In fact, your personal 30-second spiel about who you are, how you’re different, and why you’re memorable is arguably more important once you’ve landed that great position or won the support of investors and now interact with senior colleagues and important clients regularly.

So what can you possibly say over beer and white wine to create so many powerful advocates so quickly and effectively? Think through the following ideas before you craft your pitch:

1. Have a compelling reason for why you want to be there, as in “why did you decide to join the company?”
2. Know what it is that uniquely qualifies you for the position so that you can answer the how, as in “how did you actually get a job here?”
3. Be able to explain what ties together past and current experiences in a way that is compelling and makes sense—what is the glue that holds your story together?

As you answer the why, how, and what,

1. Think relevant, not recent. There’s no rule that says you must talk about your resume in reverse chronological order. Mike was a marketing executive who took a sales position abroad for two years. Yet when he returned to marketing, he kept introducing himself as a someone who had just made a career switch, always leading off with an anecdote about his short stint in sales. Instead, Mike should have started with the fact that he was a seasoned marketing professional who had taken a sabbatical but was now back where he belonged—putting his marketing prowess to work and thinking about what drives consumer spending habits.

2. Focus on skills-based versus situation or industry-based qualifications. You don’t have to have a background in finance to be good at finance. Alex was a chemist and researcher who had gone back to business school to get her MBA. She decided she wanted to work in corporate finance for a large pharmaceutical company but she was afraid no one would take her seriously given her background. When I pressed Alex to explain to me why she chose finance, she exclaimed, “That’s the way my brain works.” Her thinking was methodical, mathematical and formulaic—all of which translated to someone who was a natural fit within a corporate finance department. Instead of focusing on the fact that her background was in academia, Alex could emphasize to colleagues and clients that she was a numbers person at her core.

3. Connect the dots—what ties it all together? If you are a chemist turned finance professional or a marketing executive with experience in international sales, you should find a way to bring together the richness of your experiences and show how each one complements the other. For me, personally, I had a significant hurdle to clear with clients as a former Peace Corps volunteer turned investment banker. I explained away the dichotomy of the two by emphasizing to others that I was big picture thinker by nature and a numbers person by training. Banking was a perfect combination of the two—I liked looking at client’s challenges and issues from 30,000 feet and then digging down into the details to come up with creative financing solutions. Whether the client was the mayor of my Peace Corps town in Chile or the CEO of a healthcare company, I could start at a high level and drill down quickly and effectively.

Mike, Alex and I were all arguably better positioned because of our unique stories and experiences. Ask yourself these questions as your craft your personal pitch and you’ll be able to use your story to impress others from the get-go too.

Article courtesy  of Business Week: http://www.businessweek.com/managing/content/oct2009/ca2009109_089989.htm

Thanks to all who participated and we  look forward to the event next year!

Network, network, network: It’s the most common advice job seekers hear. And it’s good advice – in a HotJobs poll, 58 percent of respondents said that networking had helped them land their most recent job.

But for people who aren’t naturally outgoing, the very idea of networking can cause a lot of anxiety. Many of us dread “schmoozing” with large groups of people.

The good news for those people is that networking isn’t just about working a crowd. In fact, introverts have some qualities that work to their advantage.

“Introverts are usually excellent listeners,” says Janet Civitelli, a workplace psychologist and the owner of career advice site VocationVillage.com. “They reflect before speaking, and they enjoy one-on-one conversations.”

In fact, networking is about building relationships, and that can be done one-on-one, in groups or online via social networking.

Networking in groups is usually the most difficult for introverts, but “all three can be valuable in different ways,” says Wendy Gelberg, the author of The Successful Introvert: How to Enhance Your Job Search and Advance Your Career.

Experts offer these tips to help introverts build the strongest networks they can — even in group settings:

Broaden Your Networking Goal

If you simply ask people you meet if they know of any job openings, you’ll likely be disappointed.

“Most people in the world are not walking around with jobs in their pocket,” Gelberg says. “We talk about networking as a tool for a job search, but it’s not always a linear, direct process.”

