WITH THE RESULTS OF YOUR SELF-ASSESSMENT fresh in your mind, let's start creating your future-right here at the beginning, with Section One. Now that you are more aware of your networking strengths and weaknesses, you can be realistic about the kinds of goals and plans you should make. Remember, you want to tailor the weekly strategies in The 29% Solution to fit the "real you"-not the "ideal you"-because you won't reach your ideal over time unless you're clear with yourself about what you need to work on to improve your networking skills.
Just as when building a new house, you need a strong, stable foundation on which to construct your "networking home." We devote the first seven weeks to helping you set goals, develop a plan, and accomplish other essential steps.
Just as when building a new house, you need a strong, stable foundation on which to construct your "networking home."
By way of introduction, let's walk through an overview of the first seven weekly strategies that will get you started.
We recommend that you start with the Week 1 Strategy ("Set Networking Goals"). Networking goals are vital. They keep you focused on the steps needed to network your business every day. Please pay careful attention to this process.
In the Week 2 Strategy ("Block Out Time to Network"), you are challenged to carve out time in your weekly schedule for networking. Reading this book is only one step toward strengthening your business network and getting into the 29%. To meet your goals, you must dedicate time to networking.
The Week 3 Strategy ("Profile Your Preferred Client") asks you to describe your preferred client in very specific and strategic terms. Knowing exactly who you want to attract to your business as a client or customer-and being able to clearly, concisely, and quickly describe that preferred client to everyone from your mother all the way down to the CEO of a Fortune 500 firm-is a vital step for networking success.
The Week 4 Strategy ("Recruit Your Word-of-Mouth Marketing Team") shows you how to begin recruiting the individuals who will serve as your ambassadors. They are critical to your success. Why? Because networking, by definition, is a team sport. You win only when others are winning alongside you.
Our Week 5 Strategy ("Give to Others First") builds on Week 4 and begins to demonstrate the power of the law of reciprocity in networking. This strategy focuses on the benefits of giving to others in your network first, before expecting anything in return. As they say in BNI, the world's largest business networking organization, "Givers gain!" (More on this later.)
The Week 6 Strategy ("Create a Network Relationship Database") directs you to organize the people you know into a network database. An organized network database saves you time and energy in the long run.
Finally, the Week 7 Strategy ("Master the Top Ten Traits") sets a high bar for you to clear: it outlines what a survey of business-people deemed the top ten characteristics that define a master networker. These same characteristics are what we feel separates those who are in the 29% from those who are not. It gives you something to aim for and a way of assessing where you stand now, relative to that goal.
OK, that's where we're headed for the next seven weeks. Now, let's get going!
Set Networking Goals
DO YOU HAVE GOALS FOR YOUR BUSINESS? Do you have marketing goals and sales goals? This is a perfect example of the concept we mentioned earlier: the "uncommon application of common knowledge." We all know intellectually that goals are important. The question is, how well do we apply that knowledge?
How about networking goals? If you don't have any, believe it or not, you are in the majority. Obviously you believe in the power of networking or you would not have purchased this book. Why, then, have you not written networking goals for your business?
Networking seems to be one of those things that many people do as a reaction to no or slow business. It often gets forgotten. It is rarely treated as an integral part of how we grow our businesses. Not only is it frequently neglected, but most people are haphazard in their approach to networking, and far from systematic. This approach to networking can keep you from ever getting close to the 29%. This first strategy helps you avoid the pitfalls of treating networking as an afterthought-as something far less than what it can be for your business.
One way to systematize and organize your approach to networking is to set measurable networking goals. As our friend Deanna Tucci Schmitt (owner of BNI Western Pennsylvania) often says, "Without a goal, you have nothing at which to aim." 1 We would add that if you don't have a goal, you can't measure your results. "That which gets written, gets done," as our colleague Tom Fleming in Florida would say.
one way to systematize and organize your approach to networking is to set measurable networking goals.
SMART Goals
Each goal you create should be SMART: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Timed with a deadline. Let's take a moment to clarify the concept of a SMART goal.
