Relationships Before Sales

"WE GET PAID FOR BRINGING VALUE TO THE MARKETPLACE" JIM ROHN

Although networking has evolved significantly with the advent of the internet, e-mail and social media, there is no substitute for meeting in-person and interacting face-to-face to build relationships.  Online networking should be used to reinforce relationships made in-person.  When networking in person the goal is to find common ground, which often has nothing to do with business.  Rob Fishman, Partner at Hauppauge based Sandler Training said, “When networking, you must resist the temptation to sell.  Networking is about creating a relationship for mutual gain.  The focus should be on meeting a person and creating a relationship.”  He suggested following the F-O-R-D acronym to avoid talking about business when networking.  “F is for Family; ask the person where they are from originally or if they have a family.  O is for Organization; ask the person about their company and who is a good prospective client for them.  R is for Recreation; ask what they do for fun, people like to talk about topics that are enjoyable.  D is for Dreams and Aspirations; ask what the person’s goals are and what they want to achieve.  The big picture is about creating a network of people in which there is a shared mutual level of trust,” added Mr. Fishman.

Bruce Libman, Author of It’s Just Breakfast and Total Networking, endorses the “give to get philosophy” when networking and building business relationships.   “Giving is key to relationship-building and you have to give much more than you should expect to receive.  Giving information, ideas or making introductions demonstrates that you care and that you have listened to the other person’s needs or interests.  This carries a lot of weight when building relationships,” said Libman.

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Selling and networking are two different animals. A sale is the ultimate goal in marketing but selling in itself won't get us there. People ultimately buy from people whom they know, trust and feel have their best interest at heart by the person doing the selling. Networking leads more to sales than just raw naked selling. Questions about a prospect's family, business, recreational activities and dreams will create customers, sales and referrals a lot faster than e-mails, webinars and slick sales pitches.

The essence of networking is listening and sharing with others. Leave selling down the road of a growing relationship.