Into,Every,Life,Little,Rain,Mu DIY Into Every Life a Little Rain Must Fall - Part 2

Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;mso-style-noshow:yes;mso-style-parent:"";mso-padding-alt:0in When starting a new work at home business it is very easy to become consumed by it. We spend so much time trying to get the business up and running that we may end up becoming burned out and lose our motivation. There is so much to learn and

=> Expanding Your NetworkNow think about what you need to do to expand your network.Think about where you should go, what networking groups youshould consider joining and how much time you have availableto invest in networking. Ask people from your existing networkwhere they go and what they do and start there. Also think aboutgroups such as alumni clubs, industry associations and socialclubs and well as your personal hobbies and interests.Attend networking functions organized by these groups andwhen you're there, work the room. Enjoy yourself, shake handsfirmly and smile. Show up early and leave late. If you go witha friend or colleague, split up. Play your 15 second commercialover and over again. Have a 45 second version ready too forthose who are interested in learning more about your business.Spend two thirds of your time with people you don't know. Don'ttry and sell your services, focus on building rapport with the peopleyou meet. Collect business cards and make notes on the backof them to jog your memory later when it comes to making furthercontact with the people you meet. Show genuine interest and getpeople to talk about themselves.If you get anxious when meeting new people, arm yourself witha checklist of conversation starters such as industry challenges,trends impacting your business, and questions such as "Whatbrings you to this event?" or "Tell me about the customers youlike to do business with". End the conversation with "If there'sever anything I can do, please call" and exchange businesscards.TENDING YOUR GARDENAs noted earlier, this is the part where most people drop out ofthe race. Therefore, it's the part where you can gain yourgreatest competitive advantage.Failure to continuously follow through with people they meet isthe number one reason most people never reach their fullrainmaking potential. Many people attend functions, meet newpeople, collect business cards, file them in a Rolodex and wonderwhy nothing ever happens.In order to succeed in your business, you must not only havea precise understanding of exactly what it is you are selling andto whom, you must also make a commitment to sell it over andover and over again, often to the same person! The averageperson has to hear a message seven times before they willremember it. Most sales are made after the fifth contact andonly ten percent of people have the staying power to make thefifth call. That means that out of a group of 100 competitors,you're only competing against ten of them. The differencebetween you and the other ten will come down to theeffectiveness of your system for maintaining contact withpeople who can refer you business.Here's how to tend your garden:=> Follow Up the Initial MeetingFollowing your networking activities, you will have in hand a stackof business cards from people you have met. What do you dowith them other than filing them in your Rolodex? Write a shortnote to each person you met that you would like to develop arelationship with. This note should be handwritten, and gosomething like this:"Dear Rosemary:Just a quick note to say how much I enjoyed meeting youat last week's trade association mixer. I am particularlyinterested in your ideas for expanding into the export market.[See the importance of writing notes on the back of the card.]I have some thoughts of my own that may help you. I look forwardto catching up with you again soon.Best,Jack Horner"=> Maintaining ContactThen, about two weeks later, call Rosemary and suggest a lunchor breakfast meeting to explore ways the two of you could refereach other business.Invite people you have met to attend social functions such ascocktail parties or other networking events.Make it a point to make contact with every one of your contactsabout every two months or so. This could take any number offorms, you need not always invite people to meet. Sometimessending someone a clipping of an article of mutual interest or acartoon that you think they will enjoy is all you will do. Othertimes, you may want to suggest lunch if you haven't seen theperson for several months.=> Working Your NetworkOver time, by following the above steps, you will develop a sizeablenetwork and an organized way maintaining contact on a systematicbasis will become essential.Establish a system whereby you perform a set number of networkdevelopment tasks a day, preferably at the same time of day.For example, you could set aside an hour first thing every morningto do your networking tasks. Let's say you have 200 contacts inyour network and you want to make contact with each of thesecontacts at least once every two months. At this rate you willneed to contact five people every day (200 contacts divided by40 working days). All you have to do is make five phone callsbetween 9:00 am and 10:00 am and you're done. Or, you couldmake three phone calls, send one note enclosing a copy of thelatest article you wrote for an industry publication and meet oneperson for breakfast or lunch.Some days you will have both breakfast and lunch plans withsomeone from your contact list. Don't forget you can also killtwo birds with one stone by inviting more than one person tolunch. Bring together people from your network who don't alreadyknow each other but who could help each other. Who knowswho these people know that you haven't met yet?You get the idea.REAPING THE HARVESTAs you can hopefully see by now, the key is to keep in regularcontact with your network on a consistent basis. Over time, thesecontacts will become a rich source of referral business for you andyour business will grow in leaps and bounds as a result. Article Tags: Business Cards