Have you developed your own referral strategy? What does that look like for you?
I hate to think about all the hours that I have wasted running around from one business networking event to the other. Add to that, all the time I have spent on my social media and it all adds up to a major time suck and I could of used my time better.
When I did the math of time spent networking verses income generated I realized that my networking was not giving me the results that I wanted. I was so surprised, it felt good, Also I knew a lot of people, everyone knew me, in fact I got the nickname Queen of Networking, which I thought was pretty cool. After I did the math I realized it was not so cool. After all I can always make more money but I cannot make more time. When time is gone it is gone forever.
I missed many dinners with my children, came home late, missed some school events, and was exhausted, with very little in the way of referred business or new business. I had to find a new way to do it better, I needed a strategy, a system, a way of creating business from all the activitythat I was generating.
I learned that the best business networking strategy is to develop deeper relationships with the people I know, the connections I have, rather than go out and meet more and more new people. I learned it was time to work my network rather than spending more time just networking.
If we consider that business networking is actually part of our marketing campaign then it would make sense that we sit down and create a strategy that will lead us to develop more referals, connections and business opportunities from the network that we have. To go deeper in the relationships, to diversify those relationships, to be strategic allows us to have the time to do the things in our lives we really want to do.
So, before you go out to that next networking event ask yourself these questions;
“Have I developed the relationships of trust with the people that I already know?”
“Have I asked the people that are already in my network to help me achieve the goals that I am trying to accomplish?”
If the answer is no, you might want to consider creating a referral strategy, a system for developing your network at a deeper level before you go out there to meet more new people. Most of us already know all the people we need to build an amazing business, so if you take the time to put a strategy together you will find greater levels of success.
Download my Ebook to help you put together your referral strategies.