Networkers of the world, it’s time to score – big time. The oh-so seductive Ben Angel applies the laws of dating to art of business courtship and reveals that it’s more hands-on than you think.
If you’re anything like me, world domination is high on your priority list. But just how do you expand your business network so that this goal becomes more tangible?
A majority of business owners underestimate the positive effects networking can have on their cashflow. So just what is a business owner to do and who do we have to sleep with to score that major contract (or to score at all)? In other words, how far are you willing to go to become a roaring business success?
WHO ARE YOU IN BED WITH?
It’s a sobering thought to consider who you’re in bed with and who you’re seen to be in bed with when doing business (i.e. suppliers, clients and business colleagues). What’s worse is that if you hop into bed with the wrong person, you’re likely to catch some kind of viral disease that will cause you to lose credibility, sales and profits – fast!
IDEAL PARTNER
If you are expecting to generate any referral business or score a contract with a major multinational, you will need to create your ideal partner list. Your list will consist of key contacts and organisations that you need to be networking with to get your pitch accepted and alliances established. It will include their position within the company, who is senior to them and who else is around that could potentially influence the final outcome of the sale or relationship. This information will be readily available online, either doing a Google search or networking with other key individuals that know the organisation(s) in question.
The peculiar thing about creating your ideal partner list is that you will suddenly discover business colleagues and even clients that have already made significant inroads to the organisations you are targeting. Your colleagues will then do what any good wingman/woman does and set you up on your first date, either at a networking event or business meeting.
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PICK-UP LINES
So you have your ideal partner list and you’re ready to pick up some new clients and alliance partners. You’re at a networking event, you spot your target and you’re ready to make your move, just like 007 (you wish!). So what’s your pick-up line? Ummmm? Ummmm?
Your pick up line is otherwise known as an elevator pitch and the majority of them are boring and confusing as bat dung. There is a simple formula you can adhere to, to ensure that your message is communicated clearly every single time. As for the humour, don’t try a joke when you know you’re not funny. It always ends up in tears (accountants please take note).
Step 1:Explain what you do in one simple yet precise sentence. If you can’t explain it in one sentence, work with your colleagues to cut out the waffle.
Step 2: Who do you do it with (no pun intended)? Define your target market specifically (i.e. business consultants that work with large multi-nationals).
Step 3: How do they benefit? Is it improved productivity, bottom-line results or staff morale? Pick three to four core benefits that the person you are speaking with will respond positively to.
Go through this entire process and test it out on your colleagues. Do they look like Pussy Galore about to pounce on James Bond? In short, are they stirred or shaken? Hmmmm, maybe you should just re-work it.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
Do you have chicken skin stuck between your teeth when you meet a prospective client, supplier or business alliance? You do when you rock up unprepared. Hell, you may as well have a chook’s head hanging out of your mouth!
Nothing impresses more in business than turning up to a first business meeting well prepared. That consists of being on time, dressed well, nice breath and a clear plan for how you want the meeting/date to run. What’s more, don’t turn up at a first date not knowing what you’re going to say. The general conversation will almost always consist of, where have you been, what are you doing now and where are you going (i.e. business objectives).
To get even more out of the initial contact, touch base with them via email the day before to casually outline the things you would like to cover, i.e. “I’d love to discuss how we can be of assistance to each other in growing our businesses and look at the possible options available.” Set the intention, otherwise it will not only be directionless but you may in fact end up sitting in front of someone selling Amway. (Shoot me now!)
DON’T SLEEP WITH THEM ON THE FIRST DATE
Sleeping with someone on the first date will almost always guarantee you won’t get a call back because you’ll be seen as too easy and too eager. In other words, don’t make the critical mistake of pitching to an organisation that you have only just met without knowing their complete needs and what they are looking for. Take the time to build credibility and the relationship prior to making your pitch. This could take a month, two months or even six months depending on the size of the deal you are after.
