Elvis can teach us 5 things about business networking.

In 2010, Elvis Presley, the “King of Rock and Roll” would have celebrated his 75th Birthday. Even though it’s been 33 years since his death, he still remains among the most popular of entertainers, and an inspiration for many people, selling, to date, over 1 billion units worldwide.

During his career, Elvis officially recorded 698 songs. Several of the titles of his #1 hits could be used as reminders and lessons for those who are looking to make their business networking more effective. For all of the “Suspicious Minds” out there, consider these:

“It’s Now or Never”: Networkers must be very proactive. They do things now, knowing that tomorrow will never come. They attend events, meet new people, and are always figuring out ways to help others while also helping themselves. They never leave things to chance. They know that by taking determined actions today, this will lead them to greater achievements in the future, both professionally and personally.

“Always On My Mind” :Great networkers always are thinking about ways they can help other people. Wherever they go, they look to serve people by finding referrals in the form of clients, or they introduce others to new sources. Because of their their actions they too always remain on the minds of others.

“A Little Less Conversation” : Networkers listen to others more than they speak to them, in order to take note of what others want. At formal meetings or events with speakers, they do not engage in side conversations with others, texting, checking emails and sending instant messages. They know that the more they listen, other people will be “always [be] on [their] mind” when the networker is in a situation to make a referral.

“Return to Sender” : Whenever a networker receives a referral, they return the prospect back to the sender, with great feedback about their experience, regardless if business was done or not. The sender (also known as the giver), usually has a strong relationship with the prospect, which the receiver needs to protect and further enhance. When this is done, the giver of the referral will have more trust and confidence in the receiver, thereby sending them more referrals over time.

“Stuck on You”: Networking is about building and enhancing relationships. Regardless if you are networking offline in the real world and online, you will meet people you wouldn’t ordinarily meet in the course of a year, and in many cases, a lifetime. The relationships that you start and enhance through the help you give others will cause people to become “stuck on you” whenever they need or know someone who could benefit from your counsel, advice, products or services. You are creating your own personal brand-loyalty among people and organizations which can totally transform your business.

Copyright 2010 Timothy M. Houston

Tim Houston is an author, speaker, business catalyst and impresario helps businesses and people to become more productive, profitable and prosperous. As an author his work appeared in The New York Times Best Seller, Masters of Sales. Dozens of his articles on the topic of business networking and word-of-mouth marketing have been translated and published in magazines, newspapers and blogs around the world. His first book, Level Up Networking: Produce, Profit and Prosper From Your Everyday Business Relationships will debut in early 2010.

As a speaker, Tim has given over 4,000 presentations to companies and organizations, over the past 13 years.

For a FREE SPECIAL REPORT: “5 Ways To Generate More Referrals, RIGHT NOW! visit his official website http://www.tmhouston.com and sign up to become a member of his Inner Circle.

You met Joe at a party last week. He seems like a nice guy. When he told you about his line of work, you realize that Joe would be a good person to invite to a networking meeting that you will be attending next week, because he may be a good fit for the group.

You tell Joe a little bit about the upcoming event and extend an invitation for him to come as your guest. At that point Joe turns to you and says “Sounds good, I’ll try to make it…” You say “Great, I look forward to seeing you!”

…And the conversation ends.

How often has someone responded by telling you that they would “try to make it” to an event that you invited them to?

When you hear this all-to-common excuse, how often does that leave you with a feeling of doubt about the person’s integrity? Do you really think that they are going to come or was it just a way for them to exit the conversation and move on?

While there are legitimate reasons why people cannot attend a function, by and large, people are afraid to commit to something that they are not familiar with. Sure, you invited them and you told them how wonderful it will be for them to attend, but right now, they’re still not convinced and nor do they fully understand the benefits of attending and the detriments of not. Every man, woman and child in the world makes a decision based upon the information that they have at that particular time. If you’re attempting to get someone to come to a meeting or a party — anywhere — you need to supply them with more information that educates them as to why it is in their interest, but also gets them to firmly commit to a position.

The easiest way to do this is by asking questions of the person that will shift them out of their current thought process and into one that guides them in the direction that they should be going — in this case towards making a firm commitment: Yes or No.

When you invited Joe to attend your networking meeting, you may have told him about some of the people that are involved or how it has helped your business. At this moment in time Joe really doesn’t care about you or anyone else — he’s concerned only about himself. (This is normal and natural so don’t be offended). It’s easy for Joe to give himself an out by saying “Sounds good, I’ll try to make it.”

Before the conversation ends, you could say something like “Joe, can I ask you a quick question?” When he says yes, you can say something like: “If you were able to reach your sales goals in a shorter period of time, what would you do with the extra time you had?”

Then shut up and listen to what he has to say. (He’s probably stunned because no one has ever asked him a question like this before). It may cause him to stop and pause to think for a moment and he may start talking about a place he wants to travel to. He may talk about spending more time with his family. Maybe he’ll say it will cause him to do something he’s always wanted to do. The conversation will turn away from his objection to a subject he’s going to want to talk about. Your job is to give him a little room to speak but then get him back on track.

