Do You Network to Get More Business?
I received this email recently: “My apologies for a late notice, I will not be able to attend the meeting tomorrow; a potential client gave me meeting time for 8:30 am tomorrow in San Diego, I took it, I’ve been waiting quite a while for a ‘yes’ from him.
I don’t like to bow out at the last minute, I hope you understand.”
The facts are as follows:
- The meeting tomorrow was scheduled 30 days in advance.
- The meeting tomorrow was to be with 35 to 40 people who could refer business.
I can understand. The question becomes how do others perceive this person? Might this person be seen as desperate? I wonder if this person got the business.
As I continue to run into a lot of potential new clients and new referral resources I continue to run into some repeat situations. They are described below in three case studies.
Case Study #1
- An appointment on the books for two weeks to meet with potential client
- Day of the appointment an existing client calls
- The existing client needs to see you at the assigned time that the potential client has already booked the appointment
Case Study #2
- Same as above, however, in this study replace the potential client with a networking partner
Case Study #3
- Same as #1 above, however, the booked appointment is with an existing client
As you can see there are any numbers of things that can be added or deleted from these scenarios. Besides the things which can be added or deleted, can we evaluate an existing client’s worth versus a potential clients worth? We can also add qualifiers such as the number of referrals a client or potential client has referred/will refer in the past or in the future.
What troubles me with all of these are:
How important is our time?
How important is a prospect’s time?
How important is a client’s time (or a prospect’s time?)
How important is it to value other people’s time and our commitments to them?
What do you project about yourself and how others value you?
The questions that arises from the above is, “To who and why is time really important or is it?”
The answer is in the dialog which follows.
As a young man I worked as an auto mechanic and gas jockey (back in the day of full service stations.) The boss taught me that the first priority was the car that just pulled up to the gas pump for gas. He wanted me to leave the car on the lift (already a client) to service the gas customer (a potential client.) After asking, “High test or regular?” and sticking the gas nozzle in the fill spout I was to then open the hood to see if there was a reason to do more work. I always looked for frayed belts, oil leaks, dirty oil, a soft/leaking hose, etc. All are reasons to get them to become clients/get them on the lift. The lesson was the importance of converting a prospect into a client.
I observed a husband (business owner) as he was watching his wife (also a business owner) present to a group of business owners. The husband’s cell phone rang in the middle of his wife’s presentation. When I approached him about his cell phone ringing his response was, “You never know when the person on the other end will be calling to give you a million dollar check.” If they have a million dollar check for you won’t they call back? Years later this husband and wife continue to struggle.
We send a message to prospects and clients with every meeting we commit to, every meeting we cancel, and every meeting we change. When we cancel or change meetings because ‘something better comes along’ we send a message that the original person’s time was less important than the new person’s time.
When making an appointment, keep the appointment. Show others that you value their time. They will value your time.
Gerry Rose runs INTEGRITY Networking Solutions in Oceanside, CA. He works with people in business who want to attract the right prospects and generate more referrals. More than 10,000 businesses have been presented the INTEGRITY Networking Solutions system in San Diego, Riverside, and Orange Counties.
Gerry’s stimulating presentation Unlimited Prospects, Unlimited Referrals is ideally suited for small business owners, home-based businesses, and independent professionals who want clearer direction and want to attract more prospects, develop dynamic systems, and strengthen their companies’ accountability. Gerry does one on one consulting, conducts a range of keynote speeches from thirty minutes to full-day education workshops.
His book series, Unlimited Prospects, Unlimited Referrals, are available on the website, www.integritysd.com.
Gerry has more than 20 years’ experience directing business owners how to grow their businesses. He is a networking dynamo. Those who know him will assure you that he does a great job of bringing people together—which is why he started INTEGRITY.
Involved with networking organizations since 1984, Gerry is a Distinguished Toastmaster, a member of Toastmaster International, and has chaired numerous chambers of commerce and non-profit organizations.
Are you truly committed to attracting the right prospects and generate more referrals? If so then contact INTEGRITY Networking Solutions for availability and information. You can contact Gerry by mail at 1610 Quiet Hills Drive, Oceanside, CA 92056. Direct dial (760) 439-4623; e-mail to gerry@integritysd.com. For more information, go to www.integritysd.com
