Are You Referral Ready?

Archive for the ‘Connecting with Your Network’ Category

It’s not who you know or who knows you that makes the real difference. It’s how well you know the people in your network. This means it is important to have a mechanism for advancing and adding depth to your most important relationships.

Relationships take time to develop. What you do with that time is the difference between activity and results, between visibility and profitability, between a network of acquaintances and a team of referral sources. Left to chance, this process is called ‘net-hoping.’ Hope is not an effective business strategy.

Schedule time to meet one-on-one this week with two people whose relationships you particularly value. Make it a point to learn something new about that person, and take interest in their goals, accomplishments, skills, and networking activities.

Find a way to help that person tackle a tough business issue. Discuss ways in which you can both proactively refer business to one another.

Meeting one-on-one is a great tool to keep in mind for advancing relationships. Without adding anyone new to your network this week, you can increase your referral readiness by taking the time to learn more about the people you already know.

The return on your time investment in other people can only be as strong as the depth you are willing to achieve.

Plaxo, Facebook, LinkedIn, MySpace, and Ecademy are just a few online social networking sites that allow users to connect with each other around the world.

LinkedIn is the #1 business networking site with 15 million active users. MySpace reaches 39% of all adults, and Facebook has the fastest-growing demographic in the 25+ age group with 30 million active users and 350 million users overall. Because the online landscape changes so rapidly, these numbers are bound to be obsolete by the time you read this.

Social networking will never replace what you can do face-to-face, but it can extend your networking capabilities to a degree never before imagined. Without it, your networking activity will never be operating at full capacity.

Review some of the sites mentioned above or ask around to find out which ones people are using. Sign up this week for at least one site, adding your profile and contact information to facilitate discussion with other people or online communities. Like any networking strategy, involvement is what drives results. Rather than spread your time and energy across several sites, choose one and become a fluent and diligent user.

Whether you are networking for referrals, a job, a new recipe, or a strategic alliance in another country, social networking sites can help you cross geographic and cultural boundaries with the click of a mouse.

Networking will always involve human skills that can not be automated, but a networking professional in today’s electronic age should have at least one online resource in the tool kit.

In the music industry, platinum status is reserved for those songs or albums that generate 1,000,000 sales or downloads. Gold status, on the other hand, designates sales or downloads of only 500,000 units. Guess which one allows the artist to make more money?

The golden rule says ‘treat others the way YOU want to be treated.’  According to Tony Alessandra, the platinum rule says ‘treat others the way THEY want to be treated.’ Because referrals require the transfer of trust, the platinum rule is preferable because it facilitates a stronger level of connection.

People respond differently to the importance of money, public recognition, or gifts. Your ability to connect with the people in your network is directly related to how well you know what motivates them. The golden rule will help you roughly 25% of the time. The platinum rule works 100% of the time because it is ‘other’ oriented instead of ’self’ oriented.

What are some things you can do RIGHT NOW to demonstrate the platinum rule with, say, three people in your network? Over the next week, follow through with the things on your list. A struggle to connect with people on their terms indicates a lack of depth in your relationships.

More than what you do or say, people value how you make them FEEL. To make stronger and more lasting impressions with everyone in your network, apply the platinum rule liberally. There is more money to be made in platinum than gold.

John Suarez

Chief Education Officer

Referral Ready, LLC

jsuarez@referralready.com