The ABC’s Of Networking
I was lucky enough to see Harvey Mackay speak at a conference in Dallas, a few years back. I liked him as soon as he started talking, he was confident, funny and kind. I could see why he had been voted by Toastmasters as one of the top 5 Speakers in the WORLD!
Harvey went over his Networking ABC’s as listed below:
A is for Antennae – which should be up every waking moment.
B is for Birthdays – it’s always advantageous to know the birthdays of your contacts (You wouldn’t believe how much business our sales reps gain when they call on their customers’ birthdays).
C is for Contact Management System – have your data organized so that you can cross reference entries and find the information you need quickly!
As the CEO of a private Customer Relationship Management System, I was thrilled to see his “C” stood for Contact Management System. I am inclined to think that those who feel they can manage their clients on paper “the old fashioned way” are missing out, not only sales, but the opportunity to effectively nurture relationships that they spend so much time searching out.
An efficient CRM System will:
1. Be the place to store all your “Stuff”: Birthdays of clients, anniversaries, interests, sales, events they have been to, interactions and more!
2. Prepare you for growth: As your business grows and follow-up with your clients increases, you will get repeat sales, referrals and new clients. Multiplying your clients will be easy when they are organized in your CRM System.
3. Track your referrals: Recording how you met people is an important resource for following up. Each time a referred contact purchases from you, or you correspond with them for the first time, this is a natural way to follow-up with the person who referred them!
4. Track Contacts’ Interests: Following up with clients is so much easier when you know their interests. Some useful examples of interests: Testimonial, Business Opportunity, Hosting an Event, Allergies, Kids, etc. to help communicate with your clients based on THEIR INTERESTS (not yours)!
5. Stay consistent in your follow-up: Once you determine what your “system” is, you can implement procedures in your CRM System to follow up with everyone in a uniform manner. You may tweak your follow-up based on a client’s interests; however, the process should be the same for each client.
Using a CRM System to manage your clients gives you the upper hand. You’re a professional, and serious enough to care enough about both your business and your clients to invest in a tool that will pay for itself over and over again.
Study done by Angus Reid
Try out Fiitfu as a CRM System for your Direct Sales business. Clients see their Fiitfu account paying for itself in the first 30 days and putting more money in their pockets from following up consistently and easily. Increase your sales for 2018! www.fiitfu.com