A Referral Doesn’t Mean Closed Sales
June 16, 2008
You shouldn’t skip steps in the sales process, even with a recommendation. Here’s how you can make the most of your leads.
When one of your business relationships passes you a referral, don’t assume that the prospect is ready to hear a presentation on your product or service. When an associate passes you a referral, say thanks . . . then start digging for more information.
You will want to determine if what you offer is a fit for what the prospect needs. Taking the time to do this upfront saves a lot of time and energy–for both you and the prospect. Exactly what does the prospect do? What products or services does he want from you? Will your offerings truly fulfill his needs? What is his behavioral style? What are his business goals? How large is his company?
Even with the referral in hand, don’t skip steps in your sales process. Before you approach the prospect, decide on a strategy based on whatever you can find out about him–the same as you would when preparing for any sale. Although the prospect was referred to you, all you’ve really received is an opportunity to approach the prospect with a favorable introduction. (This is not a bad thing–a single referral can open the door to a prospect it may have taken you weeks, months, or even years to connect with–if you even could at all.) But whether the prospect becomes a client or not depends on how well you convince him that what you offer, at the price and under the conditions that you offer it, will fulfill his needs.
There’s quite a bit of difference between a basic referral and one that’s well developed, and there are many levels in between. Here is a list from least to most valuable, and you should consider which level your referral represents:
- Name and contact information only. Unfortunately, this is what many of your potential sources probably think the first time you say the word “referral” to them. It does represent a certain level of trust in you, but the networking value of this kind of “referral” is low. It’s better than nothing–but it’s not much. As a matter of fact, I would call this more of a “lead” than a “referral.”
- Authorization to use name. If he says, “Tell ‘em Joe sent you,” you can be fairly sure you’ve established a good level of credibility with him. This gives you some leverage, but the work of developing the prospect still falls on you.
- Testimonial or letter of introduction. If your source trusts you enough to say nice things about you, try getting him to go a bit further and write you a letter of introduction or recommendation, including background information on you and some words about your product or service.
- Introduction call. A personal phone call on your behalf, preparing the prospect to hear from you, takes significant time and effort in preparation.
- Letter of introduction, call and promotion. A letter that’s followed up by a phone call advocating your business represents a high level of commitment by your referral source and has a great deal of influence on the prospect.
- Meeting. By arranging and working out the details for a meeting between you and the prospect, your source moves beyond the role of promoter to that of facilitator, or even business agent. This demonstrates to your prospect a deep level of trust in you, and a willingness not only to make an introduction, but also to consider you and your services worth the time it takes to coordinate a meeting.
- Face-to-face introduction and promotion. Combining an in-person introduction with promotion demonstrates that your source is engaged in selling your product or service, rather than just facilitating your sales effort. And this is a pretty great referral, beaten only by the…
- Closed deal. Your referral source describes the features and benefits of your product or service, then closes the sale before you even contact the prospect. All you have to do is deliver the goods and collect the money. This is obviously the best kind of referral you can get (and, by its very nature, the rarest form of referral). To get to this level of referral, you’ll have to work with your sources and tell them what you’d like from them. This takes time and education.
The better your source knows you and is confident of your character and your business, the more often you’ll get the higher-level referrals. But keep in mind that you need to be making high-level referrals for your sources, too. Make sure you spend your due diligence looking for ways to open doors for your referral sources in the same way as you hope they will open doors for you. What goes around comes around.
Called the “Father of Modern Networking” by CNN, Dr. Ivan Misner is a New York Times bestselling author. He is the Founder and Chairman of BNI, the world’s largest business networking organization. His latest book Truth or Delusion can be viewed at TruthorDelusion.com. Dr. Misner is also the Senior Partner for the Referral Institute, an international referral training company. He can be reached at misner@bni.com.
3 Networking Faux Pas
June 16, 2008
Think you’re a good networker? Make sure you’re not making these blunders.
After two decades of running the world’s largest networking organization, I’ve seen a lot of networking faux pas. I’ve put together a few of the most glaring blunders in networking etiquette I’ve seen over the years that you should avoid.
Faux Pas #1: Not responding quickly to referral partners
This one really troubles me. I can’t imagine getting a call from a networking partner and not responding immediately. Unfortunately, it happens with regularity. Not long ago, someone I know had a referral to give a gentleman in his networking group. As soon as he knew the referral was viable, he called the associate and left a message at his office. A day went by without a return call, so he called again, saying it was important to connect.
