At his referral group meeting, the florist needed a way to distinguish his business from other flower sources in his city. Sure, he had developed a nice catch phrase and a very good 30-second elevator speech. But he still felt he needed a good way to drive home the extraordinary value of his products.
At his brief presentation to his referral group, the florist pulled out a long-stem rose he purchased at the grocery store. The rose had a small head and a limp, narrow stem that caused the flower to sway when held at the bottom.
Next, he pulled out one of his own roses. The head was nearly twice the size and was poised proudly at the top of a thick, sturdy stem. The difference was amazing.
Then, the florist told his group that the price difference between the two flowers was less than a nickel—and that his was the less expensive one.
His brief demonstration clearly differentiated the florist’s product from the lower grade grocery store version.
(The story above was first told by Ivan Misner)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
To receive an e-book copy of my second book, 1000 Brilliant
Achievement Quotes, and subscribe to my free newsletter, go to http://www.OrdinaryPeopleCanWin.com/1000free.htm.
Visit my other sites at:
http://www.DavidDeFord.com
http://www.OrdinaryPeopleCanWin.com
http://www.WabashTraceEnd2End.com
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Varied Networking Events
Yesterday I participated in a variety of networking events. It was definitely “Networking Day” for David.
Referral Group
At 7am I met for the first time with a new referral group. I had been invited by a connection I had made at a networking breakfast a couple of months ago.
Since it’s still vacation time, there were only three other participants, but the interaction was excellent. A banker, a mortgage company salesperson, and the owner of a graphic arts company met with me for an hour.
I mailed follow-up notes to all three that afternoon.
Referral groups are generally composed of twenty or so professionals. Only one person per profession is allowed in each group. The purpose is to form strong bonds with those in the group, get to know each others’ companies very well, and pass along lots of referrals.
Such groups may be formed by a chamber of commerce, business association, or by private companies. There is usually a fee to join.
These groups can pay off quickly if everyone is focused on helping each other.
Mastermind Group
At 9am I had my weekly mastermind teleconference. The three of us met at the National Speakers Association convention in San Diego last month. Even though we’re speakers and trainers, our areas of focus and audiences are very different. I train small business owners and sales professionals on more effective business networking, Marty teaches health, fitness, and weight loss to organizations, and Erick is a performance hypnotist with a motivational message.
Yesterday’s blog entry tells about how to make such organizations help you grow your business.
Business Association Lunch and Learn
At noon I participated in a Lunch and Learn sponsored by the Millard Business Association to which I belong.
The presenter, a staff recruiter, did a good job of advising us on hiring competent staff.
I took the opportunity to ask a question of the presenter in such a way that the audience knew that I taught workshops on LinkedIn. That attracted a couple of interested parties to me at the mingling portion of the meeting. I mailed them information that afternoon.
Wine-tasting Networking Event
Lastly, at 5:30pm, I attended a wine-tasting networking event hosted by a financial planner.
He held it in a commercial art gallery (no facility fee), and hired a local wine store owner to present wines for tasting.
Some time for mingling was allocated before and after the tasting presentation.
I connected with a financial products executive, a consultant, and the managers of a restaurant I am considering for my workshop location. I mailed follow-up notes today.
The event seemed to be successful for the host.
These four opportunities represent just a few venues for meeting people for business relationships. Variety in your exposures will help you find a good mix of potential contacts. Visibility is key, and so is follow-up.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
To receive an e-book copy of my second book, 1000 Brilliant
Achievement Quotes, and subscribe to my free newsletter, go to http://www.OrdinaryPeopleCanWin.com/1000free.htm.
Visit my other sites at:
http://www.DavidDeFord.com
http://www.OrdinaryPeopleCanWin.com
http://www.WabashTraceEnd2End.com
Referral Group
At 7am I met for the first time with a new referral group. I had been invited by a connection I had made at a networking breakfast a couple of months ago.
