3 Key Take Aways on How to Optimize your 1-to-1 Meetings into Referrals for Your New Connection

Attending Networking events may be a key comment in your marketing.  If it isn't, you might want to consider how networking could benefit your referrals and recommendations.  It is a proven fact that people do more business with people they like, know and trust. So, what are some things you can do to build that in your first encounter?

(1) Ask The Right Questions

Instinctively we ask people we meet, "What do you do?"  They in turn have a canned, preprepared answer or sales pitch on a 5-10 second highlight of their best services.  What if you asked the question differently?

- "What is your gets you up every day?"

- "How is your most ideal client?"

- "If I were to introduce you to your most valuable Power Partners, who would they be?"

- "With knowing what you do, who would be someone I could introduce you to?

- "What is your favorite book and how has it helped your business?

- "Where do you find you get the most business?"

- "In given a specific ideal client, what can I tell them in Why you would be the best fit?

----> You get the idea

(2) Write Down Key Take Aways 

Document some memorable notes on their business card or in a notebook.
*** Be sure to collect 3 business cards (you'll see why in a moment). 
How in the world will you be able to remember every single person, their ideal client and niche without writing it down?  This is great for your memory as well as enhancing that encounter further, reminding your contact what you remembered and how best you can refer them. If I took the time to visit with you on a deeper level, I would want you to remember key points of our conversation.

(3) Earnestly think of the 3 people in your network this person might find value in meeting 

A key networker in my cycle shared with me, that if I collect 3 business cards from the person I am meeting with, I am more likely to earnestly make efforts to refer them to 3 other people. If this is your business, and you are gaining credibility, making a personal introduction hand in hand with a business card with show far more value to your meeting than just a meeting with no additional follow-up.

Networking and relationship management will either build or halt your efforts.  It takes a village to build a business and it also takes consistent visibility, follow-up and relationships to take you to a higher level of business. 

~ Social Media is changing the way people do business.  Don't get left behind ~ 

Hollie Clere, of The Social Media Advisor is a social media manager, trainer and author in LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Blog, Google+ , Pinterest and the tools to manage them. Click here for her Social Media Links

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The Parents Who Won't Embrace Social Media

(Image found on Google Search)

As a Social Media Consultant, I am challenged every day with people who want a social presence because it is the new, hip thing and don't really understand the basics of how online activity works.  I applaud you for stepping outside of your box and wanting to try on something new!

My parents are a great example of this.  They are retired, have used computers for their functions at work before they retired, and have no desire to play in social media.  They realized that even though we talk frequently, sending pictures in email just would not do any longer.  I setup a Facebook account for them and buckled down privacy settings as much as possible.  YAY! They can see the pictures and posts and all was well in the world!

I learned quickly there was a language barrier.  It is adorable and real.  Too cute for me not to share.

My parents, social media newbies - would cal me, "I got your email about the event, do I have to go?"  or "I got them email from your friend about your picture" I started to realize these said "emails" where them thinking that every single post, comment or like (from a friends public post) that they genially thought they were sending them an email, or that I was as well. As I am their only friend on Facebook, they saw my activity as genuine emails to them, I realized the dramatic gap they have with social media.

See, it turned from, I am commenting on my friends wall (because they are public people can see it) to, my parents getting an email every time I comment on something.  To them, it is an email. To me, it is just a comment.

The bigger questions crossed my mind ...

(1) Is it just that simple, I post and the email comes that they think is just for them?

(2) Do my friends need to have better privacy settings?

(3) Is it a technology language shift that we are experiencing?

Sure - any and all of the above. In the end, I just had to share how cute they are.

~ Social Media is changing the way people do business.  Don't get left behind ~ 

Hollie Clere, of The Social Media Advisor is a social media manager, trainer and author in LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Blog, Google+ , Pinterest and the tools to manage them. Click here for her Social Media Links

Sign up for your Free Social Media Analysis