Nail your network
Recently, we were looking for a builder to help us with the construction of LINAR HQ. So we asked around the various local Whats App chats (kids school parents, rugby club etc) and received no less than eight recommendations for quality builders in the area.
Why are we telling you this? Because networks work! Building relationships and referral networks are a key tool in the successful sales arsenal. They take time (sometimes decades) to develop and require regular nurturing but will prove invaluable at different moments during your career.
Don’t take our word for it. Heidi Gardner, a Harvard professor specialising in law firms, has written an entire book on Smart Collaboration. Well worth a read if you haven’t already.
The diagram above provides a compelling argument for why time and effort should be given to development of your own network. Despite being equal in almost all other respects, the practitioner with the enhanced network (both internal and external) generated 4x the revenue of their colleague!
Three Things this week looks at your current networks and how to get the most out of them. Enjoy.
#1. Customers
Doing a good job for your existing customers is about the best BD tactic going. Nail this and you will create a network of individuals who, when asked for a referral, will espouse your skills as first rate! Customer testimonials are also a great way to capture the praise of your services into something that can be used across your future marketing materials.
In professional services, however, we tend to only focus on our current customers. Periodically, run through and reconnect with customers you’ve worked with in the previous 12 months. A quick catch up or call could uncover an opportunity for support and/or another intro to a potential target.
#2. Internal & external referrers
Your internal network is as, if not more, important than your external network. Why? It is highly likely that your colleagues are engaging with some of your target customers on a day to day basis. As and when a situation arise that requires your skillset, you need your colleagues to recommend you and transfer the trust that the customer has in them onto you. They will not be able to do this if they don’t know you / what you do! Take every opportunity to connect with colleagues internally:
- Present / talk at their team meetings
- Use your internal comms function to profile your skillset
- Be prepared to give your time/some advice/an opinion before you start to take.
Externally, the message is the same. As you build your network you will come across businesses and individuals who are complementary and complementary to your own. Share with them your capabilities and updates / insights on your world so they can be informed and look good in front of their clients. This reciprocity will pay dividends down the tracks.
#3. Digital networking
In the corporate world, we cannot escape LinkedIn. Nor should we. It’s a fantastic platform for finding and nurturing connections with individuals or organsiations that might like what you have to sell. Building communities of contacts with shared interests and sharing information, updates and creating debates on topics of interest are great ways to broaden your network.
This platform is also a great way to keep track of people you have known in a previous life. Whether it’s former customers, old school friends, uni drinking buddies or law conversion alumni, a periodic check in to see how these people are getting on (and where they’ve ended up) is a good use of your time.
