No cup of coffee is a waste of time- Simone Douglas

Introduction

Having an agenda to learn from every interaction and why it matters
 
Effective networking is a long game, and building a network where you’re the centre of influence is a very long game. We love those people in their fifties and sixties, the ones that everyone knows and gravitates towards because they’re the connectors. They have reached this point because in their thirties and forties, and even now in their fifties and sixties, they understand that it’s not about what a person can do for them, it’s simply that there is a person in front of them that they can get to know.
 
When you approach everything from the standpoint of thinking about how you can help the other person, then you will build networks. So the other calculated risk that you can take with every person you meet is to apply the belief that if you help enough people and are always in the habit of asking for what you want, then eventually the two things will meet. 
 
This is how it works, as opposed to asking enough people to buy from you in the hope of eventually getting someone to say yes, no matter how many relationships you have burnt in the process. 
 
 
It is easy to get distracted by all the noise in the business world at large but jump day is your chance to settle in and work on your business and this season on your networks in ways that allow you to make the most of your opportunities today, tomorrow and forever. 

IBGR is a global community of commerce committed to your success and our programming is designed to give you the tools and resources as well as the one percenters you might be missing So buckle up because it's time to take an objective look at whether or not you are truly a centre of influence on playing in the outfield.


Listen>Apply>Engage

​Show Objectives - The Why

Today, more than ever, it’s important to get the most out of your 1:1 networking meetings or your cups of coffee.

The purpose of 1:1 networking meetings is to get to know people in your industry and profession or meet others in different business communities. Without human interaction, building a database of contacts will do you no good in today’s business landscape. A book full of cold contacts is not going to help you survive or thrive..

Meeting with people 1:1 can feel awkward when you are not prepared. Like any skill, you can learn how to conduct effective 1:1 networking meetings. All it takes is commitment and practice.

Keep in mind, your ultimate goal in 1:1 networking meetings is to learn more about the person you are having coffee with , their interests, networks and who they are not to sell.


Key Issues - Owner Perspective:

1. I don’t have time for coffee I need to focus on my business
2. What do I do with all these relationships I am building?
3. What does good follow up look like?
4. How do I make my 1 on 1 meetings both efficient and effective?

What You Need to Know - What we will be covering

1. Create an intention of what you want out of each meeting. This provides you with an incentive to attend and not cancel. The purpose is to get-to-know-the-person and their company, not sell them something
2. Put away your phone and other electronic distractions. Listening requires paying 100% attention to the person speaking. If you don’t, you’re telling others you don’t value them.
3. Focus. The type of questions you ask will be different if you sell B2C or B2B. Ask open-ended questions. (Open-ended questions begin with who, what, when, where, why or how.
4. Follow-Up and Follow-Through. This is where most people fail in their networking efforts. You will lose future sales if you don’t follow-up and follow-through
5. Build the relationship, don't chase the sale- after you’ve established a relationship, then, and only then, can you sell your products and services. Remember, people buy for their own reasons, not yours.

What you need to do​ today

1. Have an outreach strategy -
2. Work out your back pocket questions.
3. Spend some time gaining clarity around what you and your business stand for.
4. Craft your BBQ stories for each vertical or service you provide.
5. Take notes during coffee meetings - use a pen and paper
6. Workshop these processes with the team to get buy in
7. Plan to spend time putting lessons learnt and aha moments into practice.  Let me know how it goes.
8. ACT! Nothing changes if you don’t set aside time to make it happen so once you have worked out what you need to do start putting timelines and deliverables on your action plan. 

When you’re networking, particularly in one-to-one situations, you’re not the most important person. Not if you want to have successful relationships. The person you’re talking to is the most important person, and so you need to defer to them.

This is an obvious sales technique, and if you do it well, networking and selling are the same. Relationship-based sales techniques and networking occupy the same space. As with any relationship, taking things slowly is the way to build a deeper connection. Telling them how great you are is not going to make you more attractive - in fact, quite the opposite. You earn more credibility by asking really intelligent, probing questions, and then responding to the person’s answers after you’ve listened to what they have to say. 

When you’re networking with very successful people, it’s good to remember that they get asked a lot of the same questions, and many of those questions don’t have a lot of thought behind them. So if you can be the intelligent person that asks the interesting questions and then responds to their answers, you will stand out and they will remember you. Then, when you want to go for a coffee, the chances are that they will say yes, because they know they can have a great conversation with you. 

Shows
Previous: Episode C4.08 
The Networking field trip, how to get the most out of an event - Building authentic relationships  and strong networks through attending events
 
Next: Episode C4.10 
Succession planning - how to build a team of master networkers - The importance of leading by example and role modelling for your team.

Written by Simone Douglas 
The Publican & Licensee of the Duke of Brunswick Hotel, Executive Director for BNI Adelaide North one of the biggest networking organisations in the world, the driving force behind South Australia’s leading social media agency, Social Media AOK and best-selling author with her first book “Seriously Social – turning your online game into real-world gain”. and  “The Confident Networker”
​
Simone also serves as Deputy President of the State Chapter Committee South Australia for the Franchise Council of Australia and sits on the Franchise Advisory Council for BNI Australia

You can connect with Simone on any of her seriously social platforms
Connect on LinkedIn
Follow on Twitter
Follow on Instagram
Like on Facebook
​

C2.09.4AA