Imagine your dream car. What does it look like? What color is it? Does it have leather seats? How does it feel? Is there that new car smell? How do you feel driving it?
Imagine you just bought your dream car. You drive it home, park it in your driveway, and go in your house. You just get inside when there’s a knock at your door. You open your door and some person says, “May I borrow your car?” Do you hand over your keys?
When we give a referral we are handing over the keys to our reputation.
Master networkers know, it’s not just about contacts, it’s about connections.
That’s why it’s better to join a group than just be a visitor. Not only do you want to join, you want to attend consistently to transform the contacts into connections. Then you want to take it even a step further and meet with those connections, one to one, outside the group meeting to deepen the relationship.
Business is about relationships. We network to make the contacts, to find the connections, and then build the relationships. Business doesn’t come from Visibility; it comes from Credibility and relationships. Relationships bring the business in. Knowledgeable relationships are where referrals come from.
You have to know enough about a business to successfully give referrals, and you have to know and share about your business enough to receive referrals.
Here are some questions that, when you know the answers, will help you find referrals for the networking relationships you build:
- What is the type of client you love serving?
- What is the job title of someone who is a good introduction for you?
- What’s a good contact sphere professional introduction?
- What is a goal you’re working toward?
- What else are you passionate about? (hobby or interest)
- How can I help you?
Networking is about building connections both wide and deep. Wide introduces more and new opportunities. Deep is where referrals and business happens!