Chosen Thought

Archive for September, 2009

I have been involved in Networking for a long time now. I would like to reflect on the issues I have found over that time.
it seems that wherever I go, people I deal with do not understand what Business Networking is all about. The reason that you Network with others in business is not to sale them on your business. What, wait, not sell them on my business. That’s correct. When you are networking with others in business your primary goal should be to sell them on you. I know everyone has heard it said over and over again, people don’t care about your product, but they will care about you. There is a lot more to it than that. People will care about you, but they will also come to understand you as a person of integrity and honor as well.
At that point they will be interested in the product you have because someone they trust is offering it. Sometimes they do not see a need for themselves, but they will see the need for others and will happily refer you to these others. The referrals are what you are looking for. If your goal is to sell them on your product, that is fine. But, they will know you as pushy and not want to refer you to anyone. If you are that pushy person and want to make connections that can lead to more sales, get a new attitude. If you can’t change, at least try to fake it. If that is not even possible, then best of luck. You will make sales, but you will have to continue to make them one on one.
I really do enjoy going to Networking events. I meet nice people with businesses I would like to know more about. I usually collect a lot of business cards. I can’t figure out though, why they waste their money on cards. The business cards have a contact number and an e-mail address most of the time. I try to contact as many people as I can. When I contact them I usually ask to meet with them and talk about our businesses. I have found that I will get responses from about five percent of the people I contact. Of those I get to meet with maybe one of the five percent. They always say the same thing. It is getting pretty tiring. They say they are too busy and can’t find the time.

Consultants can spend a lot of time writing proposals, and it’s important that time isn’t wasted. Obviously some of it will, as some proposals have little chance of success, and work can’t be reused, but we need to maximize our chances of success as well as follow on work. Here are three essentials.

1) Don’t submit a proposal every time you are requested to. Ask a lot of questions first. Is there a favorite already? What about scope? Is it in your area of comfort? A consultant can spend all their time just writing proposals, and that obviously does no good. You must be selective, even if you really need the work.

2) The proposal must address the core problem the client has. They may be asking for band aid fixes and trying to relieve symptoms. Ideally, you can find the root of the issue and address that. Actually solving problems will get you follow on work, not merely doing what is requested like sheep. Companies have enough sheep; they’re called employees. You are a consultant.

3) Give the client multiple ways to say yes. A proposal cannot be “yes” or “no.” There need to be multiple options. I always make one option the barebones option. This is one that will address the issue with a minimum of work and cost. I always have a midrange option, which offers more value at more cost, and a high end option. The high end option can go way above what was originally requested, and sometimes the client will accept it.