Twitter, Facebook, etc, etc, etc, - All of this social networking is still somewhat foreign to me, but I catch on quick and am jumping on board. However, I want to talk about face to face networking. We still do that - don't we?
I am a long standing member of The Women's Council of Realtors and Women's Council members are great at networking. One of their motto's is "always make it a point to sit with someone you don't know". Having learned my networking skills from the best, I consider myself to be a great face to face networker. When ever I attend classes, seminars, or conferences, I try to meet as many new people as possible. I collect business cards from the new people I meet and add them to my Top Producer data base when I return home. This is not rocket science and I am sure that most of you do the same thing.
So let me share with you what not to do.........
I recently attended a seminar and did my usual talking and gathering of business cards. When collecting lots of cards in a day or two at a seminar, I don't really study the cards. I will make a notation on the card if I strike a common bond with someone and include that note when adding them to my database. So upon returning home and entering the info in my database, I came across this card from a fellow Realtor that I met. The card had the person's name and phone number and email address but no physical address or city or service area. I know that I could have searched the web to find this person and obtain their address or I could have sent them an email to ask for their address, but I did not do either of those things. Instead, I tossed their card in the trash and did not enter them in my database. So, that person will never receive a referral from me and they don't even know it. I apologize if that sounds harsh, but the point that I want to make in all of this is to say that like most of you, I am very busy, so if I have to take an extra step to find the information that you should provide to me, then I am not interested enough to want to do business with you. First impressions are everything and if my impression is that you don't have the foresight and common sense to include your full information on your business card, then you are not going to do a good job for the client.
Don't make the same mistake this person did. Do yourself a favor and include your service areas.
My business card reads: Serving Ocala/Marion County, Summerfield, and The Villages in beautiful Central Florida.
So when you have a referral to send, you know exactly what areas I cover.
Love to hear your comments. Also love your referrals!
Susan BeVille
Keller Williams Cornerstone Realty
susan@susanbeville.com
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