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Episode 255: Referrals and New Contacts

May 9th, 2012

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Synopsis

The full title for today’s podcast is “Getting to the referral stage with a new contact.” If you remember Episode 253, there’s no way to rush a business relationship. So how do you get to the referral stage with a new contact?

It depends on how you came into contact with the person in the first place. If you impressed the person at your first encounter, you might move from visibility to credibility more quickly. Primarily, however, you need to create touch points.

Make an appointment for a one-to-one meeting.
Invite the person to another networking event.
Find a way to help the person—which doesn’t mean selling them your product or service.

And remember, networking isn’t about making sales, it’s about making contacts.

Let us know what you’ve done to move through the VCP process to get referrals by posting your story in the comments.

Brought to you by Networking Now.

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Published In: Referrals
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Discussion: 7 Comments

Episode 246: Requests for Referrals from Strangers

March 7th, 2012

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Synopsis

This week Dr. Misner answers a question from a BNI member named Robert: “How do you handle requests from people you barely know or don’t know at all, who ask you to give them names of your contacts so they can connect with those people for their own ventures or projects?”

Dr. Misner suggests you recommend that these people read his article about Visibility, Credibility, and Profitability on Entrepreneur.com and explain that you haven’t even reached Visibility with this person, but once you’ve established Credibility, you’ll be happy to share your contacts.

At this point, 90% of people move on to the next victim. But a few people will hear you, get it, and start working on establishing a relationship.

Read Dr. Misner’s post on Entrepreneur.com.

Brought to you by Networking Now.

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Published In: Referrals
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Discussion: 7 Comments

Episode 243: You Achieve What You Measure

February 15th, 2012

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Synopsis

In the course of research for his book Business Networking and Sex (Not What You Think), Dr. Misner found that people who had a system for tracking the money they generated were more likely to feel that networking played a role in their success.

(Click to see a full-sized image.)

Without a system, it’s very hard to tell how successful you are. BNI has developed a protocol to measure referral success in a way that doesn’t inflate the numbers. You can click here to download it from SuccessNet.

Read Dr. Misner’s post about this topic on SuccessNet.

Brought to you by Networking Now.

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Published In: Referrals | Success
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Discussion: 5 Comments

Episode 237: Boost Your Referrals with Power Teams

January 4th, 2012

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Synopsis

A power team is a group of professionals in BNI who work in non-competing, related fields and have developed relationships so they can refer customers to each other.

Here are ten questions you should ask potential members of your power team to strengthen your connections and make it easier to pass referrals.

How did you get started in your business?
What do you enjoy most about what you do?
What separates you and your company from the competition?
What advice would you give someone starting out in your business?
What are the coming trends in your business or industry?
What strategies have you found to be the most effective in promoting your business?
If there were anything about your business or industry you could change, what would that be?
What is the next big event coming up for you?
What’s your biggest challenge at the moment?
What type of customers are you looking for? How will I recognize a good prospect for you? What kind of situations are your prospects facing?

Brought to you by Networking Now.

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Published In: Power Teams | Referrals
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Discussion: 6 Comments

Episode 221: Your Business 101

September 7th, 2011

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Synopsis

A BNI member recently asked Dr. Misner how to promote second tier (outside) referrals, because the other members of his chapter weren’t likely to use his services directly.

The truth is that if you only focus on the referrals that are sitting there in the room, you’re going to limit your success. The network beyond the network is what matters. Everyone needs the second tier referrals.

To get those referrals, you have to train members in how to refer you. Specific is terrific for “Your Business 101.” Pick topics for your 30-second pitch at the meeting each week, the way you would create a training curriculum. Bring photos, testimonials, brochures.

Think about how this applies to your business. Sit down and think of four topics, then break each of those four down into 2-3 sub-topics. Post your topics here—and use them at your meetings. You’ll get many more referrals.

Brought to you by Networking Now.

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Published In: Referrals
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Discussion: 3 Comments

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