3
Levels Of Networking
This Blog Post was the talk de
Good Morning,
Thank you for inviting me
to speak here this
morning. I am excited about being in
front of the businesses in Centre Wellington so we can get to know each other
better.
I find it’s a ‘face time’ community and people really
want to know what kind of person I am and do I really know what I am talking
about, and then they talk with me.
I would like to expand on the 3 Levels Of
Networking and how it can work for you, and throw in some marketing
theory so you have a reason and a basis on which to make decisions when you are
networking.
You know, I didn’t set out to be an expert in
networking. In fact, when I was doing it
originally it wasn’t called that.
When I was growing up in Richmond Hill and the community
was about the size Fergus and Elora are now, we used to have a family joke that
we couldn’t go out and do the usual family Saturday stuff – the library,
groceries, shopping at the Canadian Tire – we didn’t have a mall – without Dad
bumping into someone he knew from School Board or Parks Board or related to
work, and talking about something happening or an issue that needed seeing to.
Sound familiar?
Did you know that was networking?
We called it politicking!
After a lifetime in business on the Yonge St. Corridor,
moving here was a huge change.
I had worked for a National Broadcast Company with tons
of people; I had national responsibility for blue chip accounts, and was well
known in my industry internationally.
On the social side, I was a member of tennis clubs, a
health club, and the Toronto Junior Board of Trade; all great networking
opportunities – but I just saw it as getting to know people and pursuing my
hobbies and interests and finding people to play with. More Networking – establishing relationships!
Now I was up here, in a new career in a new community, in
business all by myself (originally as a Financial Planner), and I didn’t know a
soul, except my parents, and they were here only 18 months ahead of me!
SHOCK!
So what did I do?
I started out trying to meet as many people as I could –
through Chambers of Commerce from Orangeville to Cambridge, and other network
groups as well. I tried to meet the
Councillors and Mayors because they know a lot of people and were a shorter
route to who I needed to know.
Centres of Influence
I networked and found centres of influence who knew
a lot of people and could introduce me to people I needed to know and take me
to networking events with them.
Alliances
I set up some Alliances
with people who had complementary businesses and were working the same areas of
business as I was so we could work together to help our clients.
That is something you could do that would save you a lot
of time and energy. Alliances mean that you are working as a team,
and in effect selling for each other.
Real estate people do it all the time.
Let’s look at some Marketing Theory
PUSH VS. PULL MARKETING and COLD VS. WARM TOUCHES
PUSH is where you put stuff out
there, and have no idea if/when/how it will come back. Advertising!
Direct Marketing – you have no control.
This is a “cold touch”.
It takes 7-10 warm touches to get ppl to come to you to BUY. People buy from people they Know Like and
Trust.
It can take over 18 cold touches! They don’t know you!
I takes 24-30 months for people to come to you when you
start up a business. Warm touches can
shorten that time period – a lot!
Warm touch is when you have
control. You actually make face to face
contact and start a relationship. It’s PULL Marketing. Do you know how to take just one warm
touch and turn it into 4 or 5? That’s
close to 7 – a sale!
Level 1
How many of you have shared your sugar, or borrowed
flour, and swapped school pick up duties with a neighbour? Your neighbour solved your problem and you
solved theirs– that’s Level 1 Networking.
In business networking – networkers attend events with the
idea of finding customers. It’s a small
market limited to the attendees. It’s
PUSH Marketing. It’s also selfish.
It’s the most common form because people don’t look
beyond that 1 on 1 connection. I think
it’s because of time and there is just so much going on. People don’t want to get
involved or feel it’s not their job if it’s nothing to do with them. It is your job! It actually doesn’t take much more to go to
the next levels.
You know – people really do want to help and appreciate
being helped. So please, go beyond the familiar! Go ahead and offer to help, and accept
it! It makes everyone feel good. Studies have proven it!
Level 2
When we moved here, our snow blower decided not to work,
so Dad went to Home Hardware and asked for a referral to someone who could fix
it for us – and got one! That was level
2 Networking. It worked because the snow
blower mechanic had networked with the owner of the hardware store. The dealer
was a Centre of Influence and he made a REFERRAL
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One of your networking colleagues is in a meeting with a
client and mentions a problem he has to solve. You say “I know someone who can help, let
me introduce you.”