Specific. The goal must be clearly defined with parameters that state who, what, when, where, and how. Specific goals help you stay focused on one thing at a time. For example, stating that you want to become a member of a networking group is fine, but you can define your goal more clearly by saying that you want to become a member of a specific chamber or a particular BNI chapter.
Measurable. The goal must include a way of measuring the results. This typically means that there is a number associated with the goal, such as how many or what percentage-some quantifiable way to measure progress toward the goal. Stating that you want to receive more referrals this year is neither specific nor measurable; it's more useful to say specifically that you want a 30 percent increase in your referral business from a networking group.
Attainable. Each goal that you create must be within reach. It should not be so far-fetched that it's out of your vision. To determine whether a goal is attainable, consider what you accomplished this year. Then consider what you have coming up next year that may either impede or improve your ability to meet a specific goal. Finally, consider everything that needs to be done to accomplish your goal. When all is said and done, do you honestly feel that with hard work, dedication, and focus, you can meet this goal? If so, write it down and commit to achieving it.
Relevant. The goal must have relevance and meaning for you; otherwise, you will not be motivated to accomplish it. What will be the outcome if you meet a particular goal? Will you make more money? Will you have a higher quality of life? Will you be able to save for retirement more comfortably? Will you get a promotion or a raise? Will you save time in the long run? Whatever your personal motivation, ensure that your goals tap into it. Doing so will inspire you every day to keep striving toward the finish line.
Timed. Speaking of a finish line, the goal must have a deadline or completion date assigned to it. Without one, you will lose your focus and your desire to meet your goal in a timely manner. Our human competitive nature draws us to the finish line. We need to aim for a target. For example, stating that you want a 30 percent increase in your referral business from your participation in a networking group is indeed specific and measurable, but how long will it take, and when will you measure it? Stating that you want a 30 percent increase in your annual referral business from the organization by December 31 will be much more effective, because it contains a deadline.
When you put all of these elements together, you might end up with a goal statement that looks like one of these:
I will become a member of the ABC Chamber by June 30.
I will achieve a 30 percent increase in my annual referral business from networking in [a certain networking group] by December 31.
We know that setting goals-"SMART" goals-can be difficult. But we've also seen how powerful they can be, as well as the consequences of not giving them their due. Collectively, your two coauthors have written many training curricula. Each one starts with the goal in mind. We've been well trained, for how can we even begin to organize material into a training seminar without first having the end in mind? We typically formulate a set of questions that must be answered before we can move ahead to designing the curriculum.
Steven Covey validates this concept in his The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. One of his strategies is to "begin with the end in mind." The questions below, adapted from his book, will help you focus on what you want to accomplish through networking. Once you begin your own goal-setting process, however, don't limit yourself to these questions.
Week 1 action
Your task this week is to answer-in writing, not simply in your head-each of the following questions as honestly and as fully as you can. They will provide a structure that will help you create your goal statements. Besides, you have to set your goals before you can design a plan for meeting them. We'll focus on developing that plan in Week 2, so we encourage you to approach this goal-setting process with enthusiasm and diligence. (Remember, you're building that foundation for your networking home!)
Questions for Sample networking GOALS
1. How much business do you want to get from word-of-mouth referrals, and by when?
What do you need to do for this to happen?
Who will bring you this business?
What kind of business do you expect to get from referrals?
Will the referrals focus on a specific product or service?
2. How many networking functions will you attend each month?
How will you find out about these functions?
What will you accomplish at these functions?
3. How many referrals do you want each week? Each month?
4. How many of the techniques in this book will you begin each month?
5. What five things will you do differently to network your business?
6. With whom do you want to meet this year? (List anything that comes to mind: businesses, professions, names of specific people you'd like to meet.)
7. Of which networking groups would you like to become a member this year?
Additional Exercise
Although we don't want you to get too far ahead of the process, you might choose now to flip through these pages and identify a few strategies that look appropriate for the goal statements you've created. Make notes so you can revisit them later.
Block Out Time to Network
In order to perform like the successful exceptional networkers in the original six degrees of separation study, you might actually need to change some behaviors. There are four steps to changing a behavior: want it, learn it, try it, and live it. You were motivated to buy this book because you wanted to learn how to do this thing called "networking" more effectively. Congratulations! You've accomplished step one.