Instead, Gelberg advises, redefine networking as a mutual exchange. Perhaps someone you meet could give you advice on your resume — or maybe you could help someone you meet with a job search or professional development. If you’re on the shy side, offering something may be easier than asking for something.

Volunteer at Large Events

Instead of going to a professional association meeting and trying to strike up conversations with strangers, volunteer to help organize or run the meeting, for instance.

“Many people find it easier to become acquainted with others by making a contribution rather than making small talk,” Civitelli says. You can help find speakers for an event or serve on a committee, for example. Both of these activities will give you a purpose at the event — and the work itself is a good networking opportunity.

“The networking happens naturally, and the focus is on accomplishing something,” Civitelli said. “You’re getting to know people, but you’re getting to know them because you’re part of a team with a goal.”

Arrive Early for Group Events

Introverts tend to procrastinate about going to big events. Then they arrive and find the other guests already gathered in intimidating small groups.

Gelberg encourages introverts to go early instead. “Those groups haven’t formed yet,” she says. “There are just a few random people who have shown up early, and they’re delighted to have someone to talk to. Then you become part of the group.”

Don’t Set Unrealistic Goals for Group Meetings

For example, don’t pressure yourself to meet everyone. Instead, set a goal of talking to five new people, for example. If the event has an attendee list, you can always send follow-up emails to people you didn’t have a chance to talk to.

Network Online

Social networking sites can play a valuable role in networking. They help you keep up your connections with people who may be able to help you, and connecting virtually can be less stressful than face-to-face interaction.

MISTAKE #1 – Lack of Commitment to Referrals

Are you committed to building a referral-based business? Really? Or are you just giving lip service to the notion? Sure, you may have the best of intentions, but your commitment shows through your actions – nothing else. Do your actions demonstrate
a real commitment to MAKING referrals happen for you?

Why are most people not fully committed to being proactive with referrals? Simple! It’s fear. Now, we’ll go into more detail on this referral-wrecker later in this report, but fear is most often the root cause. The beautiful thing is that once you understand, face, and move through your fear, a whole new world of referral opportunity opens up to you. Your referral results increase substantially.

Here’s a thought for you. How would your next great (best ever) client prefer to meet you? Through a cold call? No! In a seminar? Only by default. From a direct mail piece? You’ve got to be kidding! Study after study has demonstrated that the best clients WANT to meet you through an introduction from someone they already trust, like a friend, family member, colleague, CPA, attorney, etc. Why would you make referrals a passive process and not become proactive?

Here’s another thought. Have you heard the expression “Become a student of the game?” You hear this a lot in sports, where a player, who has become a student of the game, is able to become a great coach as well. A scholar is often referred to as a
“student of history.” I consider myself a “student of referrals.” I am always learning from the people I teach. I read, listen to, and watch every referral educational program I can get my hands on. Why? Because the more I know, the better I can help
you!

You too can become a student of referrals. Learn all you can – from me and from others. Give referrals so you know what it’s like to be on the giving side of referrals. When you study referrals more – and actually ACT on what you learn, from time to
time – your commitment to building a thriving referral-based business will become stronger.

At the end of this report, I’ll give you some of the ways we help folks like you learn all they can about how to make referrals work for them. Many of the tools we provide are free. (Free is good.)

MISTAKE #2 – Making Referrals All About YOU

If you’re in financial services, then you’ve probably heard or even been taught to say, “Let me tell you how I get paid. I get paid in two ways.” Let me be perfectly clear about one thing. STOP saying that! Let’s take a look at this for a second. I think you already know that not everyone likes to give referrals. No matter how referable you are, some people just don’t play the game. So, now let’s say you’re in the presence of a new prospect or even a new client – a client who doesn’t like to give referrals – or likes to take their time in participating in referrals. Then you tell them this is how you get PAID! You set referrals up as an obligation and not an earned right. Now tell me. Do you think you are building or losing rapport and trust? Okay. I know that some folks still produce results with a producer-centered methodology for asking for referrals. Heck, I used to teach a producer-centered
approach. I used to teach folks to say, “I’m building my business and I really value your help!” Not bad, eh? And it can produce some results, even in today’s marketplace. However, there is a better way – better for you, better for your clients,
and one that produces better results.

