Determine Your Net Worth Speech ASI Chicago, Carla Buchanan

Determine Your Net Worth

How to Grow Your Business Connections
Carla Buchanan

FIDM

Owner Business Brandings

100% referrals

Notable Networker

Networking

Do you love cold calling?

Do you agree that word of mouth is the best form of advertising?

Why?

People like to do business with those who they know like and trust. Therefore, if you are referred by a networking partner, or a customer, the new prospect already knows, likes,and trusts the referrer, therefore, they are more likely to know like and trust YOU.

Consumer Behavior has changed/more likely to refer you to a friend. Companies that are referred to you are more likely to buy and less concerned about price. Four of my new referral clients have paid me MORE than I have asked for this year!

Think beyond customers, as referral partners can be other businesses, and people, who have never used your service. For example, last month I was referred to the owner of a property management company,  named Mohammed. Mohammed referred me to a roofing company, a landscaper, and a carpet cleaner. Because I asked him to, Mohammed actually went with me to meet the owner of the roofing. The owner of the roofing company is usually very price conscience, but this time she was open to new apparel ideas, without asking about pricing. She ordered apparel for her workers, her staff, her husband, and herself. 

Mohammed also introduced me to the owner of a carpet cleaning company. I was able to find him the perfect apparel for his business and help him redesign his logo.

Mohammed introduced me to owner of a landscaping company. The owner is in the process of selecting apparel for his workers and himself.

Another business that Mohammed introduced me to, said that he has always purchased apparel from the same company for 15 years, but he would now buy from Business Brandings from now on.

Mohammed has never experienced my services, although, right before I left for Chicago, I called him, again to thank him for the referrals, and Mohammed asked me to source a product for him. 

You have many roads that you want to walk down, and people you want to meet. There are people in your network, there are people in this room, who have already walked down those roads, and met the very people that you wish to meet. 

How to Make Word of Mouth Networking Work for you

‎"The richest people in the world look for and build Networks, Everyone else looks for work." Robert Kiyosaki, Rich Dad, Poor Dad.


Today’s Agenda

How to Create Word of Mouth Advertising

Network Moment

Networking Groups to Join

3 Stages of Networking

Action Items

Networking Moment

Name

Elevator Pitch

What is an elevator pitch? It is a 30 second answer, that could be delivered in a closed elevator, that answers the question, what do you do? It is a short, concise message, with benefits, that makes the listener want to know more when the elevator stops.

To give you an example, my young friend, Bryce Hill, just got a job with a major clothing manufacture. The manufacturer did not have Charlotte Ruse store as a client. Bryce was in an elevator with the Charlotte Ruse buyer, and by the time the door opened she was ready to look at what Bryce had to offer. Charlotte Ruse is now his biggest client. This is what an elevator pitch should do, it should be strong enough, and have enough benefits, to draw the listener in.

During a recent networking meeting, I brought a polo shirt with me to the meeting. My elevator pitch was this, “I can help contractors make more money and get more bids, by sharpening up their image with this polo shirt. One of my new lady contractor clients told me that she just landed a $30,000 job because the new customer liked her and loved her uniform.” After the networking meeting was over, the contractor in my group literally followed me out to the parking lot. He said,”Hey Carla, can I see that shirt?”

What is your elevator pitch? Make sure your pitch has a benefit. Leave out the words anybody and everybody. Be specific with the benefit, the ideal client, and tell  a short story if you can. Take one minute, and then turn to the person next to you and introduce yourself and give your elevator pitch.

Networking Groups to Join

Organized Business Network

Organized Social Network

Organized Specialized Network

Organized Industry Network

see {me} three, The Three Stages of Successful Networking

see

attendance

leadership

This is the see stage, where people see and notice you, and you see and notice them.

stand up! You are visible

Be a visitor host, visitors give energy to the meetings and are eager to make new connections

Do not sell! Who wants to sell something today? Who wants to buy something?