Having determined that you want the information, step two is to learn it. That involves actually reading this book. Congratulations again! You've made it this far. Keep going!
Once you learn this information, move to step three: try it out. Reading the book is good, but executing the strategies in the book is better. This is not a book that should just sit on your bookshelf. For the next twelve months, keep it on your desktop to remind you every day of the reason you bought it in the first place. The true purpose of this book is to keep you working on your business by implementing the fifty-two strategies to network your business effectively and efficiently.
This is not a book that should just sit on your bookshelf.
After you begin trying out the strategies, the last step in successfully implementing this material is to live it. This requires a continuing commitment on your part to execute what you learn-not just by trying one strategy each week, but by integrating your new skills in the way you conduct your business every day.
Make a written commitment to yourself and your business by blocking out time on your calendar for networking activities. You may have already started this when you wrote your networking goals. If not, find the best time in your week to focus on these strategies.
Ask yourself:
1. How much time will I dedicate to networking each week?
2. What percentage of my marketing budget will I dedicate to word of mouth?
3. How many meals each week will I eat with someone else?
4. How many new people do I want to meet each week?
5. What other methods will I use to generate new business?
Right now, your inner voice may be saying, Yeah, right. I know I need to network. But how can I manage my current business and still find time to get out and network? Shouldn't I give priority to my existing clients?
To enhance your perspective on the value and necessity of networking, let's review four primary methods for generating new business: cold calls, advertising, public relations, and networking.
Cold Calls
For most people, the term cold call is two "four-letter words" that raise the hairs on the backs of their necks. Many find cold-calling painful, humiliating, and frustrating, especially after they see how low a return it produces on valuable time invested.
For most people, the term cold call is two "four-letter words" that raise the hairs on the backs of their necks.
Think about it. How do you react when the phone rings during dinner, and it turns out to be a cold call from a salesperson? If you have caller ID, you may simply ignore the call. If you answer, you're probably not going to become a loyal customer. You may end the call by lying ("My cat's sick, and we're on the way to the vet")-or worse ("Can't you find honest work?"). One hard-nosed character we know asks the caller, "Can you hang on for a moment?" and then lays the phone down and goes back to the dinner table.
Regardless of your personal strategy for avoiding the cold caller, the point is that you go to great lengths to avoid him. Now, turn the tables. If you were the cold caller, don't you think other people might have the same reaction to you?
Advertising
Advertising, on the other hand, though typically more palatable than cold-calling, is usually more expensive. This means you probably need an advertising budget. If you dedicate money to this strategy, you expect to see results-and, truth be told, advertising will sometimes generate new business. That's why we believe in advertising. If you want to be successful, you need to advertise. But let's be honest. How many of you have gotten all the business you want through advertising? What's the return on your investment? For most of us, advertising won't produce enough new business to keep us going indefinitely. Besides, the savvy consumer tends to be wary of ads, because he or she knows that you or someone in your company wrote the content. Wouldn't you expect it to say great things about your company?
Public Relations
Next, there's public relations. PR is unpredictable and sometimes risky. Typically, you have little control over what gets written and printed, regardless of how well it does or does not represent your business. Sometimes you'll even find yourself putting out fires created by inaccurate PR. We've had tremendous success with my PR efforts. However, we've never relied on this aspect of business development alone. It is one piece of the overall marketing strategy for a business.
Networking
Finally, let's consider networking as a method for generating new business. Networking, if done strategically and exceptionally well, has the potential to generate all of your new business by word of mouth. Using networking as a strategy for generating new business truly turns it into referral marketing. This book is your week-by-week plan for building your business through referral marketing using the venues and skills of networking to make it happen.
Using networking as a strategy for generating new business truly turns it into referral marketing.
Most businesses have a marketing plan that includes advertising. We are not opposed to advertising; most businesses need it to survive. However, we think you should plan your networking activities the same way you plan your other marketing activities. An effective networking plan should be part of your overall marketing strategy.
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Excerpted from THE 29% SOLUTION by IVAN R. MISNER Michelle R. Donovan Copyright © 2008 by Ivan R. Misner, PhD. Excerpted by permission.
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