9 Steps To Fail At Business Networking

9 Guaranteed Steps To FAIL At Business Networking

www.conspicuous-cbm.com

“Effective referral networking if done well is consistently the lowest

cost form of marketing any business can employ to boost

sales, opportunities and profits.

Do it badly and it can kill!”


What You Will See


•Introduction

•9 Steps To FAIL at Networking!

•Final Thoughts

Introduction


• Fact - Networking brings companies a rich stream of new contacts and business that can make them more successful & profitableFact - Networking help them to understand their customers and the marketplace better whilst testing their message and its effectiveness. Fact - Many people who do network or referral marketing make mistakes which can cost them winning new business & damage their reputation.Fact - We all make mistakes. But what can you do to maximize your networking activities by avoiding these costly errors?

Following are the 9 Steps to Networking Failure - study them hard and see which

ones you have tripped-up over in the past & which have cost you business.

Think how are you going to avoid these errors in the future?


STEP 1 - Not listening


• Your ability to listen is one of the most important skills to have. It will give you the edge if you can learn, develop and cultivate it.It isn't about hearing what is said - it is understanding what people really mean.Real listening will require your complete focus and attention.What are people really looking to achieve? What is really important to them about their business, job, personal ambition, and family?Usually people don't listen because they are too busy focusing on what they want to say next in a conversation. The next time you speak or follow up ask them about their interests!2 choices - be an interesting person or an interested person. You decide!

• Of course we are all at networking meetings to sell “ourselves”, but if we don't connect emotionally with anyone, people will run a mile in the other direction - so LISTEN!

STEP 2 - Sell, Sell, Selling!


• Business Networking is not about sell, sell, sell.We've all been approached by aggressive people who thrust their card into our faces, extol their virtues for10 minutes, before finding more prey to irritate and bore. These nightmares are easy to spot!The question is, are YOU ever guilty of talking when you should be listening?

• Top networkers know how & do follow up + keep in regular contact.The people you meet at business networking are equals, they do not want to be sold to and definitely do not want to be treated as prospectsYour objective is to find out about them, build rapport and turn them into advocates of your business & they may become customers or clients in time!Top networkers have persistence and a focus on continuous improvement.Understand - Networking is a marketing tool and not just an event that you go to. Follow up without hesitation - don't allow that little voice in your head to put you off. JUST DO IT.

STEP 3 - Deadly dull pitches


• Brighten your 60 seconds up with humour, a picture or an interesting statistic.

• Business Networking is not about telling the whole story of your business.The point of the pitch or indeed those initial conversations is to stimulate people's curiosity.You can give them as much information as they need -or you feel they need - at a later point.Today - we are all overloaded with too much information - this is even worse at a Business Networking event.So do people a favour and FAVOUR simplicity over detail.

STEP 4 - Going For The Quick Fix


• Business Networking is not a quick fix where a sale occurs each time you network.

• If everyone thought this way, who would we all sell to - the catering staff?!Networking is all about building relationships.People can make very profitable connections the first time they attend a Business Networking event or Referral Marketing group, but it is not something that you should expect.Real gold is in the long-term mutual beneficial relationships you form.You never know where where one conversation that you have in January could lead - don't be surprised if it's made you thousands by the end of December.

STEP 5 - Prejudging People


• Some of the best referrals we see - come from people who we think cannot help us or anybody else!You cannot afford to prejudge people

• You simply do not know who they know or who they can connect you and your business to.The saying is, never judge a book by its cover, but many of us do. Instead, give people time and your attention by getting to know them via 121s.The flipside is that all that glitters is not gold, be open-minded and don't rush into all relationships.

STEP 6 - Not Taking The Limelight


• Presenting - Public speaking scares many people witless:

• Grab any opportunity to present to get your message across & grow your reputation.Confident speakers who can keep the audience's attention. They learnt this confidence by practicing. They too were once scared!

• Talking to strangers - Normal to feel apprehensive:Taught as children not to talk to strangers. In business, talking to complete strangers is only way to generate interest and contacts for your business.Only talk to the people you already know and deal with? You’re missing out on big opportunities!

• Set targets before you attend any networking event. Decide how many new

contacts you want to make etcMake it fun and get out of your comfort zone with practice and determination.

• What was I worried about....

STEP 7 - Being A 1-hit Wonder


• There is limited value in attending a group once. You will get great results if you go back and get to know the other members. You never know what JV or referrals will result from the trust that grows out of regularly attending a networking group.

• Don't be a deal chaser in networking. Cannot afford to have an attitude of What's in it for me or What can I get out of this. Replace this with the mantra - How can I help you or How can I serve. Make a positive impact on someone's day!Effective networkers take a farming approach. They focus on cultivating relationships for mutual long term benefit and they definitely do not chase deals or instant sales.

• You may attend a networking forum and do business initially (The Law Of Recency) but referral's work best if you develop a long term know like and trust strategy with the people you meet.

STEP 8 - Not Talking Up The Benefits


• Steer away from highlighting features - Talk about the benefits you deliver to your clients, suppliers, customers and contacts.Talk enthusiastically. DO not go into detail at an initial meeting at a networking event.Try to get over - What is unique about you? Why do you do what you do? How do you deliver more value than others in your sector?Don’t fall into the trap of saying that it is your service or quality of your product that differentiates you. This is far too common and generic.Let people know who you want to be referred to specifically, NEVER say anybody or everybody. You will usually get referred to nobody !Everything you say you say should be relevant to the needs of the other people in the room.

STEP 9 - No Clear Objective


• Want quality business? Your objective MUST be to build relationships on the following 3 criteria: know, like and trust.*Know - getting to know your contact first is vital. Get the conversation going by asking open-ended questions in which the person cannot easily answer yes or no!*Like- this is all about building rapport and getting on well. *Trust - mutual beneficial business relationships must be built on trust as it is your reputation - there must be no hidden agendas.

• DO: Have a plan for what customers or businesses you want to meet or be referred into.

• Other people can't guess what you want! Worse still they will waste your time with the wrong referrals if you are not CLEAR, PRECISE & FOCUSED on what your top targets are.Nothing screams professionalism and "refer me with confidence" than having that laser-like focus on your referral targets.

Final Thoughts


• So what next?Well that it is up to you, but do find a professional business networking organization to join. This will help you become more successful and improve your networking skills.We absolutely believe making networking the core of your marketing activity will be one of the best business decisions you make. And it will be fun too.Always observe the successes and failures of others’ Referral networking efforts. There is a lot to learn from them.

• Lastly, don't be afraid of making mistakes. Success is impossible without some degree of failure.If you don't get your message across properly one day, there's always next time....If you have any other top DOs, DONTs and MUSTs then please leave us a comment via Linked-in.

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