I have just left a really interesting lunch meeting that has proven to me once again that business success depends on networking these days. Despite I do not traditionally do lunch meetings, this one was well worth it. I had a chance to meet with another business owner who runs a similar business to one of my companies which is a mobile phone company. It turns out just as I suspected that we are both calling on the same type of Customers, in the same type of market, but we do not compete. As a matter of fact, we actually complement each other’s services very well. Needless to say, it is very easy for both of us to take one of our existing Customers and recommend that they take a look at the other company’s services. In other words he takes some of his Customer buying energy auditing services from him and refers our company that offers mobile phone bill auditing services.
The point behind all of this is that we were both able to easily come up with three Customers that we could make one phone call to and get the other persons company into. As a matter off fact while we were sitting there the other owner’s phone rang. It was one of the Customers he provides energy auditing to, and a Customer that he thought could use our services. Over the phone call, he simple told his Customer briefly about what my company does with mobile phone bill auditing, and told his Customer that he had to meet with my company if he wanted to really reduce his corporate mobile phone cost. The Customer’s response was simple, “ok we like to save money”. “If you think it is worth a meeting let’s do it”. Done and done!
9 Key Networking Principals to Bring You More Business Success:
- Both of our companies realize the value of networking, so we are always looking to network to find business success.
- Both companies are open to networking when it makes sense
- Find companies or individuals who are calling on similar Customer profiles as yours
- Find companies or people calling on similar contacts and titles as your company does within the companies they call on. This will insure they leads they bring you will be the right contact level. If you call on C level contacts and they do as well then the chances for finding a fit are much better.
- Make sure you do not sell competitive products or services
- Really think about and ask yourself, who else (what other companies or individuals are calling on Customers similar to what your company calls on)
- Make sure to do your homework to determine the other company is respected credible before you ever meet. Nothing jeopardizes your Customer more than referring a company that does not do good work. Make sure they are worthy of your Customers
- Be willing to payout some amount of commissions/referral fees for successful leads. Payouts always get you more leads. Even successful people like to make more money
- If they referrals/lead sharing gets serious once you get past the honey moon phase or if referral monies or commissions are going to trade hands, then make sure to have a good written agreement drawn up to cover you both on the legal side of things.
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