Did You Know You Were Networking Today?

Perhaps you referred a friend to a local dry cleaners or auto mechanic. Maybe you helped someone find a store in the mall when asked, or you may have just conveyed well wishes from one friend to another. These are all forms of networking. Everyone is networking all the time, whether for business, charity, or friendship; networking is a part of all our lives.

Networking is quick car insurance quote has been one of the most relied upon ways for small and large businesses alike to build their business base. Networking is cost effective, easily measured for success or failure, and often times fun! Sadly for many of us, networking becomes a chore and a bore. This happens when we fail to understand exactly what it is that we are trying to accomplish with our networking efforts.

Most everyone knows that a customer that comes to us through word of mouth promotion is very likely to be one who will become a loyal customer and one who will send us future referrals. But did you know that a potential contributor to your favorite charity will donate more money more often if they have a personal or networked relationship with that charity? Even our relationships are enhanced when we are referred to a potential new friend. As the saying goes, "Any friend of yours is a friend of mine". What most people don't know is that they can control to a large extent the quantity and quality of referrals they receive.

Networking is simply the process of expanding our business or personal relationship footprint for the purposes of spreading our message. Whether you are single and looking for a mate or the President of Big Bucks Incorporated, you are continually spreading your message. Your message then gets spread again and again for you through your network and the networks of those you don't even know. It has been said that there are seven degrees of separation between any one person and another on the planet. When put in those terms, it can get down right scary! After all, once our message leaves us, we have no control over how it is communicated or interpreted. This is why it is vital to have a networking plan.

Your networking plan should contain three main components:

1. A plan for your direct networking efforts.
2. A plan for your indirect networking efforts.
3. A plan for your referral efforts.

A plan for your direct networking efforts should include the exact message you will convey and with whom you wish to convey your message. Whether it is a chance meeting in a restaurant or through a networking event, your message must include something memorable that the listener can use to convey your message effectively for you in the future. "We fix broken windows" is used by a computer company as a clever play on words that is memorable. Only part of your message should remain constant, the rest should be altered to fit the situation. This will make your message timely and yet consistently easy to remember. Direct networking efforts should be focused on the people you wish to contact.

At networking events, are you trying to meet everyone or just one person? If you try to meet everyone your efforts will not be remembered. Trying to meet just one person narrows your focus to the Arkansas auto insurance quote that there is little chance that you will be networked any further. It is best to have a plan to meet between three and eight people depending upon the length of the event and the size of the crowd. Who you wish to meet is the key question. Are you looking for a new supplier of widgets, a key donor for your charity, or someone that you heard is best friends with the person you are really trying to meet? Stop for a moment before you go to such an event and plan for success.

A plan for your indirect networking efforts will include the exact message as mentioned earlier and an explanation of how one might recognize a potentially good prospect for you. We all assume that we know what bankers do for a living. But if we don't understand exactly the type of client a banker might be looking for we very well may send someone looking for a business loan to a banker who specializes in investments. It is our responsibility to make it clear the type of client we are searching for. A dry cleaner may state, "if you wear clothes you are my potential customer". He or she may assume that is enough. A better message would be "if you know someone who visits the cleaners once a week or more, I can help them". We need to paint a clear picture for those who might want to refer business to us that is easy to remember and based upon what we can do for their referral.

If you wish to be successful in networking remember this rule: Give the first referral. So often it happens that two people meet and agree to exchange referrals, only to find that neither one ever gave the first one. You must go first. A plan for your referral efforts includes not only that you will receive referrals but also what you will do with those referrals once you get them. The most important piece of effective networking is remembering that GIVERS GET. You must not only give outstanding service when you receive a referral, you must give back to the source of the referral in praise, thanks, and referrals. Any referral you receive must be contacted within twenty-four hours and the source must be made aware of your efforts from the first contact through the process to satisfied customer. When we refer our friends and associates to someone, we want to know that they are being treated the way we would want to be treated. Keeping in touch with the source of a referral ensures that you will receive future referrals provided you give service worthy of referring to others.

There is a golden rule in networking as there is in life: Treat others as you wish to be treated. If we remember that we want people to refer us to others, if we remember that we want to receive excellent service when we engage in business with someone we have been referred to, and if we remember that when we refer others, we want them to follow up and give outstanding service, then we will be remembering what others expect of us.

Whether we are networking for our personal lives, a charity we support or our businesses, successful networking happens when we remember the golden rule.

Glen Gould has worked with thousands of people to improve their networking effectiveness and to develop "ask me more about me" elevator speeches. He is a sought-after speaker and trainer and the author of numerous audio programs and books including Meet Me At Starbucks. The founder of Inspiration Agents, Inc., Glen is a business growth and networking expert who works with Fortune 100 companies and chambers of commerce to grow their business through effective systems and word of mouth marketing.

He is a regular contributor to numerous publications including The National Networker and co-hosts The Natural Networker Radio Show. Visit http://IsYourNetworkingWorking.com for tools to build your networking skills and http://www.InspirationAgents.com to learn more about Glen and the Inspiration Agents.