Sales and Sales Management Blog

November 28, 2011

How to Work the Room at a Networking Event

Filed under: marketing,Networking,prospecting,sales,selling,small business — Paul McCord @ 12:00 pm
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I hear complaints from sellers and business owners all the time about how much time and effort they’ve wasted attending networking events.  The conclusion for a huge number is that networking events are no longer part of their prospecting activity.

That’s unfortunate because networking events really can be great places to find and connect with prospects.  The problems most have encountered with networking events is they’ve never been taught a systematic, disciplined format for managing and working these events and without having a way to manage the event, they become frustrated as they realize all they’ve done to date is waste their time.

Typically, the frustrations and wasted time arise from three fundamental issues:

  • Investing time at the wrong networking events
  • overblown expectations
  • not having a plan of attack

Networking events, especially those of a general nature organized by the chamber or a general business organization, will not provide you with a plate full of potential prospects.  If you can walk out of a networking event with three or four good potential contacts, you have done well.

Unfortunately, many, especially those who are not networking junkies, attend these functions with the hope of leaving the event with a whole stack of business cards of great prospects.  When their expectations are not met, they conclude that networking isn’t all it’s cracked up to be and decide their time is better spent elsewhere.

Besides unrealistic expectations about the number of prospects they’ll meet, a great many attend networking events without thinking through what their real goal is.  Unless you are selling a relatively common consumer or business commodity, you’re not going to sell at these events.  And since you can’t sell, what should be your primary goal?  Mine, when I attend these events, is not to talk about myself and what I do but to listen and ask questions, to learn as much as I can about the other person in order to qualify them, to begin building a relationship with them, and to have them tell me what issues and problems of theirs I’m going to address when we do get around to discussing who I am and what I do (which, by the way, won’t be at the event).

In addition, most attendees waste the majority of their networking time.  Rather than an organized plan to maximize their benefit from the event, they simply attend hoping to “run into” prospects.

Yet, if you attend regularly and with realistic expectations, networking can eventually pay great dividends.  There are three “secrets” to making networking pay:

1.  Know Where You’re Going

Knowing who is likely to attend the event you are considering is as important as attending the event.  If you are considering going to an event you have never attended before, try to get a copy of the host organization’s member roster.  By examining the membership directory, you can get a fairly good idea of the type of people you can expect to meet.  If it appears there are a reasonable number of people and businesses of interest, plan on attending.  If you can’t get a copy of their member directory, call the organization and ask—most won’t mind the inquiry and will be happy to give you as much information as they can.

2.  Know Why You’re Going

Go with a definite number of contacts you want to make.  Determine how many good contacts you will need in order to make the investment of time worthwhile.  Depending on your particular product or service, that number may be only one or two—or may be much higher at five or six.  By establishing realistic, objective criteria, you can easily determine whether or not your time was well spent and whether or not you want to attend the event again in the future.

3.  Have a System for Working the Event

For most business owners and salespeople, the real networking event killer isn’t so much who is in attendance or even their own unrealistic expectations, but rather the time they waste during the event.

Working a networking room requires planning and a clear vision of how you will spend your time.  I and many of my clients that I’ve taught the following networking method have found it to be easy and very effective.  The goal of this process is to spend the time identifying quality prospects, learning as much about them as possible in a short amount of time, and once you believe you have a viable prospect, setting a phone or lunch meeting with them.

Arrive about 15 minutes before the official event start time.  Wear a large, easy to read, high quality, permanent nametag that features your first and last name, not just your first name (your company name is the least important part of the name tag as you want them to remember you, not your company),  Of course, have lots of business cards.  Business cards should be blank on the back.  Wear clothing with two easy to reach pockets.

Station yourself close to the entry door—close enough that people might mistake you for one of the hosts.  Greet each person as he or she enters.  Nothing more than a greeting—and, hopefully, noticing their company name.  All you want is to hear a name, put a name to a face and to make a quick judgment as to whether they might be a prospect.

When arrivals begin to slow, begin your progression around the room.  Move in one direction—left or right.  Greet the first person or group of people you meet.  This round of conversations should be short—two to three minutes at most.  Your goal is to introduce yourself and learn as much as you can in a very short span of time about the person or persons you’ve just met.  Don’t clutter the conversation with information about yourself—keep everything focused on the person or the persons you are speaking with.  Your goal at this event isn’t to sell, it’s to qualify prospects.  This will be your second meeting with many of these people, although you will not remember their names.  Two meetings=two opportunities to put a name with a face.

Since many, if not most, will offer you a business card, you will begin to segregate cards into an interest stack and a non-interest stack.  When you meet someone you believe you’d like to get to know better—i.e., a potential prospect put their business card in your right-hand pocket.  Those you don’t believe are prospects, put in your left-hand pocket.  This system allows you to immediately find the cards of those you want to reconnect with during the event without having to try to remember their name.  Simple: Right pocket card=reconnect; left pocket=don’t reconnect with today.

If you meet someone you believe might be a real prospect for you, before moving on to another group let them know of your interest in learning more about their business and ask their permission to contact them via a phone call at a later date.  Once they agree, take one of your business cards and on the blank reverse side, write the day and an hour span of time during which you will call:  “Thursday, March 12 between 10:30-11:30.”  This day and time will be the same for everyone you meet that you want to call.  It keeps you from having to remember when you will call, but because it is an hour span, you’ll have time to make several calls without concern that you won’t keep your appointment.

Now, move to the next group and continue in this manner for the majority of the event.  About 30 to 45 minutes prior to the end of the event, go into your last phase.  The last phase is taking the few cards in your right-hand pocket and seeking to reconnect with those people.  This will be your third chance to meet them and to put a name and face together.  In addition, since it will be your third meeting, they’ll begin to feel like they know you and they will probably greet you as a friend rather than as new acquaintance.  Just as you are implanting their name and face in your mind through multiple meetings with them during the event, you’re planting your name and face in their mind.

This conversation will be a little more in-depth, but, again, keep the focus on the other person.  During this conversation move the conversation to the point that instead of a phone call on Thursday, you can invite them to lunch or to a coffee meeting.  If you can’t set a meeting, prior to moving to the next person, again reiterate the phone call on Thursday and give them another business card with the same information written on the back.

On Thursday, make your phone calls and close for a get to know one another meeting.

This structure allows you to “meet” a prospect three times during the course of the event, set up a definite telephone conversation—and very possibly a lunch meeting–and help both you and the prospect move from the “just met” stage to acquaintance stage very quickly, and all without having to remember any details during the course of the event.

