| Let talk about going to a clinic or convention.
Although we know that the goal of networking is to discover
new contacts and leads, it's more than a "paint by the
numbers" process. It takes time, patience, and creativity
to cultivate people into our lives. The key is to make
networking become a natural part of everyday life.
When I first started in the coaching profession, networking
was starting to get a bad reputation. People saw clinics and
conventions as "targets" to pass out and collect as
many business cards as possible. Think about the "all
lobby" team. Ultimately, people networked when they
needed something from someone (a job or referral). I agree
that type of attitude can be detrimental to our profession.
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To make positive networking become a part of your everyday
life, start with a strategy and begin the process. Begin to
imagine that many people you meet can lead you to a new
exciting job. Now plan a strategy that will include tactics to
allow people to feel comfortable, trusting, and willing to
help you achieve more:
- First, know your contact. When someone is offering to
help you meet other people, make sure you are not
"using" them. When you call someone up and say,
"Hi Bob. I need your help with some referrals. Any
suggestions?" On the surface it seems harmless.
However, people will sense when you're using them as a
means to an end. A better approach would be to have a
genuine dialogue first. Then at the right time, ask them
if they would help you "brainstorm" for new
ideas to develop new business. Sometimes your contacts
will give you more than you hoped.
- Have a clear vision. Be sure that you can see the end
results with all your contacts. For example, make sure
your contacts get you close to the people you want to
meet. When someone gives you the name of the sister, who
knows the postal worker who delivers mail to your lead,
then it's going to take a while to get what you want.
Contacts should get you as close as possible to the right
leads.
- See the potential. Everyone we meet is either a client,
prospect, friend, or knows someone who can help us meet
one. Sometimes we think we have to go to the top, and may
not realize the strength is in the foundation. Often, the
top people rely on people they manage for advice. While
the president of a company signs the biggest checks, you
might want to find ways to let that person's staff see how
you can provide the service to help everyone at the
company. Avoid taking people for granted; almost everyone
could get you closer to new leads.
- Surround the campus. In addition to knowing the people
in the coaching career, take time to network with decision
makers in a variety of ways. Think of a combination of
ways to influence people. This could include clinics,
conventions, business networking lunches, and civic group
functions. The goal here is to impress upon the prospect
that what interests them interests you. Remember, be
genuine. If you don't bowl, then forget about joining a
league just to get near potential customers.
- Solid relationships endure. If you have ever followed
the progress of new construction, you'll find it takes
some time to get the foundation in place. However, once
that's done, the rest of the building seems to go up in a
relatively short period of time. That's also true with
networking relationships. Once you've determined the best
way to network with new people, then stick with it. For
example, if there are monthly meetings, make sure you
attend each one. If the contacts ask for some information,
make sure you send it out.
- Follow up in unique ways. No, you don't have to send
singing telegrams. When you network with new people, work
to remember something that is important to them. It could
be something they collect, or may be something related to
sports. Then, these topics can become a spring board for
future communications. For example, if someone likes
fishing, the follow-up note you send could have a fish on
it. It doesn't take much. However, it does take some
thought. It's this attention to detail that will
strengthen your networking relationships. One way that I
have generated over 50 percent of my business is from
sending handwritten notes. According to the United States
Postal Service, only 4 percent of the mail is
personalized. This simple form of communication will get
you remembered.
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Here's a game plan you might want to follow to help make
networking a part of your life:
- Each week call one person you haven't spoken with for
the past 90 days. Take nothing for granted; approach this
person like a new networking contact, and do the follow
up.
- When you invite coaches to accompany you to an event or
a meal, offer them an extra "ticket" so that
they can bring along a guest.
- Write notes to people you've never worked with. For
example, look at a trade publication, and write a note to
someone featured in an article. Avoid making a pitch; just
mention something that impressed you in the article.
- Develop your own system. Think back to current clients
you got through networking. Now remember the tactics that
lead you to these customers. The goal here is to discover
what you already do that works, and repeat it.
Start viewing the world as being one big network. Now plan
on "plugging" into it to get the power that leads to
more contacts.
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