Hartford Business Journal

www.HartfordBusiness.com January 12, 2015 • Hartford Business Journal 21 Biz Books Strategies for turning social network contacts into new business "H ow to Be a Power Connector — The 5+50+100 Rule for Turn- ing Your Business Network into Profits" by Judy Robinett (McGraw Hill, $25). My friend Terry has over 12,000 Linke- dIn contacts and belongs to numerous online groups; he considers himself a networking superstar. Yet, when I asked him how much business his network produced for him, he meekly said, "Very little." There are too many Terrys in the networking world. They have thousands of contacts and no strategy for leveraging the knowledge and connections of those contacts. Robinett provides the remedy: a networking strategy template. It starts with understanding that quality and your time (and theirs) counts. Let's focus on quality first. Identify your Top 5 (i.e. almost daily connection), Key 50 (i.e. important relationships with fairly regular interaction), and Vital 100 (i.e. touch base at least once a month). Examine your 5+50+100 with these questions in mind: "What do you bring to the relationships?" "What do they bring to you?" "What could you do to enhance the give and take to build two-sided value?" Based upon your answers, you may find that certain of your 5+50+100 con- tacts deserve more attention while others should change in priority, and others should be replaced. When it comes to replacing contacts, do you have a list of potential additions? Do you have a written plan on how you will connect with them, and how you can use the net- works of existing contacts to reach them? As for time, you have a full plate; your contacts do, too. When you make contact, are you touch- ing base or are you providing value? She then defines the essentials of a strong network — wide, deep and robust. Contrary to "Terry" thinking, wide isn't about numbers. It's about diversity among connections. Those from differ- ent industries, professions, skill sets, cul- tures, ages and interests will provide you with a broader perspective of what is and what may happen. These connections push the boundaries of your comfort zone ever outward and minimize blind spots related to congruent thinking. Robinett identifies three layers of deep: 1. Multiple connections within each diverse segment of your network. The more contacts you have in a given area, the more likely you'll be able to find what you're looking for. 2. Everyone in your network has a network. Get to know their connections by asking for referrals. Just post a leading question like: "I'm looking for information about…; do you know someone who could help me?" Doors open wider through referrals than the "I would like to add you to my professional network" route. Once you make contact, circle back and acknowledge the source; a "thank you" shows he/she that their input was valuable. 3. Power connectors make connecting "upward" their priority. If you want your network to generate business, you need to reach and interact with decision makers. You don't want them to view you as "a peer of their subordinates." Relative to robustness, think in terms of responsiveness. Do your contacts promptly return your calls and emails? Are they help- ful? Will they grease the skids with those to whom they've referred you? A shared set of values are equally impor- tant. While diverse, your contacts should share trust, fair play and respect. You won't be able to assess these values until there's ongoing interaction. Ensuring your network becomes and stays robust depends upon your ability to "work as hard to link members of their net- works with one another." Linkage shows you care about their connecting their dots. Networking's bottom line: People pro- vide answers and influence, and access to decision-makers. Choose wisely. n Jim Pawlak is a nationally syndicated book reviewer. Jim Pawlak talking Points Customer-pleasing marketing and sales ideas By John Graham T here's an oversupply of useless, whacky, and just plain dumb marketing and sales ideas. For example, if someone says the best time to email customers is 10 a.m. on Thurs- days forget it. What if you're aiming at teachers, lawyers, nurses, Boomers or just about anyone else? One solution never fits everyone, even if they're in the same market segment. So, forget about simple solutions to issues that require serious thought. Right at the top, an idea that makes sense must pass the useful test; it's only good if it works — if it gets the desired results. Here are some useful marketing and sales ideas that will please your customers. 1. Make them happy. Satisfied customers aren't necessarily happy customers. Happiness doesn't come from being satisfied; it comes from the unexpected. The customer told the self-storage manager his lock didn't fit on the locker and he needed to buy a new one. The manager grabbed one from the wall display and handed it to the customer. "Take this. We're glad to have you here," he said. That's happy. And so is getting a free container of paint mixed to the right shade to take home to see if it works. Or receiving a follow up email or phone call to see if all is well and to ask if they could do anything better. Happy is free ship- ping, easy returns, or a chat line. 2. Dispel their doubts. Today's cus- tomers are skeptical. Just because we say it's so doesn't mean they believe it. In fact, they probably don't. Even so, businesses and salespeople say that "customers come first," and that they're trustworthy, reputable, and reliable. And no one believes them. No one. What can you do to become credible? A recent Nielsen study commissioned by inPowered points the way. According to Research Brief, the study indicates that expert content, or what they call "credible, third-party articles and reviews" is the "most effective source of information in impacting consumers along all stages of the purchase process, across all product categories." 3. Spot their problems. More often than not customers may not even know they have a prob- lem and even if they've figured it out, they may not want to talk about it. Your value to customers rests in your ability to spot problems, many times those that others either ignore or fail to see. You're the "primary care physician" that customers want. Anyone can sell "stuff" but only an expert salesperson can identify and come up with the right diagnosis for a troublesome issue. Now, here's the kicker: the problems you spot don't need to be related to what you're selling, and neither do they need to be something huge. It makes no difference because pointing them out shows you care about the customer, not just about the sale. 4. Create their interest. After speaking with the new sales director for an insurance product, the consultant recognized why he seemed to be floundering. He was clearly competent, knowledgeable, and came with a good track record, but wasn't fully engaged. Candidly, he didn't know what to do to get moving quickly. He made phone calls when he had time, but the results were zilch. He was busy, but not productive. It was clear he didn't have any understanding of why anyone should do busi- ness with him, which sent the message that he was just another salesperson to be ignored. How could he succeed without creating interest? His database was non-existent and he had no way to communicate with prospects (other to ask for business on the phone), no way to share helpful solutions, new information, and success stories that would attract their interest and help develop a reputation as the go-to person in his field. 5. Engage them their way. Apps in them- selves aren't the key to getting close to custom- ers. There are good ones, but most fail to deliv- er the right results because they're designed to serve senders, not users, which is the problem with just about all types of communication. To prove the point, close to 90 percent of apps are disregarded shortly after down- loading. However, some companies are offer- ing apps that are simple, user friendly, and provide customers with what they need. By understanding why, how, and when custom- ers use the app, companies boost their rele- vancy ad retention. All this sends the positive message that the customer is in charge. If you want to engage customers, start by asking what customers want and then follow through. n John Graham of GrahamComm is a mar- keting and sales strategist-consultant and business writer. He publishes a free monthly eBulletin, "No Nonsense Marketing & Sales." Contact him at jgraham@grahamcomm.com 617-774-9759 or johnrgraham.com. John Graham ▶ ▶ Satisfied customers aren't necessarily happy customers. Happiness doesn't come from being satisfied; it comes from the unexpected. ▶ ▶ If you want your network to generate business, you need to reach and interact with decision makers. You don't want them to view you as 'a peer of their subordinates.'

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