The goal of the conversations is to learn as much as you can about the person you are meeting, not to talk about yourself.  You’re there to learn and to qualify.  You can’t sell at a short networking event unless you’re selling a commodity, but you can sure learn a great deal and identify new prospects.  But to do that you have to listen a great deal more than talk.

Since people love to talk about themselves and if you get them talking about themselves and their company you can learn how to laser focus the conversation when it does get around to what you do, give them the freedom to open up as much as possible. In addition, never finish a conversation with a real prospect.  Intentionally leave the conversation hanging—and then invite a further phone or lunch conversation.  I never really talk about what I do until the lunch meeting.  By that time I’ve learned a great deal about the other person and I can tailor my discussion of what I do to the exact issues they’ve disclosed.  Instead of some weak, general elevator speech, I give a pointed response to their needs.

If you keep your expectations reasonable and focus you time during the event on the few true prospects you meet, you’ll find your time at networking events to be both more enjoyable and profitable.

November 15, 2011

3 Keys to Networking Successfully Through Business and Industry Associations

Filed under: Networking,sales,selling — Paul McCord @ 10:40 am
Tags: , , ,

For many sellers one of the biggest wastes of time and energy are networking events.  They go with the expectation of meeting a host of great prospects and leave having done nothing more than met a couple of nice people and consumed a couple of glasses of cheap wine.

Networking, for most, seems to be nothing more than a show up and “do it” activity that they invest little time in thinking through how to maximize their networking effort. They view networking as a grazing activity, seeking out venues where they can find a sizable group of men and women, and spit out their ‘value proposition’ to as many of them as possible in as little time as possible.  Favorite haunts tend to be the local chamber of commerce; the networking events of various local business associations and groups; lead exchange breakfast groups; and the proverbial family and friends.

Not surprisingly, few salespeople who approach networking in this manner find their time and effort to be well spent.  Like everything else in sales, networking takes skill, planning, and a disciplined process in order to produce quality results.  Grazing for contacts and leads generally doesn’t work because it violates some key aspects of business and human nature.

Location, location, location.  The old real estate adage applies to networking as well.  Where you network is of prime importance.

Although easy, floating into the chamber networking event isn’t likely to produce results.  In most instances, these events are overwhelmingly dominated by other sellers who are also looking for the opportunity to meet new prospects–and who are not the least bit interested in being sold to.  Instead of finding yourself in a room of 125 prospects, it is far more likely to find yourself in a room of 100 salespeople and 25 business owners and managers-of which only one or two would be quality prospects for you.  Certainly you can meet prospects.  And certainly there are sales made from the contacts developed at chamber meetings.  But the return on time and energy investment is usually extremely small.

Lead exchange groups can be very viable opportunities for those selling the right products and services.  A mechanic or quick print company might find a lead exchange group to be an extremely valuable source of new business.  On the other hand, a salesperson selling enterprise solutions or a management recruiter would more than likely find little if any success in one of these groups.  Nevertheless, I’ve know management consultants, copyright attorneys, and financial services salespeople who sell money management services with a minimum portfolio size of a million dollars who invested their time and energy in these groups before they discovered it was a poor match for their services.

This is not to say that networking through groups can’t be worthwhile.  It can.  You just have to spend your time and energy in the right places.  Where are the right places?  That, of course, depends on what you sell, but whatever you sell, the right place is where you’ll find a large number of legitimate prospects and that tends to be in specialized organizations and associations.

If you sell high end printing equipment, you want to spend your time where prospects who purchase high-end printing equipment gather-say the local associations for architects, manufacturers, or design companies.  If you sell financial services, you would spend your time where there are likely a number of wealthy prospects.  You want to be where your prospects are, it’s that simple.

Networking general business groups tends to be low return; networking specialized groups where your prospects gather tends to be high return.  Although this is common sense, it goes against the grain of what most salespeople do.

Human Nature: Networking events are usually a terrible time to try to market yourself because you’re going against the grain of the objectives of most of the participants.  There will certainly be a few participants at these events whose only objective is to meet new people or to mingle with friends, but most are there for one reason-to find and connect with new business connections.  And how do they intend to do that?  By spending their time talking about themselves, their business, their needs, their offerings.

Probably more than 80% of the contacts you make at a typical networking event have little interest in hearing your story because that’s not what they are there for.  They are there to get their story out.  Whether they are looking to make a sale, find a potential new employee, find a partner, or whatever, their goal is to satisfy their need, not to make a purchase.  Their networking methodology is to float from person to person until they find a live target and then to try to wow them with their value proposition and set an appointment.  This is hardly an atmosphere conducive to finding and connecting with quality prospects.

Even if you invest your time in organizations and associations that are full of your prime prospects you can’t go with the intent of collaring prospects and spewing forth your value proposition, your product’s benefits, and how great you are.  Networking is a process, not a one-time event.  Networking is about developing relationships, not grazing for low hanging fruit.

To successfully network takes time, commitment, and a sincere desire to get to know-and help-people.   Networking isn’t a short-term sales generator; rather it is a long-term business builder.

Networking in an organization or association requires a commitment on your part to the organization.  Thinking you can just show up at a networking event and have an impact is going to be disappointing.  But becoming involved-becoming a part of the group can generate a great deal of sustained business because it caters to the way human beings think and how they respond to others.

Humans have a tendency to view their own problems as somewhat unique.  Intellectually they recognize the universality of their own issues, but emotionally they view their problems as distinctly their own.  This tendency to view problems as unique can be one of the most powerful opportunities a salesperson can take advantage of.

Although few problems a trucking company encounters are truly unique to the trucking industry, most decision makers in trucking companies view their industry’s issues as unique to the trucking industry.  Likewise, most decision makers in the printing business view their issues as unique to the printing industry.  This isn’t to say that the issue per se is unique but that the particulars of the issue are industry unique.  If the particulars are unique, then the solution is undoubtedly somewhat unique also.  If the particulars and the solution is unique, then it is natural that the decision maker wants to work with someone who really ‘understands’ their issues.

That ‘understanding’ of their ‘unique’ issues is where your opportunity comes in play.

By joining and becoming a part of their industry’s association, you become one of the team-in other words, you’re perceived to really ‘understand’ the ‘uniqueness’ of their problems and issues and consequently you understand the solutions they need.  People want to work with people they believe recognize and understand the uniqueness of their needs, issues and problems, not someone who treats every business and every situation in the same manner with a canned ‘solution.’  The heart specialist can charge more and is more highly respected than the family generalist because she has a unique understanding of the issues and solutions of the patient.  When seeking a divorce, most people seek out a divorce lawyer rather than a generalist because they believe the specialist has knowledge and skills the generalist doesn’t.