Since it’s still vacation time, there were only three other participants, but the interaction was excellent. A banker, a mortgage company salesperson, and the owner of a graphic arts company met with me for an hour.
I mailed follow-up notes to all three that afternoon.
Referral groups are generally composed of twenty or so professionals. Only one person per profession is allowed in each group. The purpose is to form strong bonds with those in the group, get to know each others’ companies very well, and pass along lots of referrals.
Such groups may be formed by a chamber of commerce, business association, or by private companies. There is usually a fee to join.
These groups can pay off quickly if everyone is focused on helping each other.
Mastermind Group
At 9am I had my weekly mastermind teleconference. The three of us met at the National Speakers Association convention in San Diego last month. Even though we’re speakers and trainers, our areas of focus and audiences are very different. I train small business owners and sales professionals on more effective business networking, Marty teaches health, fitness, and weight loss to organizations, and Erick is a performance hypnotist with a motivational message.
Yesterday’s blog entry tells about how to make such organizations help you grow your business.
Business Association Lunch and Learn
At noon I participated in a Lunch and Learn sponsored by the Millard Business Association to which I belong.
The presenter, a staff recruiter, did a good job of advising us on hiring competent staff.
I took the opportunity to ask a question of the presenter in such a way that the audience knew that I taught workshops on LinkedIn. That attracted a couple of interested parties to me at the mingling portion of the meeting. I mailed them information that afternoon.
Wine-tasting Networking Event
Lastly, at 5:30pm, I attended a wine-tasting networking event hosted by a financial planner.
He held it in a commercial art gallery (no facility fee), and hired a local wine store owner to present wines for tasting.
Some time for mingling was allocated before and after the tasting presentation.
I connected with a financial products executive, a consultant, and the managers of a restaurant I am considering for my workshop location. I mailed follow-up notes today.
The event seemed to be successful for the host.
These four opportunities represent just a few venues for meeting people for business relationships. Variety in your exposures will help you find a good mix of potential contacts. Visibility is key, and so is follow-up.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
To receive an e-book copy of my second book, 1000 Brilliant
Achievement Quotes, and subscribe to my free newsletter, go to http://www.OrdinaryPeopleCanWin.com/1000free.htm.
Visit my other sites at:
http://www.DavidDeFord.com
http://www.OrdinaryPeopleCanWin.com
http://www.WabashTraceEnd2End.com
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Micro-networking with Mastermind Groups
The heart of networking is building business relationships that help all parties grow their businesses. The closer the connections, the more likely you will send and receive good referrals.
Networking events, chamber of commerce activities, and referral groups are great places for making those connections.
Another venue for excellent networking opportunities is mastermind groups. You can form such a group by inviting three or four close associates. You meet weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly in person or by phone. The purpose of mastermind groups is to harness the power of the group for the betterment of all. The creative power of four or five together is much greater than that of the individual.
The group helps to hold each person accountable for their accomplishments. They make suggestions. They share their own experiences related to your current challenges.
As group members run across people in need of the services of another group member, they refer them.
In the mastermind group to which I belong, we have three agenda items:
For two minutes each we share our “wins” since our last meeting. What went well.
For 10-15 minutes each we share our current challenges and major projects. Here we solicit feedback and help.
We close by listing our action items for the following week.
My group meets by phone since I live in Nebraska and the other two live in Florida and Georgia. Each of us has very different personalities. This synergy helps us balance our ideas.
Here are some blogs related to mastermind groups:
http://www.evancarmichael.com/Mastermind-Group/2007/08/is-your-mastermind-good-fit.html
http://elizabethpottsweinstein.com/2007/07/08/what-do-you-do-in-a-mastermind-group/
http://www.erinpavlina.com/blog/2007/07/mastermind-groups/
http://www.thenewsletterguru.com/2007/08/03/the-absolute-power-of-a-mastermind-group/
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
To receive an e-book copy of my second book, 1000 Brilliant
Achievement Quotes, and subscribe to my free newsletter, go to http://www.OrdinaryPeopleCanWin.com/1000free.htm.
