Networking Secrets--Learned at my Mother's Knee and Other Low Joints

Networking is certainly not new. Those of us who have been around for a while started to "network" when our parents sat over our shoulders as we wrote "thank you notes" for a Christmas present from an aunt who lived far away or a graduation gift from our next store neighbor. My parents tried to instill in me the sense of "good manners" and "good sense" which acknowledges someone for thinking of me and trying to improve my situation.

We are beset by all forms of social media, all of which, among other things, put us in front of people who may use our services and,perhaps, pay us a fee for doing same. Once we obtain a referral, if we are prudent, we treat that person with the utmost courtesy, and we try very, very hard to uphold the faith someone else has in us, whether through a positive third party referral, our demonstrated expertise in an arena like ActiveRain, or otherwise.

Referrals are my lifeblood. When I sit down at the end of each year to determine that twenty (20%) percent of my clients who give me eighty (80%) per cent of my business, I always have fun tracking the genesis of those individuals or entities. As a point of fact "Linked-In" actually describes the degrees of separation between you and a new connection in much the same way.

So, without trying to sound like the world's leading authority on networking, I want to share the following "do's" and "don'ts" with respect to networking, learned over more than 40 years of trying to build my practice:

     1. Never, ever ignore a referral. This may sound like a truism, but it is amazing to me how many times I give someones name to a referral source, and my person never makes contact. Perhaps, the intended transaction appears "too small." Perhaps, getting together with the person will not be "convenient". Perhaps, I have just misjudged the person to whom I am sending the referral, and they do not want, or need, any more business. My advice to you is to resist, strongly, any impulse not to make contact. Not only is this an insult to the person referring your services; it is also the possible missing out on an opportunity which would we well worth your efforts.

     2. Once you have made contact, send a confirming email or note which indicates that you have spoken to the referral, and send a copy of same to the referral source. This is just "good manners", and it makes you stand out with the person who gave you the referral. My parents used to tell me that you sent "thank you notes" not only to be polite, but also to assure the giver that you received the gift. The same thing applies here.

     3. Once the engagement ends, if it ever starts, of course, send a "thank you note or email" to the referral source, with a small gift, if appropriate. It never hurts to be "too polite" and the person who suggested you may already know that you did a great job for his or her referral. On the other hand, a nice dinner at a local restaurant or a Border's gift certificate for a reader is always appreciated, and can only enhance the relationship you have with the referral source.

There are many other ways to acknowledge, and treat, referrals. I hope I never lose the feeling of excitement I experience when someone says to me "Jennie Jones told me to call you, because you know all there is to know about helping me purchase my condominium". Those words are music to my ears, and I do not expect to ever be "blase" or "insouciant" to any person who starts out a relationship saying them to me.