By becoming a part of the team you put yourself in the position of an industry specialist-you ‘know’ and ‘understand,’ and that knowing and understanding sets you apart from your competitors.  You go to the top of the list when one of the members of the organization needs your services.  You become an expert, not a generalist.

The key to successfully networking within these organizations and associations is to become an actual part of the group.  You can’t just show up at networking events-if you do you’ll be viewed as nothing more than an opportunist.  You have get in and work with the group-volunteer for committee work, help on fundraisers, and pay your dues-both in terms of money and sweat.

It’s About the Prospect, Not You: Networking is about relationships and relationships are built on mutual respect, understanding, and a sincere desire to know the other person.  To connect means to bond with the other person and bonding takes time.

Most people love to talk about themselves and they tend to naturally like and respect those people who allow them to do that.  Instead of spending your time talking about yourself and your value proposition, spending the vast majority of your initial meeting-even your initial two or three meetings-learning about the other person will pay great dividends in the long run.  Don’t rush to talk about your value proposition, your products or services, what you do for companies, or even your background.  Concentrate on getting to know the person in front of you-there will be plenty of time later to get to you and what you do.

When you let people talk you learn a great deal about them, about their likes, their history, their wants and needs, their hopes and dreams-and very quickly you learn whether or not they are viable prospects.  The more they talk, the more you learn.  The more you learn, the better opportunity you will have later to direct the conversation in directions that naturally lead to how you can serve them.

Most salespeople spend far too much time talking and far too little time listening.  This is especially so when networking.  Learn to keep your mouth shut and your ears open.  Allow your new acquaintance to lead the conversation by doing exactly what you want them to do-talk about themselves, their business, their needs.  If you remember, Peter Faulk as Columbo didn’t speak much, asked a great many questions, and always got what he wanted in the end because the suspect always ended up telling him what he needed to know-either directly or indirectly.  Turns out selling is similar-prospects always tell you what you need to know in the end if you can keep your mouth shut, ask lots of questions, and like Columbo, know how to listen.

Networking can generate a tremendous return on investment if done correctly.  By just going where your prospects go, understanding the natural tendency of humans to view their problems and issues as unique and becoming that uniquely qualified specialist who understand their issues and the solutions, and allowing your prospect to talk will open a lot more doors than trying to graze the low fruit at artificial networking events.

February 2, 2011

Are You Connected? You Can Be With New Social Media Aggregator

Filed under: Networking,Sales 2.0 — Paul McCord @ 2:44 pm
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Do you have contacts on LinkedIn?  Followers on Twitter?  Friends on Facebook?  Contacts in Gmail?  Do you have appointments with some of these contacts?  Do you try to keep up with their blog posts, tweets, birthdays, job changes, and other activities?

If you do, you probably have a bit of a problem keeping up with literally thousands of business and social contacts.  It takes time to navigate through all of the platforms.  It probably has become such an issue that you really only keep connected with a few dozen select individuals and/or companies.

There’s a new service, Connected, that offers a way to take all of your contacts and aggregate their activity from Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn, including their blog posts, any interactions you’ve had with them on these platforms, as well as their recent Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn activity and put it at your fingertips.

Navigating Connected at first was a little confusing as not all of your contacts will appear under ‘contacts.’  Many appear under their company link instead of on the visible contact list.  Even then I had something of a problem finding a few of my contacts, although with a little detective work they were eventually all located.

A bit of a bonus if you happen to use Google Contacts, Google Voice, and/or Google Calendar, those contacts and updates can be imported and linked to the profiles in Connected also.

In addition, you can make the data in profiles into an actionable agenda that you can then have Connected email to you dailiy. 

How much time and effort will Connected save you?  That really depends on the number of platforms you are involved with and how many connections you really stay in close contact with—or that you wish to stay in contact with.

Unlike many other sites that offer resources to help you manage your social media contacts, Connected is a fee site, charging $9.99 per month with a free 14 day trial period (a nice touch by Connected, you DO NOT have to give your credit card information to get the free trial.  At the end of the trial period you’ll get an email from Connected directing you to set up your payment form.  If you don’t want to continue the service just don’t do a thing.  Much nicer than those sites that automatically charge if you don’t unsubscribe).

Is it worth the ten dollars a month?  At this point I haven’t decided as I’ve only just begun using it.  That being said, it does have some nice features (with the recognition they have more work yet to be done).  Time will tell—about 12 more days to be exact—as to whether I find it worth $120 a year.  I’d suggest, however, that you take a look and a trial and decide if Connected will work for you.

June 21, 2010

Three Keys to Making a Networking Event Produce Real Value for You

Filed under: Networking,prospecting,sales,selling — Paul McCord @ 3:24 pm
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“Mr. McCord, I’ve been faithfully attending at least two networking events every week for the past six or seven weeks but I’m not meeting enough prospects to make it worth my time.  Do you have any suggestions?”

I received the above email last week from David who sells accounting and HR software to companies with from 200 to 750 employees. 

After exchanging a couple of emails with David I discovered:

  • David has no rhyme or reason to where he networks—if there is a networking event, he’ll be there
  • His ideal contact is with a senior manager in accounting or IT or the company CEO
  • His sales cycle is typically anywhere from 4 to 12 months
  • He believes he needs to meet four or more quality contacts per networking event to make it worth his time

Like many, if not most, sellers, David has violated three keys to having a great networking event:

  1. Only Network Where Your Prospects Gather.  David is ready and willing to network but he isn’t disciplined in selecting which events to attend.  Most general networking events are not appropriate for the majority of us.  General networking events tend to bring out a large number of salespeople and few buyers.  Unless I’m selling something of general need such as autos, office supplies, electricity, or such, I have only a very small chance of meeting a real prospect.  Worse, even if I’m selling general use products or services, most of the people I’ll meet at general networking events will be other sellers looking not to buy but to sell. David—and you—should only be attending events where a large number of his prospects are likely to gather, i.e., specific business and industry association events where the business or industry is a prime prospect for his products or services.  He might only be attending one or two events a month, but he’ll be spending his time getting to know real prospects, not other sellers.
  2. Know Why You’re There.  David goes to networking events with the hope of meeting a decision maker and gaining their interest in his products or services—a totally unrealistic goal.Based on David’s ideal contact being a senior IT or accounting manager or the CEO of the company, it is not realistic that he is going to connect with four or more of them at a networking event.  Connecting with one or two would be close to a miracle because people in these positions from companies the size David targets are not often at these events.  Some are.  Most aren’t.