Use a client-centered approach to asking for referrals. (Check out our Referral Scripts Book for a variety of ways to ask for referrals.) Make it all about the value you bring to them and they recognize. Think about it this way; when you get a
referral without asking for one, why did that client give that to you? It’s because they saw the value in the work you’ve done for them and want to introduce others to that value. Perhaps they want to help you become more successful too, but that’s
secondary motivation. Clients give referrals ONLY when they see the value in the work you do. So make your request for referrals all about your value and extending that value to others.

MISTAKE #3 – Forgetting to Ask for Referrals

Do you ever forget to ask for referrals? Shame on you! If you’re making this mistake, then you’re clearly missing some huge opportunities to be introduced to some great clients. But are you REALLY forgetting? Or is something else going on there?

I submit that what may really be going on here is that you don’t feel comfortable and confident asking your clients for referrals so – unconsciously – you make little decisions along that way that sabotage your referral efforts. Only you know if this is
true for you. I can tell you with great confidence, that I know it’s true for many producers.
So, what do you do to fix this mistake? First, you need to truly commit to

building a referral based business – as I’ve already addressed. Second, you need to get yourself a “prop.” Many producers are having great success using a Referral Journal to collect their referrals. They have a small black book (or whatever color you like) that they put out on the table during all, or most, of their meetings. This Referral Journal acts as a constant reminder (or prop) to plant referral seeds, have value discussions, and ask for referrals (many of the techniques we teach in our system). In this way, you don’t forget and, therefore, manage your appointments better.

Using this Referral Journal doesn’t mean you have to ask for referrals on every appointment, it just means you won’t forget. Now, when you do ask and you begin to get some referrals, you open this book and use it collect your referrals. This validates
the process for your clients and treats the request with importance.

If you’d like to see a great Referral Journal, check out the one on our website at: http://www.referralcoach.com/referral- store/introductions.
Our Introductions Journal will not only serve you as mentioned above, but will also
prompt you to ask certain questions that will increase the quality of your referrals and
introductions.

MISTAKE #4 – Not Being Referable in the First Place

Being referable is a huge topic. Are you referable? How do you know? Well, one barometer of your referability is that you’re getting referrals without asking for them. Are you? Every business owner, sales professional, financial professional – you
name it – should be getting referrals without asking for them. Regardless of the exact nature of your business, there are people out there who like to give referrals. You should at least be getting those.

However, usually these passive referrals aren’t plentiful enough or are not always the right matches for your business. This is why we want to find ways to be proactive – as much as possible – without being pushy or obnoxious.

So how do you become more referable? With prospects and new clients, it’s all about the process you go through with them. It’s NOT about your products. Having great products certainly helps, but the greatest product in the world won’t spur a
client on to giving you referrals if your process is not referable. Think process, not products.

Now, what keeps you referable over the lifetime of your client relationships?
There are 3 levels of activity you must engage in to maintain a high level of
referability:
1) Transactional – You must have systems, standards, and help in place to make sure you don’t drop the ball and handle all transactional aspects of your practice with impeccable service.

2) Value Added – If you don’t continue to add value to your client relationships, then you are no longer necessary. Think of all the possible ways you bring more value to your clients. Being realistic, bring as much as you can to your ‘A’ client. Bring a
subset of that to your ‘B’ clients, and a subset of that to your ‘C’ clients.

3) Business Friendships – Build as many business friendships with your clients as possible. Some may not want to be your business friend and vice versa. But in most cases, this is a desired outcome with your clients. People do business with their business friends and they refer business to their business friends. One of the best ways is to host client appreciation events of all kinds. Stay tuned to my website (http://www.referralcoach.com), and newsletter (http://www.referralcoach.com/newsletter/) where you will find more information about client appreciation and referral events.

MISTAKE #5 – Thinking Great Service Alone is Not Enough

Many people walk around under the illusion that “If I just serve the heck out of my clients, they will refer me to others.” Well…some will. But many more won’t unless you nudge the process along and become proactive.