Great things take time and it may be slow to begin with, but if it means a $50k-plus contract on the table then it may well be worth the wait. A colleague of mine waited, persisted and built a business relationship for over three years before he finally closed the deal. It was worth three million dollars to him, one million for each year of persistence. Hmmm, why do I suddenly feel patient?
DEVELOPING THE RELATIONSHIP
Any decent relationship is built on trust, credibility and your track record of following through on what you promised. Set a time in your diary each day in which you make phone calls to key business contacts that you would like to work with further. The call may be as simple as: “Just thought I’d touch base with you to see how everything’s going and if I can help you out with anything?”
This will not only assist in building the relationship, it will also ensure that when in fact they do need your service, you will be front of mind, every time. Be warned, it must come from sincerity, otherwise you will come across as a fake.
The interesting thing about building your business and career via networking is that if you set one foot wrong (i.e. don’t follow up, deliver badly on a project or even bitch or degrade others in your industry), word of mouth spreads even faster. Your business will be dead before it hits the ground.
Any kind of networking begins first and foremost with a foundation of honesty. Don’t go around telling the world you have a huge package when really you couldn’t even see it under a microscope. It will always bite you in the butt at the end of the day, and not in a good way!
IF IT’S NOT ON, IT’S NOT ON!
A wise man once said (ok, it was my dad), “If it’s not on, it’s not on!” Some particular business circles and target markets are harder to infiltrate than others, and some you just don’t want to touch with a ten foot pole. When penetrating a particular target market or company, if it’s not on, it’s not on! What do I mean by that? Never work with anyone that will have an adverse impact on the credibility of your business or name. Before you set out to target key contacts and establish solid business relationships, ask around about their background, what kind of reputation they have and what they are like to work for or with, especially if they are a potential alliance partner that will have a close association with your business.
If you are not careful, it could cost you in more ways than one.
ESTABLISHING FBBs – FRIENDS WITH BUSINESS BENEFITS
Ok, you’ve gone on the first date and wooed your potential alliance partner or client. You’re now either about to sell to them or move into the next phase – FBBs, otherwise known in business as FBBs, “Friends with Business Benefits.”
An FBB is the ultimate place to be when establishing or growing your company. Your FBBs make up a small core group of your business support network that may typically consist of anywhere from five to ten quality contacts that can open doors for you across many industries and markets. FBBs look out for each other, forward on relevant information and data about your competitors and will always bend over backwards to help you out when things aren’t looking so impressive.
You know you have an FBB when you can pick up the phone and call them about a business question without event thinking twice.
They aren’t easy to come by and do take time to establish, but once you have an FBB and you’ve worked on building a solid relationship with them, you have them for life.
THE CLOSE
It’s time to get excited – you’re about to climax. Some of us go through life only ever hitting this peak occasionally – closing the sale and beginning the project you’ve worked so hard for. You’ve done the networking, met with your ideal partners, established trust and found out what they really need. Now it’s time to seal the deal.
You should now be at the point where you can simply ask for the sale. You will know when it’s the right time when all objections have been covered and there’s nothing more to do than get that signature.
SHOOTING BLANKS
You’ve been out networking more than the town bicycle and you’re still not getting any sales. What’s going on? What are you doing wrong and how can you turn things around?
You’ll attract the right people to you when you are prepared for them. As the saying goes, “When the student is ready, the teacher shows up.” Same principles apply with networking, only the contacts will show up when you’re ready to play in that field on that level. Focus on improving your skill set and further defining who your ideal partner (client) is. You will soon discover whether you have become lost along the way.
YOUR LITTLE MASSIVE BLACK BOOK
The final step to ensure you score over and over again (oh, I mean that major contract) is to remain consistent in your networking, dating and relationship activities. You will not only walk away with a “Massive Black Book” you will also walk away with a reputation to talk about.
Let’s face it, in business, if you’re not being talked about, you don’t exist!
Ben Angel is the Founding Director of Nationwide Networking, a business networking group that meets monthly to share referrals, access key business knowledge and network with pre matched business connections. www.nationwidenetworking.com.au