    So if David isn’t there to meet the potential decision makers he ultimately wants to meet, why is he there?  To meet contacts within the company who can help him meet the decision makers he ultimately wants to meet and to learn as much about the company and their potential needs for his products and services as possible.  His goal is to find a connection into the company—period.  He isn’t there to sell.  He isn’t there to meet the decision maker (if he does that is just a bonus). 

    In addition, thinking that he must make four or more quality connections to make it worth his time is also unrealistic.  His average sale is approaching six figures.  Finding four or more quality prospects within a one or two hour period even when networking where his prospects gather is simply unrealistic.  He cannot possibly find and then spend time to begin to establish a relationship with four or more quality connections in just a couple of hours. Meeting one quality connection makes a great event—two would make for a huge event.

    Why do you go to networking events?  Do you have realistic goals or are you, like David, discouraging yourself because your expectations are simply not within reason?  Selling at a networking event isn’t realistic.  Making connections is.

  3. Make the time you spend with prospects about them, not you.  Since you can’t sell at a networking event, why try?  Instead of doing what everyone else is doing—trying to get everything out about what they do and what they think they can do for the person they’re speaking to—why not spend the time doing something of value—qualifying the prospect.  You can’t sell at an event but you can qualify potential prospects.  Instead of running off at the mouth about yourself, turn the tables and let the other person tell you everything there is to know about themselves and their business. In a networking situation you can learn a great deal about your prospect if you’ll just let them talk.  This isn’t a sales situation so they’ll be far more open and unreserved.  You have the opportunity to ask questions you might not have the opportunity to ask later. 

    Resisting the urge to talk opens information doors that are invaluable.  Instead of talking about yourself, your company, your products and services, learn to ask quality questions that will give you the information you need to qualify prospects and make sales.

David has realigned his networking activities based on the above three networking keys.  He’ll being attending far fewer events but will be spending his time where his prospects are instead of attending an event just to chalk up another “prospecting” opportunity.  David will see his sales increase and his frustration decrease.  You can too if you implement the above networking keys.

February 5, 2010

A Couple of Blog Milestones and Some Other Stuff

Filed under: Networking,Referral Selling,sales,selling — Paul McCord @ 9:21 am
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A Positive Milestone: 1,000 comments
As every blogger knows, it’s tough to get people to interact with you on your blog.  I took me a couple of years to finally get to the point where comments became somewhat frequent.  I’m pleased to say that this morning the blog registered its 1,000th comment.  Not a giant milestone, but still, progress.

A Negative Milestone: 20,000 spam comments
Coincidentally, this morning the blog also blocked its 20,000th spam comment.  Spam, I’ve found, is the real cost of blogging.  Spam comes at you in all forms, whether bots with sex, casino, or watch spam or individuals trying to get mention of their blog posts about their get rich quick scheme or their lead generation ebook for only $79.99.

Anyway, as we continue in our fourth year of the Sales and Sales Management Blog, I’m honored that some have found it worthy of their time to read and even to comment on the content or link to the posts.

I’ll continue to try to bring quality posts that will help increase your sales, help you improve your sales team, and prompt you to think.  As always, I’ll be featuring many great authors besides myself. 

HELP!

My article “Sales Call Reports–Are They Worth the Hassle?” has made it to the finals for Sales Article of the Month for February at Top 10 Sales Articles.  I’ve got tough competition from Dr. Tony Alessandra, Keith Rosen, Lee Salz, Kevin Eikenberry, Danita Bye and others.  To win, I need your vote.  Half of the selection of the winner is based on reader votes; the other half based on votes by a panel of professional sales trainers and consultants.  I’d appreciate it if you’d hope over to Top 10 Sales Articles, read the 10 finalists and vote for the one you believe best (mine, of course).

Networking That Really Works: A FREE Prospecting Webinar on Feb 18

Are you spending time at the chamber networking event or the morning leads exchange group and finding you’re just wasting precious time and energy for no return at all?

Unless you’re an auto mechanic, a personal banker, sell cars, or are a dentist, the chamber event and the leads exchange group probably aren’t going to help you at all.  If you sell sophisticated products and services or high dollar items, more than likely you’re not going to be meeting great prospects or getting many quality leads at these venues.  The majority of people at the chamber event are other sellers looking for prospects and those at the networking breakfast typically can only refer to micro and small businesses or less than ideal consumer prospects.

So is networking out of the question?

Not at all.

You just have to network where you’re going to find a large number of quality prospects and create long-term relationships with them.

Join me on February 18 at 1PM Central for a FREE 1 hour webinar to learn how to make networking work.

You’ll Learn:

  • Where to spend your time networking
  • How networking demonstrates your integrity and trustworthiness
  • How networking builds your image and reputation as being an expert
  • How to work a room and guarantee after event meetings with prospects

This isn’t a come-on to sell products or coaching.  You’ll learn real strategies that produce results.

Limited Seating

Register HERE

Dave Brock reviews Creating a Million Dollar a Year Sales Income: Sales Success through Client Referrals

Over on his blog Dave Brock reviews my book on referral generation, Creating a Million Dollar a Year Sales Income: Sales Success through Client Referrals.  Dave makes some excellent observations and I encourage you to stop over and read the post—and while you’re there, read lots more posts as Dave is a very insightful writer and thinker.

February 1, 2010

Networking That Really Works: A FREE Prospecting Webinar on Feb 18

Filed under: lead generation,marketing,Networking,Personal Marketing,sales,selling,small business — Paul McCord @ 9:34 am
Tags: , , , , , ,

Are you spending time at the chamber networking event or the morning leads exchange group and finding you’re just wasting precious time and energy for no return at all?

Unless you’re an auto mechanic, a personal banker, sell cars, or are a dentist, the chamber event and the leads exchange group probably aren’t going to help you at all.  If you sell sophisticated products and services or high dollar items, more than likely you’re not going to be meeting great prospects or getting many quality leads at these venues.  The majority of people at the chamber event are other sellers looking for prospects and those at the networking breakfast typically can only refer to micro and small businesses or less than ideal consumer prospects.

So is networking out of the question?

Not at all.

You just have to network where you’re going to find a large number of quality prospects and create long-term relationships with them.

Join me on February 18 at 1PM Central for a FREE 1 hour webinar to learn how to make networking work.

You’ll Learn:

  • Where to spend your time networking
  • How networking demonstrates your integrity and trustworthiness
  • How networking builds your image and reputation as being an expert
  • How to work a room and guarantee after event meetings with prospects

This isn’t a come-on to sell products or coaching.  You’ll learn real strategies that produce results.