Let me give you the 60% rule that I share in my speeches, seminars, and training programs. Everyone’s numbers are different, but it goes like this:
20% of your clients will give you referrals – almost no matter what. These are the folks whose brains are wired to give referrals.
20% of your clients will never give you referrals – no matter what. You could run into a burning building and save their children and they wouldn’t give you referrals.
They have different “wiring.”
The gap that exists for most financial professionals is the 60% of the clients who will have a conversation with you about referrals, but not unless you bring it up with them. Not all of them will give you referrals on the spot, but will do so over time.
How big is YOUR referral gap? If you’re just getting started, don’t let this happen to you!

MISTAKE #6 – Letting Your “Belly Button” Get in Your Way

My first sales trainer was a guy named Dave Sandler – out of Baltimore, Maryland. Perhaps you’ve heard of him. He’s the founder of The Sandler Sales Institute. While Dave is no longer with us, and I didn’t always buy into everything he
taught, he had a concept I really liked. He called it “Protecting Your Belly Button.”
What he meant by this was “giving into your fear.”
Why don’t most folks ask for referrals? You already know the answer. I told you in Mistake #1, FEAR. Let’s go a little deeper with it now.
I’ve heard just about every reason in the world why people don’t ask for referrals. While the exact words change with each individual, every reason I’ve ever heard is fear based. The good news is that at the core of each fear is the solution to that fear.
I’ll give you a couple of examples. Stay tuned to my system and you’ll get them all.

Fear #1 – Asking for referrals will make me look unsuccessful. I don’t want
to beg for referrals. Of course you don’t. But can you see how this is fear based? “I don’t want to ask for referrals because I fear being judged as unsuccessful by my clients.” So what’s the solution to this fear? Simple. Find a way to ask for
referrals in a way that comes from a position of strength; that comes from a position of success. Make it all about the value you bring and the confidence you have in your ability to help people. This is what our Unlimited Referrals® Marketing System teaches. It’s a client-centered way to approach referrals that’s all about strength and nothing about weakness or begging. It’s a system that actually works!

Fear #2 – Asking clients for referrals will hurt my relationship with them. No it won’t! Not if you ask in the right way – one that simply doesn’t hurt relationships. When you use a client-centered approach that’s a bit softer than what has historically been taught, you’ll never hurt a relationship. In fact, if you use our VIPS MethodTM one of three things will happen and one thing will never happen. Using our VIPS MethodTM to ask a client for referrals, the client will either give you referrals when you ask, give them later, or won’t give you referrals at all. But you’ll NEVER hurt the relationship.

What’s your fear? What’s your barrier? How are you protecting your belly
button? Figure that out and you’ll find the solution.

MISTAKE #7 – Not Using a Systematic Approach
How can you expect to build a thriving referral-based business if you’re only dabbling in referrals? Sure, you know what to do with a referral when you trip over one, but to create referral momentum, you need to employ a systematic approach on
a regular basis.

It’s like playing pool or billiards. In billiards, as you’re trying to make a particular shot, you’re also looking ahead to your next shot. You’re trying to leave your cue ball in position to make your next shot. In billiards, if you’re any good, one
shot will lead to the next.

That’s what you want to do with your referral process. You bring a prospect into your office, or go to theirs, and you convert them into a client. That’s good. But if you don’t have a simple referral process in place, then what happens? Do you have to
get back on the phone and make cold calls or call expensive leads? Do you have to gear up to do another seminar or another direct mail piece? Or maybe you just wait around for your next referral?

With a referral process in place – that you employ on a regular basis – you bring a prospect into your sphere of influence and convert then into a client in such a way that not only do they become a client, but they lead you to others. The good news
about referrals is that 1 client can lead to 2 and 2 can lead to 4 and 4 can lead to 8. With a steady referral process in place, your business grows exponentially.

1. Creativity. Having an appreciation for the non-obvious solution is a must if a sales pro is going to outpace the pack. While an average salesperson depends on business cards and leave-behinds, a true rainmaker brings a “unique vision to his work that makes him stand out,” says Wendy Weiss, a.k.a. “The Queen of Cold-Calling” and president of Weiss communications, a sales training and coaching company in New York City.

