The Power Of Networking In A Recession

The Power Of Networking In A Recessionr
Brian Azar,

What is a Network?
A Network serves as a referral, introduction, and promotion system, with opportunities to support and help the individuals involved. It offers openings to establish and maintain relationships with people who can open up new ideas, contacts and opportunities.

The purpose of belonging to a Networkr
The purpose of a Network is to help qualified, competent people in similar or related fields to connect with, and to provide access to other positive professionals and groups, creating a powerful resource bank.

Networks must becultivated, nurtured, and created. They don’t just happen. In the process of building your Network, watch out for users and abusers—those people who tout their contacts or sources, promise you introductions, and usually, after you deliver the goods a few times, are too busy or just forget to “make good.” An easy way to spot these people is to pay particular attention to their behavior, rather than listening to their words. If their behavior is not congruent with their language, it’s crucial that you “close the file” on them quickly and get on with it.

More than half of the jobs and clients you’ll get in the course of your working life will come through people you already know.
Hint: The more people you know who like you, the easier time you’ll have attracting the right business

Here are the kinds of positive people you want as part of your Network:

Cornerstones:

Cornerstones arepeople who form the foundation of your network and are necessary foryour business, such as efficient and effective secretaries, competentadministrative assistants, and reliable, trustworthy partners.

InternalExperts:

Internal Expertsare people in your organization on whose talents and expertise yourely for data, research, factual statistics, and information.

Exte
alExperts:

Exte
al Experts arepeople in your field whom you respect, admire, and value asprofessional contacts and would easily recommend to others because oftheir integrity, reliability, and professional competence.

RelatedExperts:

Related Experts arethe same as above, except in related fields and whim you yourselfmight use to help get your job done, or people who can help yourclients and prospects get their job done better: lawyers,accountants, printers, insurance specialists, etc.

Mentors:

Mentors are peoplewho can help guide your career or business by providing opportunitiesto learn the ropes with a minimal amount of pain. People who willprovide a forum for brainstorming and problem solving and will alsogive you access to their power resources.

RoleModels:

Role Models arepeople whose success, achievements, and professional behavior stimulate your own creative juices. They are the examples you want to emulate.

PowerSources:

Power Sources arethose clients, prospects, or friends who refer you to additional sources of information and connections. They have the ability to get you qualified introductions.

BusinessAlliances:

Business Alliances are people in business who advise you of opportunities, encourage and promote your visibility with other businesses, and who will work closely with you. (These might overlap with other categories.)

Challengers:

Challengers are people who will not “YES” you to death. They will question you and test you to go the distance. They will give you opportunities to look inside and find your own direction and face some important questions about your own life. While reminding you that you are a“TEN”, they will press you on to improve your role performance, while giving you positive support along the way.

MasterMind

A support group of like-minded positive professionals in similar or related industries,who meet you on a regular basis, and assist each other in various ways; they may be drawn from any of the above sources.:

“Building and maintaining professional networks is a life-long process.”
Brian Azar

Building a network is exactly like building a business. Once you are aware of the benefits, rewards, and satisfaction form these networks; you are on your way to realizing worthwhile, predetermined goals.

Rules of Networking:

1.Act like a host—not a guest. (Guests wait to be introduced. Hosts introduce themselves.)

2.Meet as many people as you can.

3.Don’t spend more than five minutes with any one person. Set follow-up appointments (if there is interest), or call three to fivedays later.

4.Find out who they are, what they do, and who their market is.

5.Tell them what you do and who your market is.

6. Exchange businesscards. Use the back of their card to note: WHERE MET, DATE, and REFRESHER NOTES, i.e. two features or aspects that struck you.

7.Do not do business while networking. (It is inappropriate and impractical—that’s what follow-up appointments are for.)

8.Give and Get.You must be able to do favors as well as receive them. They are like IOU’s. Some day you may want to draw on them.

9.Follow-Up. This is the key to successful networking. It is easier to have the secretary put you through to the President if you have just had lunch with him/her.

10.Send Fuzzies.Every so often (one to three months) go through your contact file. If you haven’t spoken to someone in a while, call to say “Hello,”or send a relevant article or note.
11. Remove unproductive and unethical contacts from your file: People who consistently break their agreements with you or the contacts you’ve given them; people whose behavior is not congruent with their words.
Brian Azar

www.SalesDoctor.com

919-620-1551