Limited Seating

Register HERE

August 14, 2009

Recession Buster Webinar

Filed under: business,cold calling,developing expert reputation,lead generation,marketing,Networking,Personal Marketing,prospecting,Referral Selling,sales,sales training,selling,small business — Paul McCord @ 9:08 am
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Recession Buster Webinar

4  Tremendously Powerful Strategies

4  One and half hour Sessions

1  Session Everyday for 4 Days

Monday, September 28 through Thursday, October 1

Each day from 3 PM to 4:30 PM Central Time (4PM to 5:30 PM Eastern; 2PM to 3:30 PM Mountain: 1PM to 2:30PM Pacific)

4 of the Most Powerful Strategies to Find and Connect with Quality Prospects:

Monday, September 28
The PWWR Referral Generation System

You’ll Learn:

^ Why what you’ve been taught about referrals doesn’t work
^ How to work with your client to generate a large number of great referrals
^ How to guarantee you get at least four great referrals from every client
^ How to continue to get great referrals from every client every year

 

Tuesday, September 29
The Best Damn Networking Process There Is, Period

You’ll Learn:

^ Why networking at the Chamber meeting or at the leads breakfast group never
seems to pay off
^ Where to spend you time that will really pay off
^ How to create and execute a realistic, profitable, business producing networking strategy
^ How to work a networking room to maximize your time and create relationships with prospects fast
^ How to set a telephone or in-person meeting with every person you want at a networking event

 

Wednesday, September 30
Never a Cold Call, Always an Introduction

You’ll Learn:

^ Why decision makers hate cold calls
^ Why calling and fishing for a reason to meet with a prospect will get you nowhere
^ How to discover REAL issues your prospect has that you KNOW you can help solve
^ How to guarantee you get past gatekeepers and get voice mails returned without being deceptive, evasive, or lying
^ How to make using the phone to prospect far more enjoyable and productive for both you and your prospects
^ How to make more money by spending less time on the phone

 

Thursday, October 1
Get the Phone to Ring: Become the Expert

You’ll Learn:

^ Why if you don’t have the reputation and image of an expert you’re losing and will continue to lose in the marketplace
^ What it means to be an expert
^ How to use the tools at your disposal to CREATE your image and reputation as an expert in your field targeted to your specific market
^ How to totally eliminate price as an issue
^ How to get your phone to ring with people who want to work with you and only you

 Who Should Attend?

The Recession Buster webinar is designed for anyone who sells in a relationship driven environment such as:

^ Business to Business sellers

^ Professionals: attorney, accountants, architects, financial planners, consultants

^ Business to consumer services such as financial services, personal services, realtors, travel agents, etc.

Whether you are struggling to establish your sales practice or you’re established and simply seek to add more business–or maybe the recession has really devastated your current client base, this webinar will help drive your business to new heights.

These aren’t the same old worn out “strategies” you expect to hear. You’re not going to hear some worthless drivel like “ask for referrals,” or “tell everyone you meet what you do,” or “set a goal to make 50 dials a day and you’ll succeed.”

You know and I know, that’s crap. That’s the same old junk you hear from every “trainer” who doesn’t have anything of value to say.

You don’t need some worn-out, worthless piece of advice, you need real, workable, proven strategies to find and connect with quality clients.

That’s what you get in the Recession Buster webinar.

Four real strategies that work. That produce results. That will get you business.

Why four strategies over four days? Wouldn’t it be easier to just lay out the one best strategy in one session?

It would certainly be easier on everybody involved. It takes commitment to take time out four days in a row.

True. But there isn’t one single “best way” to generate business. We have to have a business building matrix that gives us several avenues with which to connect with prospects. And in today’s marketplace where more and more prospects are rejecting the traditional methods sellers have used to connect with them, we need several ways to find and connect with them that they’ll accept, respect, and respond to.

That’s the power of the Recession Buster webinar
 

Early Registration Until September 10

1 to 4 attendees only $199.00 per person

5 or more attendees only $159.00 per person

Register HERE

Afraid you can’t make the session each day? 
Don’t worry.  Each session will be recorded and within 24 hours of the end of the session each attendee will receive a link to the recording.  Whether you missed the session or just want to hear it again, you’ve got it at your fingertips to listen to when you want.

June 12, 2009

Boost Your Sales series: “The Most Effective Networking Process There Is,” by Paul McCord

Filed under: Networking,Personal Marketing,prospecting,sales,selling,small business — Paul McCord @ 7:45 am
Tags: , , , , , ,

Yesterday Will Kintish told you how to approach the various combinations of people you’ll find at a networking event, today we’ll finish the Successful Networking week with my discussion of how to turn networking at an event into a disciplined process that will allow you to indenify real prospects and begin building long-term relationships with them.

NEXT WEEK we’ll bring in Ian Brodie, Bill Cates, Joanne Black,and Dr. Martin Russell to help you gain more referrals and Word of Mouth exposure.

__________________________________________________________________________

The Most Effective Networking Process There Is
by Paul McCord

Are you one of the millions of small business owners, salespeople, and professionals who have attended networking events held by the chamber of commerce or a business organization and found the experience to be far less than what you had hoped?  Attending networking events requires more than simply showing up—it requires a disciplined approach.   

Typically, the frustrations and wasted time arise from two fundamental issues:

  • overblown expectations
  • not having a plan of attack

Networking events, especially those of a general nature organized by the chamber or a general business organization, will not provide you with a plate full of potential prospects.  If you can walk out of a networking event with three or four good potential contacts, you have done well.

Unfortunately, many, especially those who are not networking junkies, attend these functions with the hope of leaving the event with a whole stack of business cards of great prospects.  When their expectations are not met, they conclude that networking isn’t all it’s cracked up to be and decide their time is better spent elsewhere.

Besides unrealistic expectations about the number of prospects they’ll meet, a great many attend networking events without thinking through wha their real goal is.  Unless you are selling a relatively common consumer or business commodity, you’re not going to sell at these events.  And since you can’t sell, what should be your primary goal?  Mine, when I attend these events, is not to talk about myself and what I do but to listen and ask questions, to learn as much as I can about the other person in order to qualify them, to begin building a relationship with them, and to have them tell me what issues and problems of theirs I’m going to address when we do get around to discussing who I am and what I do (which, by the way, won’t be at the event).

In addition, most attendees waste the majority of their networking time.  Rather than an organized plan to maximize their benefit from the event, they simply attend hoping to “run into” prospects.