He was finally able to speak to his networking associate at their next meeting. He asked him why he didn’t return his call, and the associate said, “If I knew you had a referral for me, I would’ve called you back immediately.” He still gave the referral at the meeting, and, to no one’s surprise, the person referred ended up working with another vendor because no one got back to him in a timely manner.
Treating each of your networking partners as one of your best clients is critical. Return phone calls immediately, as it speaks to your credibility and reliability as a professional.
There are countless examples of people receiving referrals at networking groups and then contacting the referral a few days later. The old phrase “If you snooze, you lose” is apropos here. When the referral knows you had her name and number on Monday and took your time calling, that sends a negative message about your business.
Faux Pas #2: Confusing networking with direct selling
A BNI director struck up a conversation with a woman business owner at a networking function. When the business owner asked our director what she did, she said she helps owners build their businesses through networking and referrals. The business owner smiled and said, “I’m really good at networking. I’ve been doing it for a long, long time.”
Curious, our director asked her, “So what’s your secret?” She stood up straight and said, “Well, a friend and I enter a room together. We draw an imaginary line down the middle. She takes the left side; I take the right side. We then meet at a certain time to see who collected the most cards. The loser buys the other one lunch.”
The director curiously inquired, “So what do you do with all those cards?” The business owner proudly said, “I enter them into my distribution list and begin to send them information about my services. Since I have all their information, they’re all good prospects, right?”
This is a classic example of an entrepreneur thinking networking is simply about gathering contact information and following up on it later. But that’s nothing more than glorified cold calling. It gives me the chills. I used to teach cold calling techniques to business people. And I did it enough to know that I didn’t want to ever do it again. Since then, I’ve devoted my professional life to teaching the business community that there’s a better way to build long-term business.
Faux Pas #3: Abusing the relationship
There are many ways I’ve seen networking partners abuse relationships, but the following story is one of the most glaring examples.
A woman I know was invited to attend a 50th birthday party of an associate who used to belong to a networking group in which she also participated. They once had a long-term working relationship, and, out of respect, she decided to attend.
When she got to the door, she looked through the window and noticed people were arranged in a semicircle, listening to a presenter in front of an easel board. When she stepped in, it was very obvious the partygoers were being recruited for a business opportunity. As resentful as the woman felt, she and other mutual friends found it difficult to remove themselves from the “birthday party,” despite the fact that the only refreshment being served was the company’s diet shake!
Never mislead your networking partners. For that matter, never mislead anyone. Trust is everything when you’re talking about relationship networking. Inviting people to a “birthday party” that turns out to be a business opportunity pitch isn’t being honest with the very people with whom you want to build a trusting relationship.
All three of these faux pas directly relate to good people skills. The prevailing theme is to treat your referral partners and potential referral partners with professionalism and care. Use networking opportunities to meet people and begin the process of developing a genuine relationship. As you do this, treat your referral partner like you would a top client. Lastly, always network in a way that builds credibility and trust—be candid in telling your referral partners what you need and what you’re asking of them. Do these things and you’ll avoid some serious mistakes in relationship networking.
Called the father of modern networking, Dr. Ivan Misner is the Founder of BNI and the senior partner for the Referral Institute. He has written nine books, including his recently released best seller New York TimesTruth or Delusion? Busting Networking’s Biggest Myths.
Nothing Is as Fast as the Speed of Trust
June 16, 2008
Why trust is essential to a thriving business.
If you’re not fast, you’re dead.
—Jack Welch
What is the primary benefit that BNI offers its members? What benefit could be so powerful that it would account for BNI’s rapid global growth? The answer is SPEED.
The primary advantage of a trusted network, or a “trustwork™” as we like to call it, is the SPEED with which you do business. And the secret to this is TRUST. We call it The SPEED of TRUST™. We contend that nothing is as fast as The SPEED of TRUST.
We recently moved into larger offices—a daunting task when added to the demands of operating a business. To make matters worse, this move required a new phone system well beyond the sophistication of our current one. Comparing all the options and discerning which enterprise level phone system to choose was daunting.
Enter TRUST. Through a trusted friend, we were referred to his trusted phone expert, who has a proven track record. We saved weeks of time! As old Ben Franklin said, “Time is money.” Yes, SPEED is the ultimate benefit of trusted referrals.
For years we have taught that people no longer buy from those they like but from those they trust. Referrals transfer this trust. Contrary to what most people believe, trust is not some soft, elusive quality that you either have or don’t. Rather, trust is a pragmatic, tangible, performance multiplier that you can create—much faster than you probably think possible.