2. Passion. Genuine love for a product gets salespeople through the inevitable dark times, and it makes their offers all the more irresistible to their clients. Passion, like creativity, cannot be faked, so it has great weight with customers.
Paul R. DiModica is president of DigitalHatch Inc., a sales training business for high-tech firms in Peachtree City, Georgia. DiModica ranks passion as the number-one characteristic a salesperson needs. “You must believe in what you sell,” he says. “This belief is communicated to the prospect invisibly.”

3. Integrity. Why are used-car salesmen so poorly regarded? Because the perception is that they lack integrity and that they’ll say anything to get the sale. Dave Condensa, CEO and founder of Helio Solutions, an IT consulting firm in Sunnyvale, California, thinks integrity tops the list of qualities salespeople need. “We’re building a relationship, and it’s imperative that the customer trusts the salesperson.”
Feeling good about a purchase is a hallmark of buying from a salesperson with integrity. “Trust brings [customers] back, and that’s a key factor to the success of any salesperson,” adds Condensa. The importance of selling with integrity has been heightened by the recent poor ethical and financial performance of huge corporations. Says DiModica, “Customers still buy the salesperson.”

4. Tenacity. Shelving feelings of rejection to keep plugging away is another essential requirement for sales success. “It takes personal courage to get up every morning and say ‘I am going to be the best,’” says DiModica. It also requires a certain steely quality to persist in the wake of one dismissal after the next. Weiss agrees: “Sales requires someone who can always see possibilities, even in difficult situations.”

5. Commitment. The sales cycle for any big deal can typically take months, even years. Keeping an eye on the prize, while continuing to sell to other prospects simultaneously, takes commitment. “Selling is never easy,” explains DiModica. “You must have a burning desire.” Weiss also believes that success is the result of a person’s “willingness and intent to make things happen.”

On the flip side, certain traits will surely doom any salesperson to the also-ran heap: lack of integrity, for instance. “Integrity means the person will always attempt to do the right thing for the company and the customers,” says Weiss. DiModica also points to not being prepared when trying to make a sale. “You can’t just pick up the phone and call a prospect because your contact manager says it’s time.”

And, of course, there’s the ultimate vice: dishonesty. Condensa warns: “You ruin the chance of repeat
or referral business.”

Trustworthiness is not gained lightly, yet can be smashed in an instant.  Fostering business relationships takes time and takes one step at a time.  A small thing such as keeping an appointment, regardless of the circumstances, is a trust-building issue.  If you value your client’s time, he in turn will value yours.

Face recognition is also so important these days as we undergo a daily onslaught of internet ads, talking heads and flashing banners.  It is vital that you develop connections within your community. You have to have face recognition and name recognition.  Always have your business card ready and be brave enough to introduce yourself.  It is important that your best face be present at the local Chamber meetings, the March of Dimes walk-a-thon or the Homeless Shelter’s fundraiser picnic.  Whatever your personal interests may be, develop those interests into a good way to network with other business people as well.  This is where trust and friendship can be built.

Keep in mind, in order to have a higher sales close rate, you have to get into the door.  An unknown sales rep will have more difficulty getting to the decision-maker. The sales rep who has patiently attempted to do the right things, set the appointments and at least has met the gatekeeper will stand a better chance of getting to see THE decision-maker.

How do you have a higher sales close rate?  Many times the final decision is not the cost of the product or service – but it is the trust that has evolved between the principals involved.  For instance someone may say:  “I believe I will go with Bill Smith’s proposal. Yes, he is a little more costly, but I know that if the machine breaks down, Bill will take care of me.”  That, my friend, is trust.

After the sale though, the real work begins.  With that in mind quality customer service is something that is becoming rare these days.  Business transactions even into the millions of dollars can be won or lost on a prior issue concerning quality customer service.  Even if the product or service failed, going the extra mile to make it right and to make it “better than okay” will often salvage the mistake or poor-performing product.

84th & Van Dorn

Event Date

02/10/2011

Event Time

From: 16:00 – To: 17:00

Event Venue

Dino’s Bar & Grille

Event TimeZone

US/Central