Are You a Lazy Networker? Six Things You Should Do

Are You a Lazy Networker? Six Things You Should Do

Here is a list of six strategies you should adopt to avoid being lazy networker!

Are you a lazy networker?  I find that most people who are networking for the purpose of getting referrals are actually pretty lazy. Few people do any real homework on their target market, have no clue who they want to do business with or who they should be connected to. I also find that many have no systems for tracking, and most never even bother to follow-up on prospects.

There are so many things that you have to do to get good referrals, but somehow there is a belief that if you run around and spew enough knowledge about what you do, then people will trust you and send you business. It is lazy person networking. Here is a list of things you must do to be able to get quality referrals from your network:

  1. You must know your Target Market.  If you do not know who you want to do business with then you cannot expect others to know either and most of my clients find this the hardest thing to come up with. Anybody who needs something is not a target market. Hire a professional to help you
  2.  You must be willing to go out and find referrals for your network. Everyone I meet just wants to spend all their time talking about themselves and their business. It’s easier to talk about me than it is to learn enough from my network members and talk about them.
  3. Track your activities, your time, your money, and your results. If you don’t track how will you know what is working and what is not. Who is giving you referrals, when was the last time that you talked to your network members and how many referrals have you passed to your network? All of these things are very important for you to know about your activities.
  4. You might have to make it to meetings, some in the morning, afternoon or evening. So many people do not want regular appointments just in case they don’t feel like getting up and going. Heck it is easier to sit at home and network online, I can do that in my jammies after all.
  5. Develop a system for follow-up, stop being lazy and just using email. Step out and make yourself memorable. Drop a post card in the mail, or mail a thank you note. It takes a little more time and work, but it does pay off.
  6. Get educated about good networking and referrals. Most people believe that if they walk around and give out enough cards and talk enough about what they do, they are building credibility. Nothing could be further from the truth! There are programs being offered all the time that will improve your ability to make more money, but few people are willing to commit the time or the money to go learn more so they can earn more. I cannot tell you how many times I have been told by business professionals that say they don’t read.

Trust is the first step in the referral process, you have to slow down and build trust. Yea that’s what I said. slow down! Take the time to get to know me, what I want, how you can help me and what is important to me. When you do that, you will find out that I in return will feel better about you and want to learn more. Trust and credibility cannot be rushed, it takes time and work….oops there is that word again.

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