Visit my other sites at:
http://www.DavidDeFord.com
http://www.OrdinaryPeopleCanWin.com
http://www.WabashTraceEnd2End.com
Networking events, chamber of commerce activities, and referral groups are great places for making those connections.
Another venue for excellent networking opportunities is mastermind groups. You can form such a group by inviting three or four close associates. You meet weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly in person or by phone. The purpose of mastermind groups is to harness the power of the group for the betterment of all. The creative power of four or five together is much greater than that of the individual.
The group helps to hold each person accountable for their accomplishments. They make suggestions. They share their own experiences related to your current challenges.
As group members run across people in need of the services of another group member, they refer them.
In the mastermind group to which I belong, we have three agenda items:
For two minutes each we share our “wins” since our last meeting. What went well.
For 10-15 minutes each we share our current challenges and major projects. Here we solicit feedback and help.
We close by listing our action items for the following week.
My group meets by phone since I live in Nebraska and the other two live in Florida and Georgia. Each of us has very different personalities. This synergy helps us balance our ideas.
Here are some blogs related to mastermind groups:
http://www.evancarmichael.com/Mastermind-Group/2007/08/is-your-mastermind-good-fit.html
http://elizabethpottsweinstein.com/2007/07/08/what-do-you-do-in-a-mastermind-group/
http://www.erinpavlina.com/blog/2007/07/mastermind-groups/
http://www.thenewsletterguru.com/2007/08/03/the-absolute-power-of-a-mastermind-group/
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
To receive an e-book copy of my second book, 1000 Brilliant
Achievement Quotes, and subscribe to my free newsletter, go to http://www.OrdinaryPeopleCanWin.com/1000free.htm.
Visit my other sites at:
http://www.DavidDeFord.com
http://www.OrdinaryPeopleCanWin.com
http://www.WabashTraceEnd2End.com
Monday, August 20, 2007
Sixteen Business Uses for LinkedIn
Have you read about or even invited to LinkedIn?
Many have signed up for the free service but don’t know what to do now? What good is it? How can I take advantage of this online networking site to grow my business? Is LinkedIn just a new fad like YouTube or MySpace, or is it a useful tool I can leverage for referrals and sales?
Here are sixteen ways LinkedIn help give you a business advantage:
1. Attract qualified referrals. Your connections can send their other connections your way. Since the prospect can view your profile before contacting you, they come to you partially informed.
2. Find contacts in a company you’re hoping to penetrate. Chances are good that you can identify staff that can help you contact the right sales target.
3. Identify career moves of persons with whom you have worked. These people may be good sales targets at their new company.
4. Position yourself as an expert in your field by answering questions posed in the LinkedIn Answers. By making yourself visible on this section, you can attract clients looking for knowledgeable help.
5. Raise your search engine rankings. Since LinkedIn ranks so high, your profile will help the search engines and crawlers find your site.
6. Find outside experts. As identified above, the Answers section helps identify experts. You may need, say, someone very experienced in a certain technology. You can contact them and arrange a business affiliation.
7. Post job openings. Find good candidates for your organization. The search functions can help find those with specific experience and skills.
8. Perform reverse reference checks. As you pursue a position with a company, you can find current and former employees. These connections may help you learn the real climate at the place.
9. Deepen your reference checks on job candidates. The references the candidates give you are the model ones. Want to find others who worked at the organization at the same time? Get more balanced information. The search is simple.
10. Find things or people you have in common with prospects. As you prepare to approach a contact, you can see their interests, their connections, and their job history.
11. Measure the health of the company. Whether you’re hoping to sell to or join an organization, you can see if there is a rash of resignations.
12. Notify your connections of significant news. Announce a big sale, a new product, a new partnership, or any other big news. Invite them to call you for more information.
13. Help your face-to-face contacts find an expert. Assist your local connections by finding them someone who can help solve their problems.