As New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman observes in The World Is Flat, this new “flat” economy revolves around partnering and relationships. And partnering and relationships thrive or die based on trust. Friedman states, “Without trust, there is no open society, because there are not enough police to patrol every opening in an open society. Without trust, there can also be no flat world, because it is trust that allows us to take down walls, remove barriers, and eliminate friction at borders. Trust is essential for a flat world … ”
Who Do You Trust, and Who Trusts You?
So who do you trust? Think about your own experience with regard to this question. Do you trust a friend? A work associate? Your boss? Your spouse? A parent? A child? Why do you trust this person? What is it that inspires confidence in this particular relationship?
Now consider an even more provocative question: Who trusts you? Or who trusts you enough to refer people to you? At home? At work? Someone you’ve just met? Someone you’ve known for a long time? What is it in you that inspires people to trust you? If you would like to find out how trusted you are by others, take a brief, free survey at www.whotrustsyou.com.
Most of us tend to think about trust in terms of character—of being a good, sincere, ethical person. While character is foundational, competence is also important. Character includes your integrity, motive, and intent with people. Competence includes your capabilities, skills, results, and track record. Both are vital.
With increased focus on ethics in our society, the character side of trust is fast becoming the price of entry into the new, global economy. However, the differentiating and often ignored side of trust—competence—is equally essential.
How Credible Are You?
In our corporate training programs, we often do a one-to-one, pre-work exercise with individual participants in which they are given picture cards of the people with whom they work and asked to quickly sort them into two stacks: “I tend to trust this person” or “I tend to not trust this person.” It’s always fascinating to see how fast people make these decisions. Most individuals have an immediate reaction of trust or distrust. It’s also interesting that, in most cases, the same people tend to be trusted or not trusted.
Think about the people you know, one by one. Which stack would you immediately put their pictures in? Why? Now, for the tougher question: If your picture were included in a group of picture cards, which stack would your associates put your picture in? And why?
As you continue to network, keep in check how “trustworthy” you are—it will make the difference in the speed with which you grow your business. We contend that the ability to establish, grow, extend, and restore trust is the key business and leadership competency of the new, global economy; and we have identified 13 behaviors common to high trust leaders throughout the world. Our experience shows that those who master and demonstrate these behaviors and become high-trust individuals are more likely to be promoted, make more money, receive the best opportunities, get more referrals and have more fulfilling and joyful relationships. They enjoy ever-expanding spheres of influence in their businesses and their lives.
Stephen M.R. Covey is the author of a groundbreaking and paradigm-shifting book published by Simon & Schuster, New York and London. Covey is co-founder and CEO and Greg Link is co-founder and President of CoveyLink Worldwide, a boutique global consultancy on trust and ethics in the business and social sectors. They equip their clients to install trust as a hard-edged economic driver—a learnable and measurable core competency that makes their organizations more profitable, people more promotable, and relationships more energizing.The Speed of Trust—The One Thing That Changes Everything,The Speed of Trust, go to Barnes & Noble.com, Amazon.com, or your favorite bookseller. To discover how trusted you are by others, go to www.whotrustsyou.com for a brief, free analysis.
To purchase
15 Ways Other People Can Promote Your Company
June 16, 2008
Put your networking circle to work for you with these guaranteed ways to generate new business.
Systematic referral marketing requires that you determine, as precisely as possible, the types of help you want and need. There are many ways your sources can help you promote yourself and your business and generate leads and referrals; we’ve chosen to discuss fifteen of them. Some are simple, cheap and quick; others are complex, costly and time-consuming.
1. Display your literature and products. Your sources can exhibit your marketing materials and products in their offices or homes. If these items are displayed well, such as on a counter or a bulletin board, visitors will ask questions about them or read the information. Some may take your promotional materials and display them in other places, thereby increasing your visibility.
2. Distribute information. Your sources can help you distribute your marketing information and materials. For example, they can include a flyer in their mailings or hand out flyers at meetings they attend. A dry cleaner attaches a coupon from the hair salon next door to each plastic bag he uses to cover his customers’ clothing; a grocery store includes other businesses’ marketing literature in or on its grocery bags or on the back of the printed receipt.
3. Make an announcement. When attending meetings or speaking to groups, your sources can increase your visibility by announcing an event you are involved in or a sale your business is conducting, or by setting up exhibits of your products or services. They can also invite you to make an announcement yourself.
