Social networking isn’t social enough.
As Woody Allen famously said, “Eighty percent of success is showing up.” Showing up counts—in life and in sales. So does being present and contributing.
We show up in many different ways—online, offline, at work, with family, with friends, and when volunteering. Showing up means you become involved. You contribute, you begin a task, and you take action. The more often you show up, the more visible you become. As a direct result of “just” showing up, people get to know, recognize you, and respect you.
Growing Your Referral Network
Your networking prowess is critical for sales effectiveness. Every new person with whom you connect is a potential client or Referral Source.
Networking means talking to people, building relationships, and being genuine. As a sales professional, you’re already good at all that. But in the digital era, you need to be “off the charts” great at networking online, as well as in-person, to build connections.
Networking from Both Fronts
Thankfully, there are plenty of opportunities to develop and manage your referral network. While social media can help you begin conversations, turning those connections into relationships means socializing the old-fashioned way—offline.
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Your goal as a salesperson is to build and maintain many strong relationships. That means nurturing contacts, even after they no longer seem useful. Make it a daily habit to connect with people in your networks—personal and professional.
And by “connect,” I don’t mean send a vague, generic email. Use social channels to find out what’s going on with them. Then pick up the damn phone and talk.
Keep reaching out and preserving your most valuable sales asset—your relationships. Yes, consistently showing up counts.
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Connect with No More Cold Calling
Follow Joanne on Google+ or Twitter @ReferralSales, or connect on LinkedIn and Facebook.
One goal of networking is to be so good at it that you don’t really need to do it anymore but you choose to continue to do so because – you want to be sure you are still good at it and you want to help others and you want to learn from others.