I’m attending a Lake Washington Technical College event this morning. They are holding a fundraising breakfast for the LWTC Foundation.
Should be a good event.
The keynote speaker is Eddie Barbini, Executive Producer of the Discovery Channel’s popular reality show, Dirty Jobs. Mike Rowe, star of the show, will make a special video appearance.
I’m hoping to meet some new people and make some positive contacts.
On Nov. 1, I am attending a 300 plus networking meeting in Lynnwood. Bring your business cards and 30 second commercial and get prepared to meet people.
The key to this meeting is the follow up. After the meeting, send a thank you card and then call within a week to set up an appointment. When you have 300 plus people, you can’t sell anything. You just want to meet them and find something in common with them or better yet some problem they are having so that you can set an appointment to help them out.
Let me know if you want to go so I can register you. It’s Free!
Ovaleye posted a review of the book The Referral Engine. I’m going to have t
o check it out. I’ve put a link back to their blog below. Here is an excerpt…
The Referral Engine
By John Jantsch
It goes without saying that referrals are one of the best and least expensive ways of obtaining customers. In this book the author, John Jantsch, provides great detail regarding identifying, attracting and maintaining referral sources. While the book is full of great information earning it a good rating, I like to also rate the books I read on how much buzz they create around the Ovaleye office. The relatively low buzz factor this time held the rating to a 4.
The final chapter of the book provided a good summary of what was learned in the previous chapters. Summarizing the summary even further it went about like this.
My 2 year old keeps asking for this song. It’s kind of a funny song. It also shows that you need to keep plugging away in networking to garner success. I’ve been working on something for a year now, and I think I’m just now starting to make some headway. Persistance helps and you just might get a grape (reference to the song)
I read this blog article today. It was fanastic. Ivan Misner really summed it up here.
http://networking.entrepreneur.com/2010/09/16/the-networking-disconnect/
What do you think?
My wife and I had our third child about a month ago. So for the last couple of months I’ve been out of it. I was at a networking meeting this morning and I was struggling to just function normally.
I think I’m getting back into the rhythm of things.
One thing to consider. When you are at a networking event, think of at least two people you want to get to know better. Invite them to coffee, lunch or a 20 minute meeting to learn more about what you both do. –This moves the business relationship along–.
And, it can be fun…..
For those of you who know me, you know I am a big fan of Jeffrey Gitomer. I found this video on YouTube about building relationships. I thought it was interesting…
Part of my philosophy is, I don’t expect to receive a referral until I’ve given on. So, the big question is, how do I find people I can refer. I’ve been struggling with this question for quite some time.
Over the last two weeks, I’ve given out 10 referrals. It’s been the most I’ve ever done.
I started looking at the way I do business and asking myself, how can I try and get a referral for someone in my normal day to day business. I think I struck a goldmine, and I haven’t yet scratched the surface. For my business, I regularly meet with clients. I sat down and said what questions am I asking and how can I add one more question to generate a referral to a business partner. It’s worked so far.
Take a look at your business. Is there one thing you can do or say to find a potential referral?
Nothing is more frustrating than having a key to something that won’t open. I ran into that situation just a little while ago. Aaron Keating is a local locksmith who knows his stuff. He was quick, knew exactly what to do and was professional.
I highly recommend him. His phone is 206-381-1622. His hours are 24/7 so feel free to call anytime. Be sure to let him know that you know me.
He also has some funny stories to tell. I spoke with him this week, and he told me about a job where he was helping a person who had just bought a condo. They needed a key to the mailbox, so Aaron was re-keying the lock and as he was packing his things up, the police arrived. After frisking him and interviewing the client who paid to have the mailbox re-keyed, they let him go. What an adventure for him! Apparently there has been some mailbox theft in the area.
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