Episode 175: “7 Ways to Connect with Networking Partners”

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Synopsis

Today’s podcast comes from a post in Ivan’s blog on Entrepreneur.com.

1. Arrange a one-to-one meeting.
2. Extend an invitation to a networking event.
3. Set up a recreational activity.
4. Arrange a group activity for clients.
5. Nominate a referral source for recognition.
6. Include a source in your newsletter.
7. Arrange a speaking engagement for a referral source.

What are some other ways that you recommend to stay in contact with your networking partners? Tell us about them in the comments to this podcast.

Brought to you by Networking Now.

Complete Transcription of BNI Podcast Episode 175 -

Priscilla:
Hello everyone and welcome back to The Official BNI Podcast brought to you by NetworkingNow.com, the leading site on the net for networking downloadables. I am Priscilla Rice, and I am coming to you from Live Oak Recording Studio in Berkley, CA. I am joined today by the Founder and Chairman of BNI, Dr. Ivan Misner. Hello Ivan. How are you?

Ivan:
I am doing great today, Priscilla. Thank you so much. I kind of have an interesting topic- Seven Ways to Connect with Networking Partners. I first wrote about this in my blog, the Networking Entrepreneur blog. My listeners, if you haven’t gone to my blog, check it out. There is a lot of great stuff there. I have over three hundred blogs now that I have posted for Entrepreneur.com. The website is networkingentrepreneur.com. Okay, so if you can’t spell “entrepreneur” go to dictionary.com. You’ll figure it out.

So there is a blog I did there some time ago, Seven Ways to Connect with Networking Partners. I thought it would make a really good podcast. I am going to give you seven different things to do that you can do with your BNI members or any other networking partner that you have- a referral partner or somebody that you want to build a relationship with. So here they are:

1. Arrange a one-to-one meeting. Meeting a referral source in person is an excellent opportunity, especially if it is a BNI member, to learn more about his or her business and their interests. It’s amazing to me how personal interests sometimes create relationships and those relationships lead to business. Prepare some questions in advance so that the conversation flows smoothly, be ready to give an update on your business, and ask them lots of questions. Another good tool to use is the Gains Exchange on the one-to-one which I talked about on previous podcasts. If you are listening and you have no idea what I mean, go to the book, Business by Referral, or talk to your local Director and get a Gains Exchange because those are really, really good for one-to-one meetings.

2. Extend an invitation. Invite a referral source or a networking partner to a networking event. If you introduce him or her to other business people that you know, and you give them an opportunity to meet others in your target market, it gives them business opportunities. So invite the local Chamber meeting that you might be going to. Invite them to a service club that you may belong to, like a Rotary, Lions, or Kiwanis. I think it’s really valuable because it gives something to them and it’s also a great way to meet them in other venues and to continue that relationship.

3. Set up an activity- a recreational activity such as a golf outing, a fishing trip, a concert, or a play. These are great opportunities to let your referral sources see a different side of you in an informal setting. The activity should be one that will give everybody time to relax, but it also includes an element of information where you can sit down and actually talk to one another a little bit. So set up some kind of activity. Sometimes chapters say,”Hey. Should we do some kind of party, picnic, or something?” I think those are great ideas because in the social capital theory, it’s about what is called the proximity effect. The more you are in proximity to your referral partners, the more likely you are to build this relationship.

4. Arrange a group activity for your clients. Gathering your clients together creates an excellent environment for synergy and for raising your credibility with all of them. The one thing that people in this group will definitely have in common is that they are doing business with you. So there is a real focus on good conversations. Group activities can be social, such as a barbecue or a ballgame. They might be informational, such as a demonstration. I have seen a lot of BNI members who bought tickets to seminars or some educational program and they got free passes because they got one or they got two, and they got a couple of extra free passes. Those are great things to give to your referral partners. Give the free passes to your referral partners so that you can bring them along with you to some activity.

5. Nominate a referral source. Look for opportunities to nominate a referral source for some award. Local service and civic organizations often present annual awards. Recognizing contributions made by individuals to local organizations is a great way to make a good solid connection with that person. So find out what groups and interests your referral sources are involved in and check to see if there is any form of recognition associated with those organizations that you might be able to nominate that person for. Service clubs and nonprofit charitable organizations do that a lot, so find out what somebody is interested in, in terms of charitable giving, and those would be great organizations to nominate people from.

6. Include a source in your newsletter. If you do any kind of newsletter, blog, or written material, even a brief mention of a referral source in a newsletter can pay dividends down the road, including the opportunity to reciprocate with you. I do this all the time in SuccessNet, our online newsletter. I constantly mention people who are giving to me. They are my referral partners. I have them do articles and contributions. I do it here on these podcasts from time to time to promote them.

7. Last, arrange a speaking engagement. Help your referral source get in front of a group that would be interested in his or her business or area of expertise. Local chapters of social organizations again, like Rotary or Kiwanis, is a good source for speakers. If you belong to a group like that, talk to the chairperson of the group and refer your contacts, people whom you know, who can come in and do presentations to that group.

There are seven ways that you, as a BNI member right now, can help connect with your networking partners. Last week, Priscilla, we talked about identifying the givers and takers in the organization. If somebody comes in and they apply one of these seven ways to connect, they become immediately a giver. They are finding ways to help their referral partners. I thought this would make a great follow up to the podcast that we did last week because these are definitely ways you can give.

Priscilla:
I think those are great ideas, and I am happy to say that I was able to refer one of our members for a speaking engagement. It was very successful because it was kind of a win-win on both ends. The person who I referred them to was very proud of who they brought to the club because it was a great speech and everybody liked it. It was about solar power. The person who I referred to be able to give the talk was totally pleased because he was exposed to 50 more, or maybe it was 100, people. It was great. I really enjoyed it.

Ivan:
That is one of the kinds of things that a lot of times people don’t think of. You might think of the one-to-one or a social activity, but arranging for somebody to do a speaking engagement- people don’t think about that one. Nominating them for some kind of recognition. People don’t think about that one. What I tried to do with this list was give some obvious ones but also give some creative ones that maybe people hadn’t really considered in the past.

Let me just leave one other thing for my listeners here today, Priscilla. If you listen to this podcast, I would love for you to contribute what are some of the ways that you recommend to stay in contact with your networking partners, to connect with your networking partners, to help them, to show that you are a giver. Give us anything that has worked for you or anything that you have just thought of. Maybe listening to this makes you go, hey, what about this possibility? I love to have my listeners share with us other opportunities that they can think of or they have done. I think that would make a great wrap up for this podcast.

Priscilla:
Great. Okay. Maybe they could be cast on the podcast if they come up with-

Ivan:
You’ve come up with something really good. I have had many members on the podcast over the years.

Priscilla:
Okay. Good.

Ivan:
Thank you, Priscilla.

Priscilla:
Thank you, Dr. Misner. Well, that is it for this week. I would just like to remind the listeners that this podcast has been brought to you by NetworkingNow.com, which is the leading site on the net for networking downloadables. Thanks so much for listening. This is Priscilla Rice and we hope you will join us next week for another exciting episode of The Official BNI Podcast.