Yet, if you attend regularly and with realistic expectations, networking can eventually pay great dividends.  There are three “secrets” to making networking pay:

1,  Know Where You’re Going

Knowing who is likely to attend the event you are considering is as important as attending the event.  If you are considering going to an event you have never attended before, try to get a copy of the host organization’s member roster.  By examining the membership directory, you can get a fairly good idea of the type of people you can expect to meet.  If it appears there are a reasonable number of people and businesses of interest, plan on attending.  If you can’t get a copy of their member directory, call the organization and ask—most won’t mind the inquiry and will be happy to give you as much information as they can.

2,  Know Why You’re Going

Go with a definite number of contacts you want to make.  Determine how many good contacts you will need in order to make the investment of time worthwhile.  Depending on your particular product or service, that number may be only one or two—or may be much higher at five or six.  By establishing realistic, objective criteria, you can easily determine whether or not your time was well spent and whether or not you want to attend the event again in the future.

3.  Have a System for Working the Event

For most business owners and salespeople, the real networking event killer isn’t so much who is in attendance or even their own unrealistic expectations, but rather the time they waste during the event. 

Working a networking room requires planning and a clear vision of how you will spend your time.  I and many of my clients that I’ve taught the following networking method have found it to be easy and very effective.  The goal of this process is to spend the time identifying quality prospects, learning as much about them as possible in a short amount of time, and once you believe you have a viable prospect, setting a phone or lunch meeting with them.

Arrive about 15 minutes before the official event start time.  Wear a large, easy to read, high quality, permanent nametag that features your first and last name, not just your first name.  Of course, have lots of business cards.  Business cards should be blank on the back.  Wear clothing with two easy to reach pockets.

Station yourself close to the entry door—close enough that people might mistake you for one of the hosts.  Greet each person as he or she enters.  Nothing more than a greeting—and, hopefully, noticing their company name.  All you want is to hear a name, put a name to a face and to make a quick judgment as to whether they might be a prospect.

When arrivals begin to slow, begin your progression around the room.  Move in one direction—left or right.  Greet the first person or group of people you meet.  This round of conversations should be short—two to three minutes at most.  Your goal is to introduce yourself and learn as much as you can in a very short span of time about the person or persons you’ve just met.  Don’t clutter the conversation with information about yourself—keep everything focused on the person or the persons you are speaking with.  Your goal at this event isn’t to sell, it’s to qualify prospects.  This will be your second meeting with many of these people, although you will not remember their names.  Two meetings, two opportunities to put a name with a face. 

Since many, if not most, will offer you a business card, you will begin to segregate cards into an interest stack and a non-interest stack.  When you meet someone you believe you’d like to get to know better—a potential prospect, put their business card in your right-hand pocket.  Those you don’t believe are prospects, put in your left-hand pocket.  This system allows you to immediately find the cards of those you want to reconnect with during the event without having to try to remember their name.  Simple: Right pocket card=reconnect; left pocket=don’t reconnect with today.

If you meet someone you would like to get to know better, before moving on to another group let them know of your interest in learning more about their business and ask their permission to contact them via phone at a later date.  Once they agree, take one of your business cards and on the blank reverse side, write the day and an hour span of time during which you will call:  “Thursday, March 12 between 10:30-11:30.”  This day and time will be the same for everyone you meet that you want to call.  It keeps you from having to remember when you will call, but because it is an hour span, you’ll have time to make several calls without concern that you won’t keep your appointment.

Now, move to the next group and continue in this manner for the majority of the event.  About 30 to 45 minutes prior to the end of the event, go into your last phase.  The last phase is taking the few cards in your right-hand pocket and seeking to reconnect with those people.  This will be your third chance to meet them and to put a name and face together.  In addition, since it will be your third meeting, they’ll begin to feel like they know you and they will probably greet you as a friend rather than as new acquaintance.  Just as you are implanting their name and face in your mind through multiple meetings with them during the event, you’re planting your name and face in their mind.

This conversation will be a little more in-depth, but, again, keep the focus on the other person.  During this conversation move the conversation to the point that instead of a phone call on Thursday, you can invite them to lunch.  If you can’t, prior to moving to the next person, again reiterate the phone call on Thursday and give them another business card with the same information written on the back.

On Thursday, make your phone calls and close for a get to know one another meeting.

This structure allows you to “meet” a prospect three times during the course of the event, set up a definite telephone conversation—and very possibly a lunch meeting–and help both you and the prospect quickly move from the “just met” stage to acquaintance stage very quickly.  All without having to remember any details during the course of the event.

The goal of the conversations is to learn as much as you can about the person you are meeting, not to talk about yourself.  You’re there to learn and to qualify.  You can’t sell at a short networking event unless you’re selling a commodity, but you can sure learn a great deal and identify new prospects.  But to do that you have to listen a great deal more than talk. 

Since people love to talk about themselves and if you get them talking about themselves and their company you can learn how to lazer focus the conversation when it does get around to what you do, give them the freedom to open up as much as possible. In addition, never finish a conversation with a real prospect.  Intentionally leave the conversation hanging—and then invite a further phone or lunch conversation.  I never really talk about what I do until the lunch meeting.  By that time I’ve learned a great deal about the other person and I can tailor my discussion of what I do to the exact issues they’ve disclosed.  Instead of some weak, general elevator speech, I give a pointed response to their needs.

If you keep your expectations reasonable and focus you time during the event on the few true prospects you meet, you’ll find your time at networking events to be both more enjoyable and profitable.

Paul McCord, a leading Business Development Strategist and president of McCord Training, works with companies and sales leaders to help them increase sales and profits by finding and connecting with high quality prospects in ways prospects respect and respond to.  An internationally recognized author, speaker, trainer and consultant, Paul’s clients range from giants such as Chase, New York Life, Siemens, and GE, to small and mid-size firms, as well as individual sales leaders.  He is the author of the popular Sales and Sales Management Blog (http://salesandmanagementblog.com). 

—————————————————————————————————————–

Do You Like What’s Here?

If you like what you see on the Sales and Sales Management Blog, why not subscribe to my twice monthly newsletter POWER SELLING?  Each issue features a full lenght article that addresses a real sales or management issue with actionable content. 

Discussing sales and management theory as so many trainers and consultants do is great fun but doesn’t pay the bills in the real world of sales or sales management.  Instead of dealing with the psudo intellecutal theory pursuit, I deal with the real world of generating more sales through the implementation of effective, efficient strategies and techniques. 

Shoot me an email at pmccord@mccordandassociates.com with “Subscribe” in the subject line and with your name and email address in the body and I’ll get you registered to begin receiving POWER SELLING. 

Or just save the Sales and Sales Management Blog to your RSS Reader by clicking here

A NOTE ABOUT PRIVACY:  we hate SPAM slso so we never lease, sell, rent, or give your information to anyone—EVER.

