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Sep 08
2008
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Networking Tip #1Posted by runawayslave in Untagged |
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Tip #1: The Initial Contact
Would you ever go to a job interview not knowing anything about the company , it's products or it's services? well of course not but people do this everyday when they are marketing online on via social networks. They will come to your profile page not taking the time to find out anything about you or your business and then find no problem with spamming you with information all about theirs.
Socal networking websites are not intended to be advertising sites, not for free anyway. The intent is to network and get to know each others business and services and to build valuable business relationships.
The relationships all start with an initial contact. Your initial contact should have been preceeded by the reading of their profile. Why? To find out how your service could be of benefit to them and if their service can be of benefit to you. You are looking for common threads that can be sewn together. The thread may not always be your business or service, it may be somthing that you just happen to have in common like music, religion, pets, sport teams, pets. The important thing is to find commonality.
Create a file with the name and notes about the persons profile. Notice that I said person not prospect because I think that it is important to see them as a person before you see them as someone you want to market to. The reason I reccommend taking notes about the person and their interest is because that is what marketing is. It's all about compiling useful data. Why do you think that when you sign up as a member of a social network they ask so many questions concerning your likes and dislikes such as movies, music, pets and your personal bio? It's so that other members can find commonality and useful data about you. I don't waste time with profiles that are incomplete or does not contain useful data. After all, it is a networking website.
After you have done this homework it is time for the initial contact. Be sure to address the person by name. first names are O.K. on social networking websites. Although you may not want to use just a first name if you are contacting someone in an email who is not a member of the same social website that you are a member of Such as a referal. Use Mr. Ms. or Mrs. with first and last name. This is my method. It makes since to me.
After your greeting or your welcome if they are new to the social network tell them somthing interesting about their profile or website that you took notes of. Don't just say that "you have a very interesting profile". Be specific. Ask them if it would be O.K. to get better aquainted. Now here is where people generally mess up. They begin talking about themselves. That would be O.K. if you are at an actual networking function but this is networking on a web 2.0 platform baby and the courtship is a little slower.
After you have asked for permissin to get better aquainted the best thing to do is leave your contact information and wait a few days for a response and yes it is O.K. to use your business website signature as long as it isn't in your face huge. Keep it uniform to your message. your name and business link is all you need. Nobody likes to feel like they are about to be sold to. I typically give a person three to five days to respond.
In tip #2 I will discuss "The Followup" so stay tuned.
Derrick Henry
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O.k. it has been three to five days since your initial contact and you have not heard from the person. Don?t get discouraged and don?t give up on the possible relationship. Maybe they are on vacation or reserve their networking time for the weekend. It could be a thousand reasons.
So what you want to do now is to pull out that note book or file folder of your contacts with the notes you kept from tip #1. You want to look for something that you both have an interest in and contact them about it with a question. Remember that in the process of getting acquainted there are lots of questions.
For instance if a person has a Pomeranian dog for a pet because you saw it in their profile page and you have one two, ask a question that will help you some way with your pet. People love to feel as if they are an authority on something. The point is to ask for help on something that you have in common that is not business related.
Another example: Let?s say the person that you contacted is a sketch artist. Ask for advice on how to develop the skills of a child in your family who also shows great ability in sketching or what supplies should be your initial investment for this family member. Now what this does is shows your respect for this person as an authority and it opens up the door for dialogue with a question not a statement.
To be an effective networker you have to try to understand a little bit about human nature. People like giving their advice more than they like accepting the advice of others. So let them drive a while to develop the relationship. So try that approach for those who have not yet responded. This way you are not pushy and you demonstrate that building a relationship is what you would like to do and you also respect what they do.
Now for those who have responded with ?yes lets get better acquainted!? Usually they?ll start by telling you all about what they do and not who they are. Don?t you make that mistake when it?s you who are replying to a friendship or acquaintance request. Let them tell you all about what they do. Then you reply with who you are and what you do. After you have introduced yourself close by mentioning something from your notes about them that you found to be in common. Be sure to ask a question about something that they may be an authority on.
Stay tuned for tip # 3 some people like to call it Closing but I call it Developing the business part of your relationship.
Derrick Henry
www.blackbusinessunited.org