Once Joe starts talking about what he’ll do with the extra time, at some point you need to ask him: “How can I help you to get that extra time?” Joe may say something like “you can refer me business” or “introduce me to ….” That’s when you can point Joe in the direction of accepting the invitation to come to your event: “Joe, I can help you get that extra time you want by introducing you to some of the people who would be willing to refer you qualified business, over time. Would you like to meet them?” When he says yes, then reiterate your invitation by saying “Many of the people that you want to meet — or those that know or deal with them on a regularly — are part of my inner circle. They will be with me at the event next week. I want to personally introduce you to them. ” (Joe may wonder “how can I become a part of the inner circle”)

“By the way while you’re there, you will be introduced to a lot of people, so bring a lot of extra business cards.” (This will mentally cause Joe to see himself at the at the meeting being introduced to people). “Joe, I need to reserve a spot for you, so I need to know if you are coming, by 11:00 AM tomorrow. Please call me at ____”.

Give him a short deadline. If you leave too much time, you’re not conveying that it’s urgent and to his benefit to attend. If you allow Joe to send an email or a text, while it is quick, it is too impersonal. You want him to call because it gets him to interact with you and you should be able to sense how serious he is through his voice inflections and tonality.

If Joe declines the invitation, thank him for his time and move on. Don’t waste your time chasing after him.

After all, there are a lot of people out there that you haven’t met yet who you can probably help.

Are you valuing your clients' and employee's feedback?

Whenever I’m on a cruise, I find myself not only relaxing but also doing some “market research” in terms of speaking to passengers and crew members about their cruise experiences as well as learning more about them as people.

On a recent cruise, one the bar waiters who I became friendly with asked me out of all the cruises I’ve done, out of all the ships I’ve been on, which was the best in terms of experience. I replied that it was this one — not because of the itinerary or the people but because of the level of service and attentiveness I have received while on board

At the end of every cruise, a comment card is given out to the guests to rate their experiences while on board, ranging from the wait-staff in the dining rooms, to the entertainment, to the quality of the food and the overall value of the cruise experience. These comment cards also have a spot where you can single out certain staff members who went above and beyond the call of duty to ensure that you had a pleasurable experience. Many people don’t know that many cruise lines use these comment cards in terms of promotions and pay-raises and other perks (such as extra days off) as well as in disciplinary actions.

The value of feedback and testimonials can be invaluable for your business, no matter what kind of business you’re in. It doesn’t matter if you provide services of products to consumers or businesses, there’s a market that purchases or hires you for whatever you do, be it a common or niche market. The testimonials you get from customers/clients/patients can be used to bolster your image to others who are potential new clients. It also adds additional credibility in the eyes of your current client base and further reassures them that they are making the “right” decision to buy from you.

Feedback from clients and staff members are also very critical to the evaluation process.

Too many people tend to focus only on the negative comments left and are very reactionary (emotionally and operationally) to try to “fix” what went wrong. While it is very important to be aware of these incidents and to deal with them accordingly, I believe that the positive feedback needs to be looked at with equal — and in some cases, more — attention so that you can operate from a proactive position as well.

For example, one of your clients singled out a positive experience they had with you and your business. They provided you with a thank-you note or testimonial. Your first reaction may be one of pride and accomplishment, and the next reaction should be something to the effect of “am I/we offering that same experience or better to the rest of our current clients?” “Can we also use it in such a way to attract new clients and reactivate old or dormant ones?” The positive experiences not only need to be shared but also acted upon in some fashion.

Feedback from employees, partners an even yourself (for the self-employed) is also important in the continuous marketing and education process. I believe that after every sale or after every positive or negative experience (from your perspective or theirs) you should solicit feedback from everyone involved. Ask the participants to fill out a comment card or survey (should be done via fax, email or snail mail) When people take the time to put “pen to paper” it gives them enough time to reflect on the experience. This needs to be done within 24-48 hours so that things are not forgotten, embellished or memory gaps become missing and then filled-in with perceptions. Notes need to be taken and analyzed after all is said and done and then a plan developed, no matter how small or big the transaction.

Big companies are realizing the importance of feedback but I think they’ve been too slow or their methods have been ineffective at best. For example, I have been to several department stores and chain drug stores in the past few months that are printing a web-address on the bottom of each receipt asking for their customer’s feedback after every purchase. They usually try to entice people to provide the feedback by trying some sort of promotional drawing to win a cash prize, vacation or they will provide a credit or some other sort of gift on your next visit. While I can appreciate their efforts, It would be interesting to see how many people have actually answered the surveys out of the hundreds of thousands of transactions conducted in a given week.

On this cruise I singled out a few people who made my experience worthwhile and then some. Whether it was the waiter that remember my name (and everyone in my party), the bar staff who remembered my favorite drink, or the room steward that provided me with extra towels when needed, I hope that my comments were used to help them in their individual careers and overall, the company to keep providing great experiences to their guests for years to come.