14. Use LinkedIn to easily ping your connections. By changing your profile or announcing news you remind your connections that you’re there. By pinging them you increase the incentive to refer their friends to you.
15. Contact those who live in a city you’re planning to visit. As you travel for your business, you can arrange to meet face-to-face with potential contacts. There is great power in the phrase, “I’ll be in your neighborhood anyway. Shall we meet?”
16. Drive people to your website. Your website is made available to hundreds of thousands businesspeople.
Used effectively LinkedIn can help you make your business can grow substantially.
------------------------------------------------------------------
To receive an e-book copy of my second book, 1000 Brilliant
Achievement Quotes, and subscribe to my free newsletter, go to http://www.OrdinaryPeopleCanWin.com/1000free.htm.
Visit my other sites at:
http://www.DavidDeFord.com
http://www.OrdinaryPeopleCanWin.com
http://www.WabashTraceEnd2End.com
Many have signed up for the free service but don’t know what to do now? What good is it? How can I take advantage of this online networking site to grow my business? Is LinkedIn just a new fad like YouTube or MySpace, or is it a useful tool I can leverage for referrals and sales?
Here are sixteen ways LinkedIn help give you a business advantage:
1. Attract qualified referrals. Your connections can send their other connections your way. Since the prospect can view your profile before contacting you, they come to you partially informed.
2. Find contacts in a company you’re hoping to penetrate. Chances are good that you can identify staff that can help you contact the right sales target.
3. Identify career moves of persons with whom you have worked. These people may be good sales targets at their new company.
4. Position yourself as an expert in your field by answering questions posed in the LinkedIn Answers. By making yourself visible on this section, you can attract clients looking for knowledgeable help.
5. Raise your search engine rankings. Since LinkedIn ranks so high, your profile will help the search engines and crawlers find your site.
6. Find outside experts. As identified above, the Answers section helps identify experts. You may need, say, someone very experienced in a certain technology. You can contact them and arrange a business affiliation.
7. Post job openings. Find good candidates for your organization. The search functions can help find those with specific experience and skills.
8. Perform reverse reference checks. As you pursue a position with a company, you can find current and former employees. These connections may help you learn the real climate at the place.
9. Deepen your reference checks on job candidates. The references the candidates give you are the model ones. Want to find others who worked at the organization at the same time? Get more balanced information. The search is simple.
10. Find things or people you have in common with prospects. As you prepare to approach a contact, you can see their interests, their connections, and their job history.
11. Measure the health of the company. Whether you’re hoping to sell to or join an organization, you can see if there is a rash of resignations.
12. Notify your connections of significant news. Announce a big sale, a new product, a new partnership, or any other big news. Invite them to call you for more information.
13. Help your face-to-face contacts find an expert. Assist your local connections by finding them someone who can help solve their problems.
14. Use LinkedIn to easily ping your connections. By changing your profile or announcing news you remind your connections that you’re there. By pinging them you increase the incentive to refer their friends to you.
15. Contact those who live in a city you’re planning to visit. As you travel for your business, you can arrange to meet face-to-face with potential contacts. There is great power in the phrase, “I’ll be in your neighborhood anyway. Shall we meet?”
16. Drive people to your website. Your website is made available to hundreds of thousands businesspeople.
Used effectively LinkedIn can help you make your business can grow substantially.
------------------------------------------------------------------
To receive an e-book copy of my second book, 1000 Brilliant
Achievement Quotes, and subscribe to my free newsletter, go to http://www.OrdinaryPeopleCanWin.com/1000free.htm.
Visit my other sites at:
http://www.DavidDeFord.com
http://www.OrdinaryPeopleCanWin.com
http://www.WabashTraceEnd2End.com
Friday, August 17, 2007
Be the Host
In social and networking situations most people fall into two specific categories: hosts and guests.
The hosts exhibit gracious manners—meeting people, starting conversations, introducing others and making sure that their needs are met. Hosts are concerned with the comfort of others and actively contribute to that comfort.
