Be ready to give first

This article is part of the series 28 Business Networking Strategies.

Once you know who you best referral sources are, and the networking events where you'll meet those people, it's time to think about how to begin your business relationship.

You face two challenges...

1. How do you become known to the right people?
2. How do you get permission to phone them?

Most people have no idea how to go about this, and so approach networking events as if they were a form of advertising...

• Approach a likely referral source
• Shake his/her hand and introduce self
• Wait for the other person to stop introducing him/herself
• Launch into an extended self-congratulatory sales-pitch

This is the business networking equivalent of cold calling. The other person doesn't know this would-be receiver of referrals, and is unlikely to form any sort of emotional bond. S/he will quickly forget all about this person.

Clearly this approach to business networking is flawed. If you and I are to make networking events pay, we need a strategy that's likely to work.

The goal at any business networking event isn't an immediate sale. And in this case, it's never a direct sale. Our ultimate goal is to get referrals from this other person. It won't happen until we become known, build trust, and establish credibility in his/her mind.

This is a bit much to expect from a single networking event, so our immediate goal is nothing more than to get permission to phone this person back. And to do so with good news.

Having made the follow up call, we then ask for a one-to-one meeting.

The reason for calling back that unlocks any door is when we have a referral to give to the other person. In other words, we're the one that gives first.

To ensure we're able to generate a good referral, we must understand what the other person does and who they're looking to meet. The following questions help to discover this information (assume introductions have already been made)...

• What business are you in?
• What's does that involve?
• I might know somebody interested in that? What kind of people/businesses do you like to be referred to?
• I think I can help you out there. My [relationship] [name] was saying s/he was in the market for that. Do you have a business card? Can I call you if s/he wants to talk?

It's a simple approach that gives you permission to call back.

If you don't arrange the referral, you should call anyway and explain that your friend has already found a supplier. I don't recommend that you try to arrange a one-to-one at this point. Instead, ask if you can call back if you do find a referral. Then try very hard to generate one from your network.

If you do arrange the referral, you have created a social obligation on the part of the other person to say yes to a request of yours.

I recommend that your request be a one-to-one meeting. This 30-50 minute meeting gives you the chance to strengthen the relationship. You've come to the attention of this other person (you got him/her a referral). You've built some trust by doing what you said you would.

In the one-to-one meeting you'll have the chance to explain what you do, who you're looking for, and establish some credibility with a person you've already identified as your best source of referrals.

Compiled by Wayne Davies – creator of the DIY SEO Seminar.