June 11, 2009

Boost Your Sales series: “Be in command and control when working the room,” by Will Kintish

Filed under: Networking,Personal Marketing,prospecting,sales,selling,small business — Paul McCord @ 6:26 am
Tags: , , , ,

We continue with Successful Networking week.  Today Will Kintish deals with working a room at a networking event, and tomorrow I will discuss how to turn networking an event into a disciplined process that will allow you to indenify real prospects and begin building long-term relationships with them.

NEXT WEEK we’ll bring in Ian Brodie, Bill Cates, Joanne Black, and Dr. Martin Russell to help you gain more referrals and Word of Mouth exposure.

__________________________________________________________________________

Be in command and control when working the room
by Will Kintish

When we attend business events or ,using the scarier word ‘networking’ we walk into that room and start to come up with all sorts of negative self-talk leading to a long list of fears and concerns. One concern we have is the fear of the unknown. This article is to help you delete this particular item off that list. Every room you’ve ever been in and every room you will ever go into will always be formatted in exactly the same way.

There will never be more than 6 groups in a room

1.The single person

This person stands by the wall because they know no-one and don’t know how to break the ice. Approach them slowly as they’re literally praying for someone to talk to. Below is your ice-breaker. Smile, shake hands firmly but not too firmly and have good eye contact. Exchange names and listen carefully for their name that way you’ll hear it! What next ? Think what you have in common and start asking questions.

2. & 3.Couples

As you are surveying the room, you will see couples.  They will either be standing side by side.

Unless you know one or both of them, do not go up to a couple standing face-to-face. This should apply if you’re approaching solo or with a mate.  The body language is telling you that they are having a private and confidential, even intimate, conversation.  It might be business or social – who knows? What they have done is put an invisible barrier around themselves and asked everyone else to keep out.  Don’t go there, it’s enemy territory.  I assure you, if you spend a little time before going up to a couple, your natural senses will tell you whether it’s safe or not.  Even if they are having a contretemps, it’s unlikely they are going to be rude to you, but why take the chance? 

There are only three types of situations with couples:

  • You know both of them
  • You know one of them
  • You know neither of them

Knowing both of them is the easy one, but even then, you’ve got to be polite and ask permission to join them. 

When you know one of them, you are obviously going to approach that person and again, ask: “Please may I join you?”  I reiterate, if you only know one, then watch the body language before moving forward.  When you’ve approached them, the chances are the person you know will introduce you to the person you don’t know.  If they don’t, there is only one reason for it. They’ve forgotten the person’s name.  Friends help friends and when you pick up on the fact that an introduction isn’t forthcoming, simply introduce yourself.  What a big favour you’ve done for your friend; extricating them from this highly embarrassing situation.

I can’t tell how many times people come up whilst I’m talking and rudely interrupt. They don’t know me but know the person I’m talking to and completely ignore me. I always think ‘Hello, am I invisible…don’t I deserve at least a nod?’ At every moment take into account we are all being judged. Long after we forget what others said or did to us, we will still remember how other people made us feel.

When you know neither of them, approach slowly catch someone’s eye and ask if can join them. Read a little further on about how to overcome your fear. They generally introduce themselves, best to let them take the lead as you have moved into their space. At the appropriate moment, consider asking: “How do you know each other?” They have just met, been in business for 25 years or are friends who play sport together. That will move the conversation to a new area and you’re showing interest in both people simultaneously.

As an observer, you will now know when it’s safe to approach two people.  When you are in the position of being one of them, you can control the situation by deciding whether or not to “close the circle.”   As I said earlier, it’s not good to go up to people standing face-to-face, so, if you want to spend a little time with your new-found contact, then create the scenario to ensure you are not interrupted.  Don’t underestimate the power of body language.  A lot of what is being said  will be natural to everyone, whether or not they have heard me present, or have read my book, “I Hate Networking!”  On the other hand, don’t forget, if you want people to come and interrupt you, or catch someone’s eye, then stand shoulder to shoulder in a ‘v’ shape.

4. & 5.Threesomes

When you see groups of three, they stand in an open or closed format.

The former will be standing in a square formation, with one side of the square missing.  In other words, one person will have the other two people standing at right angles and there will be a space opposite the central figure.  Don’t take my word for it, the next time you go to an event, have a look.  See that space as yours; your opportunity to break in.  You will be aiming for the person who is in the middle of a conversation as it is that person you will be interrupting. Using eye contact with all three in the group, gently and quietly ask if you may join them.  999 times out of 1000 their body language becomes open and they’ll welcome you in.You will get a responding smile, “Of course, come in,” and one or all of them will immediately introduce themselves.  What often happens is that you will get chatting with one of the three, the other two will probably carry on their conversation and two new groups have been formed.

So, which groups don’t you go into?  The ones, where there is no gap.  Instead of there being a square, there’s a triangle, where each member of the group is standing shoulder-to-shoulder.  Like the discussion on couples, they’ve closed the circle, or in this case, turned the unfinished square into a triangle.  They are having an intimate conversation and don’t want you in there.  Don’t feel bad about this, it’s not just you they don’t want in there, it’s everyone else at that point; unless you know someone.

6. Groups

Groups of 4+ are the big challenge for most people; whether it’s the approaching, the entering or the leaving.  Let me say here and now, until you’ve got your ‘L’ plates off, don’t start approaching groups, particularly when you don’t know anyone.  Needless to say, it’s not so bad when there is at least one member of the group whom you know, but, even then, it can be a bit daunting.

The group to approach is the one you feel most comfortable with.  Firstly, I’d like to suggest that you aim for groups of three; groups of four or more, even for me, are a big challenge.  Sticking with this group of three, decide whether you are more comfortable with males, females or a mix. At the same time, decide whether you feel at ease with small, medium or tall people. 

Personally, at 5’ 6”, I would never approach three dark-suited men who are 6’ tall; talk about being out of my comfort zone! 

As a general rule, the easiest, and what I mean by that, the friendliest type of group is one with a mix of men and women.

The author of this article is Will Kintish, leading UK authority on effective and confident networking both offline and online. If you’d like Will to speak at your conference or training workshops, call him on 0161 773 3727. Visit www.linkedintraining.co.uk and www.kintish.co.uk for further free and valuable information on all aspects of networking.

—————————————————————————————————————–

Do You Like What’s Here?

If you like what you see on the Sales and Sales Management Blog, why not subscribe to my twice monthly newsletter POWER SELLING?  Each issue features a full lenght article that addresses a real sales or management issue with actionable content. 

