94% Believe This is Vital to Success
Last week, we examined why postcards are surprisingly important in Luxury Real Estate.
This week, we will be exploring how to effectively and strategically network.
First and foremost, networking is critical to business success. 94% of all business men and women think that networking is imperative to their success, leading to a myriad of opportunities and possibilities.
FORDing
FORDing is a fantastic way to network and connect.
The “F” stands for, “how’s your family?” The “O” stands for, “how are things at work – your occupation?” “R” stands for recreation. And “D” stands for dreams. I have never gotten to D before because I don’t want to talk about people’s dreams, but what you’re essentially talking about is the future. What are you going to be doing next week? What are you doing this winter? What are you planning for next summer?
Set Networking Goals
It’s paramount to always establish networking goals. How many people do you plan to meet at events? Who’s going to be there? Who are the specific people you want to meet? How many people do you want to add to your list at the end of that evening? Have an idea of who’s going to be there and do some preliminary research on them via online.
The Four Levels of Networking
1.) Business network: For example, going to a chamber of commerce. This is one of the easiest venues to network because everyone’s there for the same reason. No one is going to shut you down.
2.) Knowledge network: An example would be going to your professional association. It is also a receptive networking environment because they’re all like-minded people and they’re not going to reject you as much.
3.) Social networking: This is when you’re at the yacht club, golf club, or a social function. A charity event or a charity auction is a prime example. This is where the risk of rejection is higher because individuals are more reticent or reluctant to participate. This is again where FORD comes in.
4.) Online networking: People hate rejection. We all do. And it’s hard to feel rejected online as it is in person, which is probably why online networking is incredibly widespread today.
Give Without Expectations of a Return
Always give without expecting to get anything in return. In fact, a great goal to have when you go to an event is to give a number of referrals, rather than get. Click To Tweet And if you go there focused on what you’re going to give rather than what you’re going to receive, you will be surprised to find out oftentimes you’ll get way more in return than you ever thought possible.
Until next time, make it a great week.
