This post will be a bit shorter than usual, and it’s about networking. In the past, there was once a survey conducted with more than 12,000 business people participating from all around the world. One of the questions that was asked was, “which of the following is most important to you when referring business to others?”
Participants were given four choices:
1. Knowing the person’s character
2. Knowing the person’s level of competency
3. Using the person’s product or service myself
4. Knowing a person’s success
The most important factor, according to the survey results, was knowing the person’s character, followed by knowing their competency. Now, obviously, you have to take these anonymous answers with a grain of salt. But one fact you have to accept is that there are many opportunities to get referrals from people outside of the existing client base that you have. Of course, getting referrals from your current clientele is huge and very powerful, but how can you expand further to get referrals from beyond your immediate circle?
Well, according to the survey, two things that can help tremendously include being able to very clearly articulate and reveal your character (in a business sense), as well as your competency. And as you interact with different people during networking or business group events, stay focused on showing them these two things. It doesn’t matter whether you’re doing a one-on-one meeting or a group presentation. Generally speaking, all interactions should go toward demonstrating your character and competency. By making those two things stand out, your chances of getting referrals will increase.
So go out, have fun with this and take action today.
