What Has Your Network Done Lately For You? Tips to Engage Your Network!
It Is Great To Have Friends, Isn't It? Have you ever asked anyone for a job reference? Have you had to list one or two friends on a credit application? Have you ever moved and asked your friends and family to help in the moving process? Have you ever needed a ride and your car was not available, so you asked a friend to help? These are all situations where you turned to your friends, your Social Network for assistance.
In most cases these requests were granted and the individuals you asked were happy to help.
If we take care of our networks and we do not abuse our relationships; our networks are there to assist us.
The people in your network, like most people, not only like to help, they look for opportunities to help.
Have you ever had one of your friends say: "I was wondering if you were ever going to ask.
" Or they might say: "I was wondering if you needed any help?" Think about it...
You have heard these phrases, you may have even uttered these phrases.
I am sure you are getting my point thus far.
So, it begs this question; "Why do we spend so much time trying to recruit new customers, clients, patients, business partners, etc.
from people that we DO NOT know instead of turning to the people that we already know and that know us?" The people where we already have an established bond.
We Are Missing Opportunities.
The crazy part is that we have all these individuals that care about or for us and we overlook them.
We pass them by.
What a mistake! Our Social Networks are a resource that we can help and that will help us.
We have invested countless months, years, and even decades developing friendships that have evolved into trusting relationships.
Not that we built the relationships with the idea of what is in it for us, but one of the end results is that we have many loyal and trusting friends that are interested in us and most are interested in seeing us succeed.
If they are interested in seeing us succeed, then maybe they were not such a friend after all.
So here we have these trusted friends that we have known for a long time and we are ignoring them.
We are spending our time talking to people that we do not know, trying to create a relationship like we already have with our Social Networks.
Do you see any lunacy in this? I do! We are talking to people that marketing experts say will require at least 6 - 7 exposures before we even start going beyond familiarity to friendship to a trusting relationship.
And yes, all the while we have the people where we have already formed a relationship standing by.
Sitting On The Sidelines You may have had an occasion or two where your friends, your Social Network, became tired of sitting on the sidelines in relative obscurity.
Eventually they may lose interest and move on to another friend.
In sales they always talk about the cost of acquiring a new customer versus the cost of retaining existing customers.
Acquiring the new customer, far and away, is the more expensive proposition.
I contend that making new friends versus retaining old friends is just as costly.
Can you afford to spend your time making new connections when you have not fully explored the connections you already have? Engage Your Network So how do we go about engaging our network to work on our behalf.
First, we must realize that our network may be customers, clients, patients, etc.
; but that is not necessarily so.
Maybe what we are doing or have to offer are not relevant to them.
The chances are, however, that what we have to offer may be relevant to people that those in our networks know.
So here are the tips:
In most cases these requests were granted and the individuals you asked were happy to help.
If we take care of our networks and we do not abuse our relationships; our networks are there to assist us.
The people in your network, like most people, not only like to help, they look for opportunities to help.
Have you ever had one of your friends say: "I was wondering if you were ever going to ask.
" Or they might say: "I was wondering if you needed any help?" Think about it...
You have heard these phrases, you may have even uttered these phrases.
I am sure you are getting my point thus far.
So, it begs this question; "Why do we spend so much time trying to recruit new customers, clients, patients, business partners, etc.
from people that we DO NOT know instead of turning to the people that we already know and that know us?" The people where we already have an established bond.
We Are Missing Opportunities.
The crazy part is that we have all these individuals that care about or for us and we overlook them.
We pass them by.
What a mistake! Our Social Networks are a resource that we can help and that will help us.
We have invested countless months, years, and even decades developing friendships that have evolved into trusting relationships.
Not that we built the relationships with the idea of what is in it for us, but one of the end results is that we have many loyal and trusting friends that are interested in us and most are interested in seeing us succeed.
If they are interested in seeing us succeed, then maybe they were not such a friend after all.
So here we have these trusted friends that we have known for a long time and we are ignoring them.
We are spending our time talking to people that we do not know, trying to create a relationship like we already have with our Social Networks.
Do you see any lunacy in this? I do! We are talking to people that marketing experts say will require at least 6 - 7 exposures before we even start going beyond familiarity to friendship to a trusting relationship.
And yes, all the while we have the people where we have already formed a relationship standing by.
Sitting On The Sidelines You may have had an occasion or two where your friends, your Social Network, became tired of sitting on the sidelines in relative obscurity.
Eventually they may lose interest and move on to another friend.
In sales they always talk about the cost of acquiring a new customer versus the cost of retaining existing customers.
Acquiring the new customer, far and away, is the more expensive proposition.
I contend that making new friends versus retaining old friends is just as costly.
Can you afford to spend your time making new connections when you have not fully explored the connections you already have? Engage Your Network So how do we go about engaging our network to work on our behalf.
First, we must realize that our network may be customers, clients, patients, etc.
; but that is not necessarily so.
Maybe what we are doing or have to offer are not relevant to them.
The chances are, however, that what we have to offer may be relevant to people that those in our networks know.
So here are the tips:
- Create informative articles and distribute them freely to your network.
- Communicate with your network so they know what you are doing and ask them to circulate your information if, and that is the keyword, they feel it would be helpful to those they know.
- Ask your network to connect, follow, become a fan, email, or take other actions that bring you in contact with more people.
- Do not make your materials sales promotions, offer a free gift or incentive to go to another page where you make your pitch.
Do not make it look like your network is promoting or endorsing your product. - Do not pressure your network to help you; make it their choice.
- Offer to help your network with distributing their materials.
- Be responsive to your network's comments and queries.
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