What are some ways to find new customers and distributors?

I believe the old maxim “It’s better to give than receive” holds the key to our referral success. For centuries this has been sound advice for living. From the Bible’s command to “love your neighbor as yourself” to sales trainer extraordinaire Zig Zigler’s key principle that “you can have everything in life you want if you will just help enough other people get what they want”, being a giving person brings success.

What are some practical things you can do to genuinely be more of a giver?

Give Away Your Possessions

Sometimes it is appropriate to show appreciation with a gift. Sending a gift sets you apart and finding something that uniquely suites the individual helps build solid relationships. It says, “I know you and care enough to think about what you might enjoy.”

Sometimes it’s appropriate to send a gift even when the sale doesn’t close. If you appreciate the effort someone has made on your behalf, feel free to send a little something. You will keep them on your radar and prospect list. I often send flowers.

Sometimes they just mean “thanks for thinking of me.” Sometimes I give a food gift such as popcorn or as I get to know people, I offer something specific like a book they mentioned in our meetings, a type of wine or a magazine subscription. In all cases, you are building the relationships.

Give Away Your Expertise

Share your skills and experience happy in the knowledge that you are helping friends and colleagues. Others appreciate and seek out knowledgeable people who give generously of their expertise. When you have been a resource to others, people are more willing to help when you ask. I work at being a major resource and learning as much about everything that I can. I call it “collecting vital information” and it always comes in handy as I am talking to my contacts, prospects, downline and clients.

Give Away Your Time

The more you are involved in your business and community, the more people you will meet, the better you will get to know those in your organization and the faster your network will expand. There are several ways to do this. Consider the following steps for your next meeting, training event or activity where you are looking to build your client and prospect list.

1. Volunteer to be the “greeter” when people are registering. This is a great way to meet others and this simple act of hospitality helps you to connect with people later. When we simply attend meetings, we limit our ability to meet and get to know people, so I make sure to join a committee and get involved. I always build new relationships. These people will often become those whom you will rely on and who will rely on you in the future.
2. Give a speech. Organizations are always looking for programs or breakout sessions for larger meetings or conventions. Perhaps you can put together a seminar about selling your specific product or share a simple technique you’ve successfully used to close more business. Putting together a quality presentation can take a bit of time, yet after you have done your research, you will be more knowledgeable about your business and become an expert—and you will be sure to pick up some new interest in your business.
3. After you’ve done your presentation, go one step further and offer to write an article for the organization’s newsletter or magazine on the same topic. This is a key way for people to be able to remember who you are. Be sure not to make it a commercial—you are just showing a way in which you build business that could be used by other salespeople in other businesses.

Being a giver is what relationship marketing is all about. Especially in these uncertain economic times, network professionals who give, continue to plant seeds and nurture their relationships will be the ones people reach out to when they are ready—because they will stay on many people’s radar screen until the time is right for them.

By Andrea Nierenberg

Getting The Word Out About Your Business

Long overlooked in favor of other forms of marketing, word of mouth is back in a big way, and is a sure way to kick your sales into high gear if you do it effectively.

Word of mouth has always been a source of business—in fact, at one time, it was the only way that people found out about a product or service. Long overlooked in favor of other forms of marketing, word of mouth is back in a big way, and is a sure way to kick your sales into high gear if you do it effectively.

Virtually every business owner understands the role that word of mouth plays in their growth. Very few, however, think of it as something to proactively manage to capture sales. Some people think of it in only in terms of customer service: Customers who are happy will pass your name along to others because they’re just so darn happy.

Think about it, though. Do your happy clients talk spontaneously about your company to their networks? Not likely. It’s the unhappy customers who most often do the talking. In terms of customer service, the kind of word of mouth we are most concerned about is the negative kind, not the business-building kind.

Another off-base idea that business owners have about word of mouth is that it is a natural force, something that has a bearing on the business but over which they have little control. Here are some proactive ways to increase word of mouth about your company, products and services:

Read the rest of this entry

New Tools Add To Twitter’s Networking Potential

Twitter itself is pretty simple, but as the site continues to boom in popularity, 3rd party sites/tools are popping up like kudzu in the South.  And many offer a great deal of potential for helping you tap into the networking ability of Twitter.

With the economy as bad as it is, many of us need all the help we can get in putting us in contact with people that can help us grow our businesses.  Here’s some sites/tools I’ve noticed recently that help you utilize Twitter to its fullest as a networking tool:

Twitter Local – TL is a 3rd party client that lets you see tweets from Twitter users based on location.  This is also great to cover a breaking news event in a certain location.

Get Marketing with the Pros and see immediate results

Twellow – Twellow shows you Twitter users organized by their industry.  This also helps you answer the ‘who should I follow on Twitter?’ question. Read the rest of this entry

Looking for some valuable networking advice to carry with you to your next networking event? Watch this video by Andrea Nierenberg for some good thoughts.

Why is asking for referrals so hard to do sometimes? After all, word of mouth is the most effective form of advertising, so why do we jeopardize our own efforts by hesitating to talk about them? It’s almost like a dirty deed that we fear will make us look like aggressive salespeople rather than seasoned professionals.

Asking For Referrals Demonstrates the Following Important Elements:

1. Your Level of Confident Professionalism. The opposite is actually the truth. By not discussing, you are not showing the level of confidence required to build a successful business. While some people will be so impressed with what you do they will feel compelled to tell others, there are people that won’t be sure if you are receptive to new clients. How will they know you are open to referrals unless you start asking for referrals? Read the rest of this entry

Pay it Forward (Warner Brothers Pictures, 2000), is one of my favorite movies. In it, a young boy has a remarkable idea that instead of paying someone back for a kindness they have given, you pay someone forward with a kindness you have to offer. The rules of paying it forward are simple:

#1 It has to be something that really helps people.

#2 Something they can’t do by themselves.

#3 I do it for them, they do it for three other people Read the rest of this entry

Business networking events are ideal places to meet new clients. But it’s not enough to just show up. If you park yourself at a table, or gossip with your business partner, you won’t make any new connections.

The problem often lies in knowing what to say. For most people, it’s intimidating to approach a stranger, introduce yourself, and start a conversation.

Chances are, before heading out to a business or social event, you think about what you will wear, how you will get to the event, and even where you will park. How often do you plan what you will say once you get there?

This article gives you 7 tips to help you prepare for a networking event, so you never feel tong-tied or at a loss for words.

Before the event, use these ideas to plan three or four conversation topics : Read the rest of this entry

Turning contacts into allies is of critical importance for maximum results in your networking. Remember, though, it is always necessary to provide VALUE for others as well when networking.

The gradual relationship building process is not only about you and your needs, it is about the other person almost moreso.

Understand this, and your networking efforts will be greatly rewarded.

Welcome to the all new NJ Business Networking Blog. We will be updating the blog periodically with networking tips, methods, techniques, and videos, as well as discussing a variety of business networking related topics.

 Please feel free to comment on any of our topics as an interactive Blog will be much more valuable to our community.

Be sure to get subscribed to our networking newsletter as well here to receive email updates of local events and business networking functions. You may also check our up to date events schedule here.

Thanks for reading and we look forward to providing you with value on our new blog. jj

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