Guest behavior is just the opposite. Guests wait for someone to take their coats, offer them food, and introduce them around the room. Often, the wait is painful. If no one performs these services for them, guests move to the corners of the room and wait until someone rescues them.
The bottom line is, hosts have something to do and guests do not.
My friend Kyrsten is the ultimate host. She has been at it so long that she knows almost everyone in the room. She looks for the shy person, gets to know them for a few minutes, and then begins to make introductions. Once someone has connected with her guest, Kyrsten excuses herself and looks for someone else who needs hosting.
Hosts sell.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
To receive an e-book copy of my second book, 1000 Brilliant
Achievement Quotes, and subscribe to my free newsletter, go to http://www.OrdinaryPeopleCanWin.com/1000free.htm.
Visit my other sites at:
http://www.DavidDeFord.com
http://www.OrdinaryPeopleCanWin.com
http://www.WabashTraceEnd2End.com
The hosts exhibit gracious manners—meeting people, starting conversations, introducing others and making sure that their needs are met. Hosts are concerned with the comfort of others and actively contribute to that comfort.
Guest behavior is just the opposite. Guests wait for someone to take their coats, offer them food, and introduce them around the room. Often, the wait is painful. If no one performs these services for them, guests move to the corners of the room and wait until someone rescues them.
The bottom line is, hosts have something to do and guests do not.
My friend Kyrsten is the ultimate host. She has been at it so long that she knows almost everyone in the room. She looks for the shy person, gets to know them for a few minutes, and then begins to make introductions. Once someone has connected with her guest, Kyrsten excuses herself and looks for someone else who needs hosting.
Hosts sell.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
To receive an e-book copy of my second book, 1000 Brilliant
Achievement Quotes, and subscribe to my free newsletter, go to http://www.OrdinaryPeopleCanWin.com/1000free.htm.
Visit my other sites at:
http://www.DavidDeFord.com
http://www.OrdinaryPeopleCanWin.com
http://www.WabashTraceEnd2End.com
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Improving Your Networking Skills
No matter what level of success you’re experiencing in your networking, you must continue to improve if you want to grow your business.
Here are some tips to help you improve your networking skills:
1. Practice “let’s pretend.” You have identified someone you want to meet. You have done your homework, you are aware of common ground with this person but you are afraid to make the first move. Why not play a “Let’s Pretend.” with yourself? Ask yourself, “What would the ideal networker do in this situation?” Pretend you are that person. And do it. You can reinvent yourself.
2. Adopt a role model. Think of a person who is good at networking and imagine what he or she would do.
3. Read stimulating and informative networking and marketing material. My blog will help you tremendously.
4. Take lessons. My workshops will help you get centered and will give you networking ideas that will help you improve. Also try Toastmasters, Dale Carnegie schools.
5. Critique yourself at the end of a networking event. Ask yourself these questions:
a. Did I reach my objective for the number of connections?
b. Did I make every person I talked with feel comfortable?
c. Did I ask open-ended questions?
d. Did I record the specifics?
e. Did I get enough information to qualify the connections for
referral?
f. Did I listen more than I talked?
The more you exercise your networking muscles, the stronger they get—and the easier networking becomes.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
To receive an e-book copy of my second book, 1000 Brilliant
Achievement Quotes, and subscribe to my free newsletter, go to http://www.OrdinaryPeopleCanWin.com/1000free.htm.
Visit my other sites at:
http://www.DavidDeFord.com
http://www.OrdinaryPeopleCanWin.com
http://www.WabashTraceEnd2End.com
Here are some tips to help you improve your networking skills:
1. Practice “let’s pretend.” You have identified someone you want to meet. You have done your homework, you are aware of common ground with this person but you are afraid to make the first move. Why not play a “Let’s Pretend.” with yourself? Ask yourself, “What would the ideal networker do in this situation?” Pretend you are that person. And do it. You can reinvent yourself.
