Featuring guest co-author Brennan Scanlon

We often see people make the mistake of meeting many individuals at networking events and then not having a system in place to follow up with the new contacts afterward.  Here’s a simple follow-up formula we recommend; it’s called the 24/7/30 System.

When you meet someone at a networking event, drop them a note within the first 24 hours. It can be a personal handwritten note or an e-mail. Use whatever approach you will do consistently.  Let them know that it was a pleasure meeting them and you hope your paths cross again.

Within 7 days, connect with them on social media. Make a connection via LinkedIn or Facebook. Follow them on Twitter or join them on Google+. Find ways to connect and engage with them via the social media platforms you use the most. Do not do this as a way to sell to them; do it as a way to start establishing a meaningful connection with them.

Within 30 days, reach out to them to set up a face-to-face meeting. If you live near each other, meet in person. If you are far away from one another, set up a meeting via Skype or by phone. At this meeting, find out more about what they do, and look for ways to help them in some way. Don’t make it a sales call; make it a relationship-building opportunity.

If you use the 24/7/30 System to follow up with people you meet, you will establish a powerful routine that will help you make your networking efforts meaningful and successful. Use technology to help remind you to follow up at the appropriate intervals. After you send the first note or e-mail, set up reminders on your phone or calendar to follow up at one week and one month out. As the late, great motivational speaker and author Jim Rohn, used to say, “The fortune is in the follow-up.”

Called the “father of modern networking” by CNN, Dr. Ivan Misner is a New York Times bestselling author.  He is the Founder and Chief Visionary Officer of BNI (www.bni.com), the world’s largest business networking organization.  His new book, Avoiding the Networking Disconnect can be viewed at Amazon.com. Dr. Misner is also the Sr. Partner for the Referral Institute, an international referral training company (www.referralinstitute.com). 

I?ve noticed that people in business networking groups have a tendency to ?sell? to others in the group. Educating your network about the type of referrals you want is much more important to your networking efforts. This demands a shift in how you see your networking partners. They are not the clients! They are, in effect, your sales force! In order for any sales force to get out there and sell you effectively, they have to know who to sell (or refer) you to and how to sell (or refer) you.

When people join a networking group they tend to focus on convincing people in that group to try their product or service.? They show them all the finer points of what is available and attempt to close the deal with their networking partners.

I don?t disagree that in order for the members of your networking group to refer you effectively, they must be familiar with what you have to offer; however, when you are in front of them, it?s important to resist the urge to sell to them!

Below are four tips for incorporating what I call the ?3+1 Process of Networking? with your referral partners:

1. Does ?anybody? know ?somebody?? I often hear members of networking groups say things like ?anyone who needs?? or ?everyone who is looking for?? Usually, when I hear anyone or everyone, I tune out, because I know so many ?anyones? and ?everyones,? that I end up referring no one! This is an interesting dynamic, but I think it has a lot to do with information overload. Using a catch phrase that is so broad and generic will limit the effectiveness of the results you will get.

2. Specific is terrific.? Break your business down into specific products or services. It is very tempting to start out your personal introduction with a statement like: ?we are a full-service business that does XYZ.? Resist this urge! Don?t waste the opportunity by painting with the ?full-service? brush.? Instead, over the course of a year introduce a specific element of what it is that you are selling or providing with each and every meeting. Get detailed! Educate your networking partners week by week with key elements of your business based on a specific product or service that you provide.? Sharpshoot your talk, don?t shotgun it!

3. Teach your network members what your ?dream referral? looks like. If you could come to your next networking meeting with a walking, talking dream referral in tow, what would he or she be like? Be very descriptive of this person as you talk to your networking partners, so descriptive that it?s like that person is in the room with you. The more details you provide, the greater the chance that your partners will recognize that person when they come across him or her outside of the meeting!

Plus one more: Share customer stories. This is a highly effective way to educate your networking partners about what it is that you are looking for as a new customer or client. By sharing the qualities and aspects of your current clientele, you are illuminating the canvas for the rest of the group so they can see the picture you are portraying for them. When appropriate, consider bringing in a customer or client to talk about how you have helped their business. These kinds of interactions go a long way toward educating the group as to the type of person you wish to have referred to you.

You should be trying to ?educate a sales force? instead of trying to ?close a sale.? Shift your intention in the group and you will find that the quality of referrals will shift for the better, as well. Your time to close the sale will come when you are with the referrals that you will receive. By keeping your focus on educating your networking partners about what type of referrals you wish to receive from them, you will find that the referrals will be a higher caliber.? Most importantly, those referrals will have a better chance of becoming closed sales than if you try to sell the members on what you are offering. Keep in mind that when you join a network like BNI, you are partnering with a group of people who will become your sales force so, educate, educate, educate them on how to refer you.

What go-to phrases do you use to educate your network on the products and services you offer? What tactics have you tried that simply don?t work?

Called the ?father of modern networking? by CNN, Dr. Ivan Misner is a New York Times bestselling author.? He is the?Founder and Chief Visionary Officer of BNI, the world?s largest business networking organization.? His new book, Avoiding the Networking Disconnect can be viewed at Amazon.com.

Early in my career I learned that people, like water, tend to seek the path of least resistance.  That is, left to their own devices, people will often do what is easiest rather than what is best (and generally harder).

Throughout my career in BNI I’ve seen groups that didn’t want to follow the system and applied very little if any accountability within the group.  I’ve seen some groups that take that easy path. They don’t hold members accountable for attendance, quality referrals, following the system, or general support of the group. Many of these things are, in fact, hard to maintain. The real tragedy is that they may go down this path for a very long time, unwilling to take the necessary hard steps to build a successful BNI group. The results are inevitable—the chapter struggles.

On the other hand, I see some groups that work hard to maintain attendance, generate quality referrals, follow the system, immerse in a culture of learning, and cultivate a positive attitude. This is incredibly difficult to do consistently. However, these chapters are almost always much more successful.

In life, taking the hard path often makes life – in the long run, much easier, and taking the easy path often makes life much harder.  We’ve all seen this during our lifetimes.  For me it started in school.  I saw kids that took shortcuts or didn’t study.  They took it really easy

Are you practicing hard/easy or are you practicing easy/hard in your life?

This is a powerful question for every BNI chapter to ask. It might make a great discussion with your fellow members. Is your group taking the hard path to success? If not, what can you do, right now, today, to help move the chapter forward on the hard path to make your life easier?

Remember, taking the hard path often makes life easier, and taking the easy path often makes life harder.

Called the “father of modern networking” by CNN, Dr. Ivan Misner is a New York Times bestselling author.  He is the Founder and Chief Visionary Officer of BNI, the world’s largest business networking organization.  His new book, Avoiding the Networking Disconnect can be viewed at Amazon.com.