Networking Thursday: It’s all in the details

A lot of people start networking because they think the people they meet are possible prospects, possible new clients, new revenue.  But the real power lies in referrals.

Everybody knows the power of referral marketing, the power of word-of-mouth is still one of the best ways to promote your product or services.  But it has an ugly face… trying to force positive word-of-mouth, but in most cases, that doesn’t have a happy ending.  But because everybody wants to get the most out of their time, it seems like every contact has to be a sale… remember the ‘always be closing’-line from the movie Wall Street?  It’s probably the most misused idea of all time.  If you always try to make a sell, you’ll never get a relationship to a next level.  That doesn’t mean you have to invite clients at your daughter’s birthday dinner, it just means crossing the line from contacting each other when you want something to contact each other when you want to share something.

Remember details.  If you drank a good Riesling wine together, order it the next time.  If you know his wife is three months away, call him to congratulate him when the baby arrives,…  Small things you do for your friends, that make you ‘that great guy’, why not doing that for a client?  You don’t have to make a database loaded with information about possible clients… that would be a little too Edgar Hoover, something small will suffice.

When it comes to company - customer relations you have to behave like a woman (cheers to the women out there and good luck to the men).  That means remembering details, figuring out what to do when there’s a birthday, birth, death, wedding,… coming up.  Most women know what that means… men don’t have a clue, but please learn.  I know I have to learn a lot… heck I’m lucky I’m surrounded by women who remember those details for me…  It’s something in their gene pool and it’s working for them… Live and learn gentlemen… live and learn!

Men vs. women  /  0 - 1

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Tagged as: gender difference, networking, referral marketing