2. Adopt a role model. Think of a person who is good at networking and imagine what he or she would do.
3. Read stimulating and informative networking and marketing material. My blog will help you tremendously.
4. Take lessons. My workshops will help you get centered and will give you networking ideas that will help you improve. Also try Toastmasters, Dale Carnegie schools.
5. Critique yourself at the end of a networking event. Ask yourself these questions:
a. Did I reach my objective for the number of connections?
b. Did I make every person I talked with feel comfortable?
c. Did I ask open-ended questions?
d. Did I record the specifics?
e. Did I get enough information to qualify the connections for
referral?
f. Did I listen more than I talked?
The more you exercise your networking muscles, the stronger they get—and the easier networking becomes.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
To receive an e-book copy of my second book, 1000 Brilliant
Achievement Quotes, and subscribe to my free newsletter, go to http://www.OrdinaryPeopleCanWin.com/1000free.htm.
Visit my other sites at:
http://www.DavidDeFord.com
http://www.OrdinaryPeopleCanWin.com
http://www.WabashTraceEnd2End.com
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Ask the Right Questions
When we first begin networking, we face the challenge of what to say. It’s uncomfortable. How early do we start selling? How do I avoid coming off as a manipulator? How do I start a conversation?
The most effective way to engage others in a conversation and help them remember you fondly is to get them to talk about themselves. Asking the right questions will help you build a positive connection that may lead to a life-long business relationship and many sale and referrals.
Here are some questions you can ask that will guarantee a connection:
1. How did you get your start in your business?
2. What do you enjoy most about your profession?
3. What separates you and your company from the competition?
4. What advice would you give someone just starting in your industry?
5. What one thing would you do with your business if you knew you could not fail?
6. What significant changes have you seen take place in your profession through the years? (Especially good if the contact has graying temples)
7. What do you see as the coming trends in the industry?
8. What ways have you found to be the most effective for promoting your business?
9. What one sentence would you like people to use in describing the way you do business?
10. How can I know if someone I’m talking to is a good prospect for you?
Notice that these questions are open-ended—they can’t be answered with a word or a phrase. You are giving them the floor to express their views and share their experiences with an eager inquirer. Their co-workers, their spouses, nor their children give them such an opportunity.
Ask the right questions and you will easily build the connections you need to grow your business.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
To receive an e-book copy of my second book, 1000 Brilliant
Achievement Quotes, and subscribe to my free newsletter, go to http://www.OrdinaryPeopleCanWin.com/1000free.htm.
Visit my other sites at:
http://www.DavidDeFord.com
http://www.OrdinaryPeopleCanWin.com
http://www.WabashTraceEnd2End.com
The most effective way to engage others in a conversation and help them remember you fondly is to get them to talk about themselves. Asking the right questions will help you build a positive connection that may lead to a life-long business relationship and many sale and referrals.
Here are some questions you can ask that will guarantee a connection:
1. How did you get your start in your business?
2. What do you enjoy most about your profession?
3. What separates you and your company from the competition?
4. What advice would you give someone just starting in your industry?
5. What one thing would you do with your business if you knew you could not fail?
6. What significant changes have you seen take place in your profession through the years? (Especially good if the contact has graying temples)
7. What do you see as the coming trends in the industry?
8. What ways have you found to be the most effective for promoting your business?
9. What one sentence would you like people to use in describing the way you do business?
10. How can I know if someone I’m talking to is a good prospect for you?
Notice that these questions are open-ended—they can’t be answered with a word or a phrase. You are giving them the floor to express their views and share their experiences with an eager inquirer. Their co-workers, their spouses, nor their children give them such an opportunity.
Ask the right questions and you will easily build the connections you need to grow your business.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
To receive an e-book copy of my second book, 1000 Brilliant
Achievement Quotes, and subscribe to my free newsletter, go to http://www.OrdinaryPeopleCanWin.com/1000free.htm.
Visit my other sites at:
http://www.DavidDeFord.com
http://www.OrdinaryPeopleCanWin.com
http://www.WabashTraceEnd2End.com
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