4. Invite you to attend events. Workshops and seminars are opportunities to increase your skills, knowledge, visibility and contacts. Members of personal or business groups that you don’t belong to can invite you to their events and programs. This gives you an opportunity to meet prospective sources and clients.
5. Endorse your products and services. Your network sources can encourage others to use your products or services by telling others what they’ve gained from using your products or services or by endorsing you in presentations or informal conversations. It is even better if they sing your praises on audiotape or videotape.
6. Nominate you for recognition and awards. Business professionals and community members often are recognized for outstanding service to their profession or community. If you’ve donated time or materials to a worthy cause, your sources can nominate you for service awards. You increase your visibility both by serving and by receiving the award in a public expression of thanks. Your sources can pass the word of your recognition by word of mouth or in writing. They can even create an award, such as Vendor of the Month, to honor your achievement.
7. Provide you with leads. A source can help you by passing along information she hears about someone who needs the kind of product or service you provide. Following through on such leads—for example, a rumor about a new company moving into the area or a news item about the troubles another business is having—could result in new business.
8. Provide you with referrals. The kind of support you’d most like to get from your sources is, of course, referrals—names and contact information for specific individuals who need your products and services. Sources can also help by giving prospects your name and number. As the number of referrals you receive increases, so does your potential for increasing the percentage of your business generated through referrals.
9. Make initial contact with prospects and sources. Rather than just giving you the telephone number and address of an important prospect, a network member can phone or meet the prospect first and tell him about you. When you make contact with the prospect, he will be expecting to hear from you and will know something about you.
10. Introduce you to prospects. Your source can help you build new relationships faster by introducing you in person. She can provide you with key information about the prospect. She can also tell the prospect a few things about you, your business, how the two of you met, some of the things you and the prospect have in common, and the value of your products and services.
11. Arrange a meeting on your behalf. When one of your sources tells you about a person you should meet, someone you consider a key contact, she can help you immensely by coordinating a meeting. Ideally, she will not only call the contact and set a specific date, time and location for the meeting, but she will also attend the meeting with you.
12. Follow up with referrals they have given you. Your sources can contact prospects they referred to you to see how things went after your first meeting, answer their questions or concerns, and reassure them that you can be trusted. They can also give you valuable feedback about yourself and your products or services, information that you might not have been able to get on your own.
13. Publish information for you. Network members may be able to get information about you and your business printed in publications they subscribe to and in which they have some input or influence. For example, a source who belongs to an association that publishes a newsletter might help you get an article published or persuade the editor to run a story about you.
14. Serve as a sponsor. Some of your sources may be willing to fund or sponsor a program or event you are hosting. They might let you use a meeting room, lend you equipment, authorize you to use their organization’s name, or donate money or other resources.
15. Sell your products and services. Of all the kinds of support that a source can offer, the one that has the greatest immediate impact on your bottom line is selling your product or service for you. Your network member could persuade a prospect to write a check for your product, then have you mail or deliver the product to your new customer. If you do so swiftly and cordially, you may gain a new lifelong customer.
Suppose a customer you know well tells you a friend of his wants to buy your product. How should you respond? By telling him to have his friend contact you? By asking for information about the friend? The correct answer is neither. While your interest is still hot, let your friend, the customer, take your product and sell it to his friend, the prospect (if he plans to see his friend in the near future, of course).
Editor’s note: This article is excerpted from the book Business by Referral, by Ivan Misner and Robert Davis. You can purchase Business by Referral at http://store.bnistore.com/bubyre.html.
Developing Life Changing Goals
June 16, 2008
So let’s talk about the process of change.
The first step is to examine your life - make an inventory - and decide what changes you need to make. Once you have made an inventory then set a goal. This goal should include what you need to do on a daily basis to get to where you want to go. I don’t think anyone needs to be reminded of the New Year’s Eve resolutions that they’ve made and then systematically forgotten. Why does this process of goal setting and forgetting occur? It is rooted in what I like to call the Horse.
Have you ever gone trail riding on a horse? You mount the horse and off you go - or should I say off goes the horse with you on it. You find yourself looking down and around to see what magic has taken place because you know that you haven’t asked the horse to move or directed it to the left or the right. Yet, there you are ambling down the same path that hundreds of other trail riders have. Why? The answer is simply habit.
