are going to just be phenomenal.

Okay you know the when, who and where. The next steps help you with how to network. This starts with who you are. Now that seems easy enough. My name is … My company is… It does start with those basics. Who you are also has to incorporate your target market. Admittedly some company names allow people to immediately know what you do. “Window Cleaning by Jan”. That one is easy to figure out. Often though our company names don’t exactly tell people what we do and that is okay. But that is also why we must include our target market in who we are. So it would be something like this: “Hi my name is Joe Smith with Doctor Time. I work with doctors who need to find more time in their life”. It is direct, easy to understand, and you immediately understand who this person works with as clients. Basically you are incorporating what you have learned before in knowing what your niche is and then understanding the market that that niche is going to touch.
The next step after the saying who you are is what your uniqueness is. Some people call this the Unique Selling Point (USP) or Unique Selling Proposition. There are lots of people out there doing the same thing you are doing. Though that might not be fun to hear it is the truth. So you have to be able to distinguish yourself from all the others out there. Why of all the people out there selling printing services should they use you? Why of all the goal setting coaches out there should they think you will do a better job? This is not always an easy part to come up with because we were taught not to brag. Well bring out the brag book because you are going to do some bragging today! People need to know why you are special. They want to know what makes you shine brighter than the other stars. So you have to let them know.

You may be thinking but that is where I get stuck. I don’t what makes me unique. This is where you have play some and think some. First off a lot of your key traits are things that have been a part of your life all along and you just accept them as who you are and yet they may be the exact traits that make you unique. I had an experience that really brought this to a head for me. Back in the corporate environment where I work my boss at the time was giving me my review. He was saying that I am so organized and get my work done in such a timely manner. He wanted me to right how I am able to accomplish that. I told him you just do your job. Okay that was not what he wanted from me. But I had to think about it. REALLY think about it. In my mind I was really just doing my job. I began to think about what he was asking. My parents had taught me if something needs to get done you get it done. Procrastination was not allowed. I am an avid list maker to make sure things get in order, prioritize and then get done and off the list. Even though this came very natural to me, I realize not everyone did things this way. So I was able to understand those traits and have something to give me boss that helped him understand how I accomplished what I did. So you really have to take a close look at you. What are you so good at that you don’t even think about? That may be your USP.

Another way of discovering what is unique about you is to remember what you liked doing as a child. The child in all of us wants to come out and play. In the same sort of mode think of things that you like to do that is quirky. One of my neighbors built sort of upside bikes. Okay the wheels were still on the ground but the seat and bars where all set up differently. That was quirky. But he could have taken that quirk in many different directions. He could have taught kids how to make them and then sell them. He could have built them himself and sell to bike shops. The options become very open when you are doing something that you love and that makes you stand out from the crowd. If you still feel unsure ask friends what is unique about you or what is quirky about you. You may be very surprised what comes from that and it make be the exact thing you needed to know to make you stand out above the crowd.

The next thing you want to look at is what your benefits are. It is crucial here that you know your benefits well and that you can articulate easily. And just as important is to always be focused on the results the benefits produce and not the how you get there. Sometimes thing they have to state that they have a seven step process or they take you through so many exams or surveys to help get your results. People don’t want to nor will they focus on the benefits if they are put in that way. You want to let them know how what you do is going to solve their painful issues. Tony Robbins talks about how people only do things for two reasons; the pleasure they will get from it or even a stronger motivator is the pain they will avoid. Take what people hate, dread or fear and find a benefit that you create through your business. Examples would be; “No more cold calls EVER!” or “Be Fit in Less Time than It Takes to Drive to McDonalds” or “Fear not, We Will Take Care of That for You”. Create something that is going to stick out and make people go ‘whew, now I don’t have to worry about that’. People want a product or service that is going to make their lives easier, happier and results driven.
The last part of the how to network is letting people know what you need in the next thirty days. Just put it out there and you will be surprised what happens. I was at an event and when we were doing our accelerated networking, one lady was telling us she had just moved into a much bigger office and she needs file cabinets. Now that seemed like a weird request, but four of the next fifteen people that spoke had file cabinets they were willing to give her. Isn’t that great? So we all need things in our lives and not always just clients. So let the group know as you are giving your accelerated network speech (which is usually one minute) what you need than watch and see what happens!

So now you want to take the three of the how to network items; who you are, what is your uniqueness and what are your benefits, and put them in three formats. The first is the ten second response, the second is the elevator speech and the third is the full one minute network speech.

The ten second response is when you are being announced and they can only say your name and what you do. “Hi I am so and such and I give you the courage to take chances and make changes”. Something quick, direct and tells the quick story. You then want to have your elevator speech which gives you just a few more seconds so add your best benefit to that list. And then you have your accelerated network speech which includes all three items. Practice, practice, practice until each format flows easily from you but does not sound like it is memorized.

The last thing you have to do is follow up. That sounds simple, easy to do, and just makes sense right? This is the biggest mistake people make, is that they don’t follow up. All networking is based on relationships you make. So if you meet someone once and then never talk to them again, it is very unlikely you will ever hear from them and then you cannot make a sale.

What should happen immediately or at least by the next day is that you email or call each person you got a card from during a networking meeting. This step is so simple and yet here is an example of how people do not do this vital step. I went to a four day convention recently. I got close to fifty cards. I was out of town for a couple of days so I did not get to do ‘the golden rule’ of immediately follow up. How many people followed up with me… one! Only one! I then got in touch with all the others I had gotten cards from and only one other even admitted that she had meant to follow up. People aren’t doing this essential step. So when you do you really stand out among all the other people they met. It will be you that they will remember. It will be you that they give their business too. I can’t emphasis this enough but if you are serious about your business you will not miss this step.

Another part of follow up is if someone asks you for information or something do not put them off. You will want to answer them quickly so they know that they are important to you and that you are efficient with your business. People have lost business because they did not follow up with a simple question or request. Don’t be one of those people. Answering their questions will put you that much closer to the sale.

And the third follow up is to find out how you did after you have finished your business with a client. When you follow up with them you accomplish several different things. First you find out if your client is satisfied. Your client is grateful that you are concerned enough to check on them. They really appreciate it. The good thing about this is if it didn’t go well you can find out immediately and take corrective action. Better that they told you and you get a chance to resolve it then having them tell all their friends about a bad situation. The other good thing is, if they are satisfied, you know it immediately. You feel good because they were happy. And with their permission you can even have a testimonial for your brochures or website. Follow up after the sale also allows you to learn what is working well and what might not be working as well. It helps you grow and change your business so that it gets better and better all the time. Follow up will lead you to huge successes.

Networking can make the difference in how big and how fast your business will grow. It can allow you to quickly express yourself and your business. It gives you the opportunity to start relationships with people that can make all of the difference in the world. Networking is a connecting life force that will make your life dynamic and your business fulfilling. Use these skills and as Zig always says, “I’ll see you at the top!”.

Laura Johnson is a Certified Comprehensive Coach. She started her first business teaching people self-esteem and motivation back in 1984. Since then she has trained 1000's of people on motivation, self-esteem, creating success and computer software skills and recorded about 200 training videos. She has always enjoyed public speaking and writing. She has written articles for many different ezines, newsletters, and has done a monthly article for trainingprism.com. Her passion is helping others reach their goals, define their dreams, and create their success!

Visit Laura’s site at www.makeyourpromotionhappen.com and get a free Affirmation CD or a free Conditional Consultation Coaching Session. If you need a speaker for your organization please email Laura directly at laura@makeyourpromotion happen.com and go to the link at top that says Speaker and Laura will back in touch with you in the next 24 hours.

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