Go further, look to sell through, not too. Better still, try to identify who YOU can help and who you can refer to? Does the banker look like someone you can send your best client to? Does the chiropractor seem friendly? Could you refer someone to the graphic artist?

Look for referral partners both ways!

You are looking for people who you can know like and trust, and you are starting the three step process to help people to know like and trust you.

By going to more than one group, you will very likely see some of the same people in different groups. I met a visitor at my networking group, she mentioned that she was 

interested in shirts. I called her but she did not call me back. The next day, I saw her again at another networking group. We were both visitors this time, so we had something in common.We started to work as a team to find more networking groups that we liked. She began to know, like and trust me. She purchased a new summer wardrobe of shirts for her landscaping company. She was also the lady contractor, that I told you about, that got the $30,000 job because the owner liked her uniforms. It all started, because I was visible at both networking events, and she got to know, like and trust me.

In the see stage, join the leadership team. This is a great way to be seen over and over again. Being on the leadership team, like being president, helps toward the next stage: {me}.

{me} 

reliability

dependability

credibility

This stage is called {me} because it is all up to you. This is the stag where people determine if they can rely and depend on you, and if they feel comfortable referring you to their best clients. At this stage, you treat your fellow networkers BETTER than your best clients, and treat your networking obligations better than your work obligations. In other words, give it your all. 

Schedule meetings with your networkers individually. Get to know them, their business, and let them know about yours. Ask them about their ideal client and let them know what yours is too. Think about this for a long time. Who do you REALLY want to meet? If you tell your referral partner that you want to meet someone, and then you really don’t, you lose a lot in the {me} stage. For example, a custom clothier asked me to meet a commission salesperson who would sell his ties. I have a classmate, that just graduated from The Fashion Institute of Design and Merchanding, that is interested in men’s ties. After I referred her to the clothier, he really hesitated and started asking me detailed questions about the job fit. Referrals can only go so far. At this point, he would need to contact my friend and work out the details with her. In other words, don’t expect your referral partner to do everything for you, there is still work to be done on your part. If you are unsure, you can just ask them for an introduction, like Mohammed did for me.

Be on time, show up to appointments, make your individual meetings exciting and schedule with gusto! Attend every meeting!

Do not sell your product!

Start giving referrals.

Three

Understand their business

Help grow their business

Understand Your business

Help them understand your business

Your referral partners give you three referrals. These are great power partners for you. You can begin to develop referral teams. You can create business for your partners. I created the business, introduced the members and business began with the book coach: Lisa Guentert Kimberly and Kimberly. 

Develop an individual plan with each member of your networking group. Start a notebook with their materials and where they are on the see {me} three phases. Get a plan to move them along. 

Write the plan on your calendar.

Give referrals.

see {me} thre

Carla’s Sandbox

go to their events

children’s birthday parties

wedding crasher events

mother in law’s funeral

father’s day party

daughter’s graduation

sales training seminar

mixers

education meetings

lunch and learn

dinner

lunch

breakfast

picnic

rope course day

barbeques

graduation from beauty school daughter

pet their dogs

been to their house

put them on your blog

put their events

their businesses

their ideas

their images

encourage them on facebook

buy things from them

Mary Kay make up

carpets cleaned

landscape

blankets

hair styled

spray tanned

car fixed

book coach

personal counselor

plumber

painter 

CPA

estate planner

party planner

always early for meetings

introduced them to people in my network, even though it had nothing to do with me: funeral planner, estate planner, estate sale manager-lunch at Mimis

visited their sisters when traveling

taken them on sales calls with me

made dreams come true, one member said he wanted to meet the head of the networking group, I did not know him, but I made it happen

Help people that they want to help: one member wanted to help a friend distribute a product, and I said I would help. He called me before I left for chicago, does anyone need a good deal on 500 chocolate cakes that you can mail and put your logo on?

Think out of the box, go above and beyond, be one time, have fun and support your networkers!

Handouts

 Contact Carla