Now, if you are the rebellious sort (or simply desire change) and have tried to deviate from the trail to gallop across a flower filled meadow in your very own re-enactment of Kevin Cosner’s “Dances with Wolves,” you’ll find yourself not only with a disgruntled steed but also still behind the lead horse. You may ask, “Weren’t horses created to race freely across the wilds?” The answer is “no.” Not trail horses. Trail horses have been trained to habitually follow the path, and when they are asked to do otherwise they will more often than not resist. Habit creates resistance. Resistance hinders change.
Keep this short parable in mind. As you sit down to work on your goals and then move toward accomplishing your goals, your Horse will resist.
It is possible to break a resistant Horse. In fact, there are three ways.
Number One: Argue with the Horse
Let’s say your goal is to race across a mountain meadow on the trail horse mentioned above. As you work toward accomplishing your goal you will experience resistance. In order to experience the benefit of your goal you must resist the temptation to quit or to stay on the path. When internal resistance rears its mighty head tell yourself things like: “Just because it feels wrong doesn’t mean it’s wrong,” or “Just because it’s difficult now doesn’t mean it will be difficult later.”
Step Two: Visualization
Imagine how good it will feel to race across the meadow. See it. Taste it. Experience it.
Step Three: Practice
It is possible to argue with the horse, and daily visualize riding the horse. But unless you get out into the field and practice riding, change will not result.
So, that’s the process of change. It’s time to take control of the Horse. If you do, you will take your business and your personal life TO THE NEXT LEVEL.
Morris Goodman (known as “The Miracle Man”) survived an airplane crash where he broke and destroyed every bone, muscle, and nerve in his body. Paralyzed for eight months and only able to blink his eyes, Morris defied medical odds and walked out of the hospital eight months later. He will be the keynote speaker at the BNI International Directors Conference, which is being held November 10-12 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Long Beach, California. It’s a story you don’t want to miss. You can visit his website at www.themiracleman.org.
Designing the Perfect Networking Environment
June 16, 2008
By Kimberly George, Director of International Alliances for CoachVille
If your business cards are giving you paper cuts, take a look at your approach and your expectations.
Networking is all about designing an environment where: a relationship is created that adds value to both parties, creates connection, and builds a bridge to the follow-up opportunity. Let’s take a more in-depth look at this networking definition. The best networkers design an environment where they continually add value to the people they connect with. Terrific ways to design an environment for your conversation are to begin with a firm handshake, maintain eye contact and seek to understand versus being understood. The best networkers add value to the people they meet by asking questions that demonstrate a sincere interest in the other party. They also listen for opportunities to be of service by providing resources, information, and connections without expecting anything in return.
Many people are frustrated with networking events because their sole expectation is to make a sale, get a new client, or close a deal in the space of an hour or two. I refer to this as the “Shotgun Approach.” Can’t you just picture this type of networker, handing out as many business cards as he can carry, working the room like a frenzied hyena? Sure, lots of people may go home with his contact information, but he hasn’t given them a reason to contact him. Most likely, his card will be tossed in the pile gathering dust at the bottom of the desk drawer or thrown out.
As a masterful networker, your ultimate goal is to develop “stickability.” This is done by becoming memorable, and you become memorable by creating connection. The best networkers create an environment where connection is natural and spontaneous. They explore the other person’s inspiration, passions and motivations for doing what they do. They create common ground, finding ways to share insights and information. Most importantly, the best networkers put the spotlight on the other party, seeking to learn rather than sell, to share rather than tell.
Once connection is created, you’ve developed “stickability.” You’ve given the other person an impression of who you are, a point of relating. Networking is all about building relationships and then nurturing them. You tend to relationships as you tend to a garden—planting seeds and providing the right amount of water, sunlight, nutrients and open air. As Dr. Ivan Misner says, “The grass is always greener where you water it.”
Networking takes discipline, dedication and follow-up. The number one missed opportunity related to networking is failure to follow-up. How often after a networking event have you taken the time to contact the people you’ve met to get to know them better? How many people have contacted you? The percentages are shockingly low, even among BNI members. If you are looking for a magic pill or a silver bullet to increase your networking effectiveness, it’s this simple: follow-up. The best networkers add value, create connection and build bridges. They have a plan for contacting people they meet, and they act on that plan.