Discussing sales and management theory as so many trainers and consultants do is great fun but doesn’t pay the bills in the real world of sales or sales management.  Instead of dealing with the psudo intellecutal theory pursuit, I deal with the real world of generating more sales through the implementation of effective, efficient strategies and techniques. 

Shoot me an email at pmccord@mccordandassociates.com with “Subscribe” in the subject line and with your name and email address in the body and I’ll get you registered to begin receiving POWER SELLING. 

Or save the Sales and Sales Management Blog to your RSS Reader here

A NOTE ABOUT PRIVACY:  we hate SPAM slso so we never lease, sell, rent, or give your information to anyone—EVER.

June 10, 2009

Boost Your Sale series: “What Type Of Networker Are You–Really?” by Jonathan Farrington

Filed under: Networking,Personal Marketing,prospecting,sales,selling,small business — Paul McCord @ 6:58 am
Tags: , , , ,

We continue with Successful Networking week.  Today find out what kind of networker you are.  Tomorrow Will Kintish deals with working a room at a networking event, and Friday I will discuss how to turn networking an event into a disciplined process that will allow you to indenify real prospects and begin building long-term relationships with them.

NEXT WEEK we’ll bring in Ian Brodie, Bill Cates, Joanne Black, and Dr. Martin Russell to help you gain more referrals and Word of Mouth exposure.

__________________________________________________________________________

What Type Of Networker Are You – Really?
By Jonathan Farrington

Before you even begin to look at engaging seriously in lots of networking effort, it is useful to look at your own temperament or disposition. This is the individual’s internal desire to network and to find value and enjoyment from the whole process of building relationships.

For some people, this will be an almost irrelevant issue to debate. Their motivation to want to talk to people regularly and to network is naturally high. Talking to strangers in supermarket lines, at bus/train stops, or even in the elevators is characteristic of such people.

However, even if you really enjoy talking to people, it is a proven fact that most of us are not highly confident and highly motivated networkers. In fact, statistics reveal that only one in ten people are actually comfortable in striking up a relationship with a complete stranger.

Unfortunately, this means that their own misgivings, fears and doubts potentially hinder the vast majority of people. And for successful sales professionals, networking is not a choice; it is a necessary part of the job.

Four Networking Types

In practice, you can divide people who attempt to build networking relationships into four distinct types: the Loner (little or no networking), the Socializer, the User, and the Relationship Builder.

Although a salesperson’s aim is to become the fourth option, the “Relationship Builder,” let’s briefly look at each of these types in turn.

Loners like to do most things by themselves. They may feel that they can do it faster or better, or perhaps they don’t want to bother or worry other people. They feel that their knowledge and skills are often superior to most people, and they ask for help only as a last resort (and when it may be too late).

The Loner is an easily recognizable type, because there are times when we all believe that we will do better ourselves than if we ask others for help. The Loner will not usually want to bother anyone else, or necessarily see much point in doing so, believing that others will be slower and will set lower standards.

Unfortunately, the Loner attitude is a major obstacle to effective networking. We need to shift our thinking greatly in this area. We should be more willing to let others assist, and we should even ask for help more often.

Socializers try to make a friend of everyone they meet. They tend to know people’s names and faces, but not what they do. Socializers are not usually systematic or ordered about following up on a sales lead -– contact is random. Such a person may not listen too deeply and is quick to move on.

Although the Socializer may have a wide circle of friends and contacts, he or she knows little of substance about personal skills and resources. As a result, Socializers do not often share their skills.

The Socializer is also a random networker, following little or no formal contact system.

Users are likely to collect business cards without really connecting with people. They try to make “sales” or “pitches” on the first encounter. They talk about and focus on their own agenda rather than information about mutual needs. They often have superficial interactions, and keep score when giving favors.

Unfortunately, people of this type do network widely, but in a way that creates little benefit for themselves or others. Even worse, this kind of networker tends to create a bad impression, and therefore can give networking an image of being about selling, taking, bargaining and keeping score.

Relationship Builders have a “giving” disposition or abundance mentality. They are generally happy to ask others for help or guidance, and listen and learn about people carefully. Builders are regularly on the lookout for useful information for which others can also benefit. They have a well-ordered and organized networking system.

This type of networker is what this article is all about -– an individual who takes a long-term perspective on relationships with others and thinks more about what he or she can give or offer than about the return.

This type is out there for others, or on call to offer help whenever it is needed. If they cannot help in person, they usually know someone else who can.

Maintaining High Self-Esteem

A topic as big and potentially complicated as a person’s relative self-esteem cannot be covered at any level of detail in a short article. However, it is important to appreciate how low self-esteem can have a major impact on your networking efforts if it is not at least basically understood and addressed.

An individual with high self-esteem is likely to build his own confidence to want to network by having a positive, open and “can-do” attitude.

Conversely, an individual with low self-esteem is likely to lack confidence to start with. They will convince themselves (and others) that they have little that would be of interest to others in any network.

And in a successful sales career, this is too high a price to pay.

Apart from the Builder, one factor connects the other three types in preventing them from networking more effectively. This is the issue of self-esteem.

The Loner believes in himself or herself, but not necessarily in others (especially relative strangers). The Socializer likes people, but also very much wants to be liked by others (and therefore does not want to ask for favors). Finally, the User takes a relatively selfish view of, “If I benefit or gain, I might reciprocate; otherwise I won’t.”

Of course, all of these types fear rejection, obligation, being too pushy or even looking weak. All of these fears or concerns about networking need to be lessened or overcome.

So………..just what type of networker are you really?

 

Jonathan Farrington is a globally recognised business coach, mentor, author and consultant. He is the CEO of Top Sales Associates, Chairman of The Sales Corporation and Managing Partner of The JF Consultancy, all based in London & Paris. You can read his hugely popular daily blog here

———————————————————————————————————————————————

Do You Like What’s Here?

If you like what you see on the Sales and Sales Management Blog, why not subscribe to my twice monthly newsletter POWER SELLING?  Each issue features a full lenght article that addresses a real sales or management issue with actionable content. 

Discussing sales and management theory as so many trainers and consultants do is great fun but doesn’t pay the bills in the real world of sales or sales management.  Instead of dealing with the psudo intellecutal theory pursuit, I deal with the real world of generating more sales through the implementation of effective, efficient strategies and techniques. 

Shoot me an email at pmccord@mccordandassociates.com with “Subscribe” in the subject line and with your name and email address in the body and I’ll get you registered to begin receiving POWER SELLING. 

A NOTE ABOUT PRIVACY:  we hate SPAM slso so we never lease, sell, rent, or give your information to anyone—EVER.

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