You've Got Follow-Up Covered . . . Now What? 11/09/09
Last week I told you that the No. 1 trait of master networkers is that they follow up the referrals they are given. I hope you’ve been working on fine-tuning your follow-up strategy and that you’re now on the road to mastery of this aspect of networking.
So what else did the survey of more than 2,000 businesspeople from more than four countries reveal to be included in the top five essential traits of a master networker?
- Positive attitude. A consistently negative attitude causes people to dislike you and drives away referrals; a positive attitude makes people want to associate and cooperate with you. Positive business professionals are like magnets. Others want to be around them and will send their friends and family to them.
- Enthusiasm and motivation. Think about the people you know. Who gets the most referrals? People who show the most motivation, right? It has been said that the best sales characteristic is enthusiasm. To gain the respect of your fellow networkers, sell yourself with enthusiasm. Once you’ve done this, your contacts will sell you to others.
- Trustworthiness. When you refer one person to another, you put your reputation on the line. You have to be able to trust your referral partner and be trusted in return. Neither you nor anyone else will refer a contact or valuable information to someone who can’t be trusted to handle it well.
- Good Listening Skills. Your success as a networker depends on how well you listen and learn. The faster you and your networking partner learn what you need to know about each other, the faster you’ll establish a valuable relationship. Communicate well and listen well.
You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
Leave a Reply
close comment popup
One Responses to this article
I believe all of the above are helpful…but would just like to add that authenticity or sincerity are amplifiers to every one of them. Sometimes in their enthusiasm, or desire to be positive, people will “blow off” your legitimate problem (a waitress recently told my husband and me, when we asked if they could turn on or turn up the air conditioner, that she had just been outside, where it was really “boiling”, and compared to that, it wasn’t really all that bad). I want to be heard if I express a problem, not given the “things could be worse” mantra.
On the other hand, I had a very positive experience with a windshield replacement company the other day. They had replaced the windshield on my husband’s truck, but my insurance wouldn’t cover it, so they were having to call me and ask me to pay the $250 that had been denied. The woman was very upbeat and enthusiastic. BUT, she sincerely said that she was very sorry that our insurance hadn’t covered the cost, and that she hoped we were happy with their service and the new windshield. As a matter of fact, we DID love the new windshield, and their service HAD been excellent, so I (literally) happily paid the $250. Importantly, she acknowledged my disappointment, commiserated with me briefly (we did not wallow in it), and then brought me back to the positive outcome of the service. I thought she was masterful, yet very authentic, in how she handled my situation. I didn’t feel “out talked”…I felt “heard”.
So…I think that compassion and sincerity go a long way in making positive and enthusiastic people even MORE effective.
Audre Gutierrez
Shining Sun Aromatherapy of Santa Fe
BNI Networking Leaders Chapter