Action Item: Starting today, start developing feedback from your employees, team members and clients to use in your word-of-mouth marketing, your advertising as well as your daily business practices. A simple survey allowing participants to rate their experiences on a scale of 1-5 and a place for comments and “suggestions for improvements” should be on each form. When the responses are received, read, analyze and utilize the data to help you to be more proactive versus reactive, in your business.

Family, close friends, coworkers, clients, business connections…or as Facebook would call them…FRIENDS!  No matter who you know or why you’re connected, Facebook refers to your connections as “friends”.  However, that’s not always accurate to describe the relationship you share with those people.  A great way to organize your “friends” on Facebook is to put them in to categories.  Facebook calls these categories “Lists”.  It may sound like a lot of work, but here are 3 good reasons why you will love your lists after they are created.

Reason #1 – Filtering your News Feed
After logging in to Facebook, you will be directed to your “Home” page and see the ongoing “News Feed” of updates from all of your friends in the middle of that page.  Once you create “Lists” and put friends into those lists, you can choose to filter what you see in the news feed by selecting what list of friends you want to see.  

Example:  Lets assume you have a “List” of friends called “Family” and you put actual family members into that list.  Lets also assume that you like your family and don’t want to miss any updates from them.  Using lists, you can toggle from seeing everyone to just a particular list of friends.  When you filter your news feed to your “Family List” you will only see updates from your family members.  (You can easily toggle back to everyone by selecting “All Friends”)  This is helpful when you have a few hundred friends and you don’t want to miss out on an important update from a family member.  Often times this helps the news feed make a little more sense…especially if that list of friends is communicating with each other.

Reason #2 – Target Private Messages, Event Invitations and Public Profile Suggestions (aka Facebook Business Pages)
Once you have created multiple lists, you can use them similar to a email distribution list.  When composing a new private message you can select “Lists” of friends as well as individuals.  

Example:  Lets assume you are connected to several clients from your business and you have created a “Clients List.”  If your business is planning an open house and you want to invite all your clients, you could target that group of friends.  You can also target them for future reminders and events.  The same holds true for inviting friends to groups, events and even when suggesting your friends become a fan of a Facebook Business Page.

Reason #3 – Choose Who Can Chat Online With You
You may or may not have noticed the “Chat” option in the bottom right corner of your Facebook screen.  If you have noticed it, at some point you were sitting at the computer and that little window popped up and it took a moment to figure out what was going on.  Well, Facebook has an online chatting feature (similar to Instant Messaging with AOL and Yahoo) and the control panel for that feature is docked in the bottom right corner of your Facebook window.  It’s a recent addition, but now you can decide which lists of friends can “see” that you’re online.

Example:  If you only wanted your family to see that you were online and available to chat…or vise versa…you never want your family to see you online…you now have that choice.  You can go completely invisible or you can hand pick the lists of friends that will be able to see you’re online and available to chat.

I have some brief instructions below on how to create lists.

Creating Friend Lists in Facebook

1. Log in to Facebook
2. Hover over the Friends Menu at the top of the screen
3. Click on the drop-down option “All Friends” and you will be directed to a list of all your Friends on Facebook.  By default they are organized alphabetically by first name.
4. Along the left hand side you will see a section for “Lists”  Click on the “+Create” link below the “Lists” section to start a new list.
5. A window will pop up.  In the blank field at the top of the window, type in the name you want to call the new list. Then, select friends to add to that list by clicking on them in that window.  When you’re done selecting friends, you can click on the “Create List” button at the bottom of that little window and voila! New list is created!

You can create as many lists as you like.   Don’t worry, friends will never know what list they are in.  Also, you can put one friend into multiple lists…so someone in your “Family List” may also be in your “Poker Buddies” list.

Before you attend your next networking meeting, mixer or event, you need to have a specific goal in mind as to what you want to get out of the event and if it justifies the costs in terms of money and time. 

 

Remember, you’re not there for the food and drink and for the socialization. You’re there to network strategically, and to plant the seeds to form new relationships and enhance relationships you already have or are growing.

 

Before committing to the event, call the organization and ask them who will be attending.

How often is the event held and what the structure of the event is like. Is it a mixer? Is it a structured meeting? Is it a breakfast, lunch or dinner?

 

What is the dress code? Most networking events call for business attire, however in other parts of the country and the world, business casual may be acceptable. Sometimes it may be a very casual event. You don’t want to go to a luau in a suit and tie but you wouldn’t want to show up in jeans and sneakers at a professional affair.

 

When you decide to commit to attending, before you go, ask yourself:

• How many new people do you want to meet?

• Are there key people who you would like to be introduced to?

• Who do you know at the event that may provide you with the introduction? If you know someone who will be attending the event, contact them in advance and ask them would they be willing to introduce you to those people

 

After the event contact the host and ask if they would be willing to make their attendee list available to all participants. This is important for following up with those that you meet, in addition to those you don’t meet due to time constraints. For those you didn’t meet, you can send them a quick note in the mail, saying “I’m sorry I missed you at the event but I would appreciate meeting you at or before the next one”.

 

One goal that you should always have when going to any networking function is best summed up by Dale Carnegie who said:

“You must have a good time meeting people if you expect them to have a good time meeting you.”