Use business networking to get more referrals | FounderSync Blog

Business networking can be a great source of new referrals, but many people don?t get the results they want. Networking requires thought and strategic effort. Developing relationships takes time: it can be up to a year before people know you well enough to want to make that referral.

How to get more referrals from your business networking:

Make referrals
If you can make referrals for other people, they are much more likely to refer you back. People feel obliged to help those who have helped them and this can be a good way to make people like and respect you.

Ask questions
Business relationships are based on trust and mutual understanding. You can get referrals from people who have never seen the quality of your work, but purely based on the relationship you have developed with them. When you meet someone for the first time, ask lots of questions and show an interest in what they do. Get to know them so you can understand what they do and how you might be able to help them.

Ask and Be Specific
Don?t be afraid to ask for a referral. The more specific you are in your request, the more likely that people will be able to help you. You can use your one minute pitch to ask for a specific referral, or make the request in general conversation. If you want to target estate agents, or accountants, ask for people to put you in touch with their existing contacts. This can be a very effective way of expanding your network and range of contacts.

Don?t oversell
Business networking is all about relationships: develop that relationship before your start your sales spiel. Try and make it sound like general conversation, rather than a sales pitch. No-one likes to be bombarded with a hard sell that they didn?t ask for. Talk about your work so that your contacts know what you do, and who you are working for, but make sure you ask questions and seem interested in what they are doing.

Follow up and keep in touch
The follow up is the most important part of networking. A short email, or LinkedIn connection, to say how much you enjoyed meeting them will keep you at the forefront of their minds. One-to-one meetings can help you to take the relationship to the next level, and put forward your offering.

This is a guest blog from Business Buzz: informal and effective business networking, Hertfordshire.

Source: http://blog.foundersync.com/2012/11/12/use-business-networking-to-get-more-referrals/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=use-business-networking-to-get-more-referrals

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