Networking Basics Series: "Anybody Who" Is Never a Good Lead Part 3

You may or may not agree with me on this one, but I think two of the most dangerous words in all of networking are "anybody who." We hear it all the time: "A good lead for me is anybody who ______________." Fill in the blank with your own answer.

Plumber: Anybody who has a sink.

Chiropractor: Anybody who has a spine.

Arbonne/Mary Kay Distributor: Anybody who has skin.

Carpet cleaner: Anyone who has a floor.

Realtor®: Anybody who is looking to buy or sell a home.

The fact of the matter is that we're NEVER looking for anybody who anything. Or if we're serious about our business, we shouldn't be.

Why not? Well, let's see... I don't know about you, but if I were a chirpractor who gave my client a treatment and suggested exercises to improve his pain, but he refused to do the exercises, I'd get a little frustrated because my dear client would be working against his own interests. If I were a carpet cleaner and arrived at a home where the owner smoked like a chimney but expected me to get their carpets gleaming white again, I'd probably think twice about taking that person on as a client. And, as a Realtor®, when a prospective client is looking to buy a $600,000 home but only can afford a $400,000 home and refuses to see the reality of their situation, well, that's a client that most likely isnt' workable (until they chose to be more realistic).

Anybody who... What if we were to scrap the "anybody/everybody who" concept and really begin to drill down to find out who we want as a referral? And what if we then taught the others in our leads/networking groups exactly how to refer business to us? Would that increase the quality of your leads? I think it might.

How to Be More Specific

This is a challenging one, because I don't know your market. But you do! So think about it. Look back at your past clients and find the common threads. Areas to think about specifying include, but certainly are not limited to:

• Age
• Geographic location
• Income
• Marital status
• Parenting status
• Pet owner status
• Hobbies
• Education level

I'm sure we've all been guilty of it at one time or another ... but this week, I challenge you to listen to how many times you hear the people around you describe a good lead as "anybody who." And then see if you can figure out who they really want to meet. If you don't know, perhaps you can start a new conversation by asking them to be more specific. And while you're at it, listen to see if you catch yourself saying it. Then, do some research and find a way to get more specific about your own prospects. Believe it or not, your leads will increase!

Part 1 - How Memorable Is Your 30-Second Commercial?

Part 2 - Nobody Wants to Do Business With a Deadbeat

Part 4 - Do You Need Target Practice?

Part 5 - If You Think You're Too Cool to Learn Anything, You Probably Won't

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Do you live in the Phoenix, Arizona area? Are you thinking about making a change in real estate companies? Give me a call at 602-595-8900 or e-mail me.

Let's talk about your marketing strategies - and how you can better teach others to refer business to you.

PhoenixPropertyShoppe.com