If you could meet with 5 new people a week, what would that do for your business? Going to one or two networking events weekly, connecting with 5-10 people gives you the opportunity to build bridges. Follow up with the people you meet. Don’t know what to say? Try this: “It was great to meet you last week at the charity fundraiser. I’d love to learn more about what you do and explore how we can share referrals. When can we get together?” You’ve just designed an environment for building a lasting relationship and set yourself apart from the crowd. People simply don’t follow-up. This paradigm shift of adding value, creating connection and building bridges is a powerful alternative to disconnection and desperation. The best networkers have mastered these concepts and put them into daily practice. You can too.
Kimberly George is a business coach and the Director of International Alliances for CoachVille. She is also the pioneer coach for the brand new virtual community on Social Capital & Networking in collaboration with Dr. Ivan Misner. You can learn more about networking by visiting the community at http://dbc572.cvcommunity.com
Really: The Referral Process Is Not Difficult to Measure!
June 16, 2008
By Dr. Ivan Misner
The good news: It is actually quite easy to measure success from referrals! We know this because we’ve designed a networking scorecard for tracking referrals and the business that results from them. You might want to develop a similar one for your own use.
On this card you record the nature and source of each referral, how you followed up on it, how you handled it, how you conducted your networking activities (i.e., Did you provide your referral source or contact an article of interest? A thank-you note? A phone call? Lunch? Business?) as well as the end result of these activities. It’s not that hard to analyze what you did and how successful you were in getting business from your referrals!
The referral process is about committing to a series of actions designed to create a result (not only for you, but for the other people involved) and then measuring it and improving the system. As long as you track your activities, it’s not that hard to measure the results.
The Tipping Point
There’s a concept we use that’s related to the “tipping point” idea for referrals. What’s the difference between 211 and 212? At first glance, you might think, Not much. But there is actually a huge difference: At 211, you just have some hot water … but at 212, you have boiling water.
What can you do with 211-degree water other than make bad coffee and warm up a hot dog? Not too much else. But with 212-degree water, you can make great coffee, sterilize dishes, and start the Industrial Revolution!
Can you feel the difference between 211-degree and 212-degree water by sticking your finger in them? Probably not. But one degree makes a world of difference.
A lot of networkers spend a lot of time “warming up” their referral sources, but since they can’t tell the difference between someone who is and is not quite ready to refer, they waste time and energy on the wrong person. This is why it is extremely important to have a system in place for measuring actions and their results.
How do you know when you’ve done enough to get a referral from a potential source? When you track the results, in many instances you will be able to tell what specific action of yours “tipped the scales” from a potential sale or client to real results. Maybe it was your last thank-you note that made a solid referral source out of your contact. Or maybe it was that tip on a special deal she could get from a new vendor.
You can’t measure feelings per se, but you can discover what made the difference between zero and success. Armed with this knowledge, you can replicate your success at other times and in other settings. In networking, of course, people are different and situations change, but if you track the results under different conditions, you’ll begin to see patterns that will show you how to handle your network.
No Tracking System, No Control
If you choose not to track your results, or perhaps do not track them consistently, you’re essentially giving up control of your referral networking—which is okay if what you’re interested in is shrugging off your own responsibility and finding other people to blame for your failures.
If you can’t connect success or failure to your own activities, it’s easy to say, “This would have worked if my referral source had prepared the prospect!” Or “The reason I failed is that nobody told me what I needed to know!” In reality, your failure to adequately train your referral partners and gather the information you needed to know is directly tied to your failure to set up a way to measure results.
Good referral networking is a lot like luck. As most people realize over time (some sooner than others), “good luck” happens to those who have worked hard to prepare for it. If something happens “by chance,” such as a good referral, go back and track it. There was probably some series of events (over which you either did or could have had control) that brought you the “good luck.”
Even though we admit that, every now and then, for reasons you can’t document, you’ll get some business out of the blue—even a blind squirrel can find a nut sometimes—it’s hard to write a business plan around that. (”I’ve got this great business, doing millions of dollars. How do I do it? I don’t know. Want to do business with me?”) Don’t be blind to your referral marketing; make sure to plan this part of your business.
The networking scorecard mentioned in this article is part of the Certified Networker Program offered by The Referral Institute. For more information, visit www.referralinstitute.com. For more information on “the tipping point” and the difference one degree can make, read Malcom Gladwell’s book, The Tipping Point.New York Times bestselling author. He is the founder and chairman of BNI, the world’s largest business networking organization. His latest “New York Times” best selling book, Masters of Sales, can be viewed at www.MastersBooks.com. Dr. Misner is also the Sr. Partner for the Referral Institute, an international
Called the father of modern networking by CNN, Dr. Ivan Misner is a
