Networking Your Networks

Gadzooks! Has it really been a full month since I posted here? I must have been busy.... hope I had fun!!

Today I am posting the notes for the North Dallas Workshop I did this week. We had a great group of people - some "regulars" and quite a few new faces.

Our work was around expanding our influence by networking our networks. Just like computer networks create even more power when networked together, when we can connect more people and more networks the power grows exponentially.

We covered three key principles.

PRINCIPLE NUMBER ONE

ALL THE BUSINESS AND MONEY YOU WILL EVER NEED IS WITH THE PEOPLE YOU ALREADY KNOW AND THE PEOPLE THEY KNOW.

Each person you know has networks that can be shared.

One of the mental shifts that allows us to make this happen is to move away from a linear connectivity model to a three dimensional one. Imagine for a moment that you are in a soap bubble. It is somewhat small, and it contains all your knowledge and experience and skills, etc. You are peering out of this bubble into other people's bubbles, and every now and then your bubble connects with someone else's. As the bubbles maintain contact something interesting happens - the barrier between the bubbles disappears, and there is now a larger bubble that contains your combined knowledge, experience, skills, etc. Imagine that this connecting process continues and more and more bubbles keep connecting. Each time the barrier breaks down you have, in a sense, integrated the other bubble's network into yours. Imagine this process goes on and on, and you learn how to do it intentionally, seeking out the relationships that you need and that need you.

PRINCIPLE NUMBER TWO

YOU MUST BE PROACTIVE IN FINDING THE RESOURCES YOU SEEK.

You cannot wait around for people to figure you out, understand what you do or what it is that you need.

You need to let people know:

1. WHO YOU ARE - this is what you stand for, your character, you as a person, your uniqueness.
   
2. WHAT YOU DELIVER - what your clients and customers get as a result of working with you.
   
3. WHAT YOU NEED - who you need to know, the resources you are seeking, the relationships you want to develop.

People sometimes buy into the idea that if they just work only on themselves, envision what they want, and wait for it to manifest then the power of attraction will mystically bring it to them. Now I'm a strong believer in visualization and getting our own house in order, but folks you have ACT if you want things to happen.

Identify the most influential people in each of your natural spheres of influence and get very intentional about enlisting their help. Brainstorm with someone else - your peers, your coach, your mentor or manager - to devise creative ways to approach them and enroll them in the process of knowing the quality people in their universe. Remember those bubbles - you need to establish the contact in order to become part of them.

PRINCIPLE NUMBER THREE

YOU MUST KEEP AT THE TOP OF PEOPLE'S MINDS.

This is important and requires a system that is both automatic and contains a PERSONAL TOUCH.

Joe Girard was named "Worlds Greatest Salesman" by Guiness Book of World Records 12 times. One of the ways that he did it was to send everyone who ever did business with him a card in the mail 12 times a year. EVERY MONTH. To everyone.

It can be so simple - we just have to be consistent.

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As you work to stay at the top of people's minds you also want your follow-up to be APPROPRIATE.

EXAMPLE OF WHAT NOT TO DO:

I responded to an email offer a couple of months ago. The original offer intrigued me so I invited someone to put me on his list. What happened since has become grimly fascinating. The only reason I continued to open his messages after his first barrage is I'm fascinated by the consistency with which he so often repeats the same message again and again, as he tries to convert me into his program.

A STAY-IN-TOUCH STRATEGY THAT WORKED

About a week ago I found a service online that looked like something I could use. I contacted the salesman and talked about it. A couple of days later I got a card from him. Two days later I got another, different card with a different message and some useful information. Two days after that I got another, different card, with a new and useful message. The next day I got a phone call. Within a week I was sold. (I called him and asked him to please sell it to me!)

The difference between these two campaigns is that the latter person showed me a PERSON behind the campaign and took the trouble to find out where I was in the process. The former, partly because sending the emails was "free" I suspect, just kept hammering me until I totally tuned him out. The latter person invested some time and money and carefully qualified me each step of the way.

He also used what I call the "Lost Wallet" approach. When someone calls you up to tell you that they have found your lost wallet, you welcome the call. Why? Because they are bringing you something of obvious value.

Be sure every contact provides something of value so it is welcomed.