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Do you see a tree branching thing starting, with more
exposure for your business, and more opportunity?
What is the most famous question that signifies Level 2
networking?
Do you know someone who can__________________ fill in
the blanks!
Or…..
If you have a friend who has just said they need
something and you meet someone and say:
“I know someone who could use your service. “
Or the reverse:
“You need to talk to___________"
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Level 3
The Goderich Tornado created a Level 3 Networking
situation. Those folks needed everything
and the C W Chamber of Commerce helped the businesses by asking us for help and
- Level 3 - we all asked our connections for donations. The B2B network Group donated some office
supplies.
More tree branching in a wider circle, involving more
people and more networks with more people which implies more opportunity!
Example A
You want to get your services
into a particular company. So you
put it out to your network and ask if anyone knows anyone there. Al says – I have a contact there, his name
is Bob, I will ask Bob who the best person to speak with is. Al goes to Bob and asks for help. Bob says “he needs to talk to
___________.” If things work
properly, Bob makes the introduction, or at least provides the phone number
and email for you.
(4 ppl)
|
Example B
You are driving in the south end of Guelph and see a new
building going up, and you know they will really need window film, or
someone who can build counters! You
stop by the construction shack and talk to the site super and find out who
to talk to.
This requires that you are well aware of your network’s
businesses and can talk intelligently about them. You need to meet your
connections on a regular basis to keep up to date on their business
offerings.
You say “I have a colleague who does that type of work. Let me pass the contact info along and
they will get in touch with you”.
Use email and pass along the contact info and a brief
description of what you saw as the situation and opportunity.
This is level 3 because in effect you are selling for
your connections. You are finding
the need.
(4 ppl)
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SOCIAL MEDIA
Social Media is an excellent networking tool particularly
in a Rural Area with small business. Like
any automated media, in many ways it is PUSH Marketing, but you can also make
it PULL Marketing.
I am on FaceBook, LinkedIn (which shows 7 distinct
networks), and have 2 accounts on Twitter – one for my Business and one for my
Network Group - The Guelph B2B Network Group.
If you use Social Media be very careful – what ever
you put on there is there forever. Make
sure you are presenting the image you want associated with your business. There is one business person who comes across
as childish – I can’t recommend her. So
it does show people what kind of person you are as well as your expertise.
Lisa Kember – Constant Contact person recommends 60/40
split – 60% personal, 40% business. If
you comment relating to who you are – in other words personal, it tells people
what kind of person you are.
How to make it useful?
Someone gives a ‘shout out’ (it’s like a heads up) – they
have a need, and all sorts of answers appear.
I have actually done this.
Start a conversation.
Make announcements about events,
Make announcement about my business with a link to one of
my websites.
Make comments about topics/events
I have used it to do a straw vote…got some feedback that
counted.
Talk about the weather, things going on around town.
Do a Retweet
Comment on other Tweets
People do business with people they Know/Like and Trust,
and Social Media helps people know you.
Quick Level Review!
If you had a networking situation that involved 2 ppl,
which level would it be? Level 1
Example?
If you had a networking situation that involved 3 ppl,
which level would it be? Level 2
Example?
If you had a networking situation that involved 4 ppl,
which level would it be? Level 3
Example?
POSSIBLE EXERCISES
1
Exercise - Right now everyone in the room think:
In your business, what do
you need that you can’t source at the moment?
Can anyone help?
2
Knowing who is here, who do you know who isn’t here who
could use their help?
1. We
have talked about the 3 levels of networking, and how it expands your circles
of solution providers, but it also expands your circle of potential business.
2. We
have touched on some marketing theory:
A. Push
and Pull Marketing
B. Warm
Touches and Cold Touches – do you see the warm touches working in networking
and finding solutions?
C. Centres
of Influence
D.
Alliances
3.
We
have also touched on Social Media as part of Networking
…and how it all contributes
to getting the real you known so people will do business with you….after all, people
do business with those they Know, Like and Trust!
I hope that now you know me a bit better, you will do
business with me, or better yet – make some referrals to me!!
