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The Opposite of "Networking is "Not Working"-weekly coaching blog

By Tom Ninness

Education & Training with Cherry Creek Mortgage/Summit Champions

May 18, 2008 01:50 AM

The opposite of "networking is "not working"

As professionals in our field of sales, we should be constantly developing, building and cultivating relationships, and the truly smart professional develops contacts that act as his or her advocates. Here are five proven techniques that will increase your referral sources and create extensions of your sales force.

•1. Remember the Rule of 250. Joe Girard, has been labeled as the greatest sales professional in the world. He is also in the Guinness Book of World Records in sales volume. Joe was able to sell more cares by himself than 85% of all car dealerships in America. How did he accomplish this feat? Joe understood the Rule of 250. Joe pointed out that everyone knows at least 250 people in his or her life. Now think about who those people are and let them know what you have to offer. That is exactly what Joe did. The more people who know what you do, the greater chance you will have in increasing your referrals.

•2. Support and empower others. This is the number one reason why I write weekly-to make a difference in other's lives. The world is looking for those that are willing to give freely without anything in return. The Law of Reciprocity works, if you are willing to give passionately to others without expecting something in return.

•3. What does your first impression look like? There is only one opportunity to make a first impression. Therefore, make the most of it. Your image and actions speak louder than words. People remember what they perceive about you the instant that they meet you. Always dress for success when you are in public. People are attracted to those who look and act successful.

•4. Promote yourself as an expert in your field. Become a resource in your profession. Find opportunities to speak, write articles in your local paper, join Toast Masters. By positioning yourself as an expert in your field, you will be among the top 20% of 7% in your field. I like to call it the cream on the top.

•5. Set daily goals on prospecting. For myself, my goal is setting up two appointments a day with someone that I do not know, but I have gathered enough information about the prospect that would makes sense to spend my valuable time building a professional referral relationship.

Choose to Commit to Peak Performance Actions

What's that little voice trying to tell you inside? Stop worry from dragging down your energy by immediately taking a positive action to resolve the concerns you are experiencing. Failure to act in accordance with your values, triggers your conscience to stay up late and bug you. Worry wastes time, steals energy and prevents you from accomplishing your goals. There's no reason to worry about something you can or cannot fix. If you find yourself constantly stressed over money, friends, health issues, your children, people at work or your environment, you need to stop it. Identify exactly what you're worried about, and transform that worry into a positive action to resolve the concern. Take care of it now, before it takes you over.

Additional Peak Performance Actions

"Block out time in your schedule to focus on your top priorities each day."

The only way to guarantee there will be enough time to complete your top priorities of the day is to block out a sufficient amount of uninterrupted time for them to advance. Do this before you schedule anything else. If you don't, your schedule will automatically fill up with everything else, and there won't be time left for high payoff activities. After you've reserved time for top priorities, you can fill in the time remaining with less productive activities.

"Organize your papers and materials so they are easily accessible."

If you take the time to organize your storage systems once, you'll reap the time-savings benefits for years. Remember, things are filed to facilitate their easy retrieval. Stop the frustration that comes when you can't find what you put away. Take the time to organize the contents of your files every time you open them. Arrange your files by how often you use them. Keep the files you most often use. Keep your computer directories updated and organized. Make sure your filing systems are intuitive and easy to remember.

Have an awesome week!!

Tom Ninness is Vice President/Regional Production Manager for Cherry Creek Mortgage in Denver, CO. He is also the President of Summit Champions, Inc. and creator of the "The 90 Day Journey to Your Sales Success", a powerful 90 day action plan for the sales professional. To learn more about The Journey and all what Summit Champions has to offer, go to www.90dayjourney.com, www.summitchampions.com or contact Tom at information@summitchampions.com Office: 720-221-4396.