Make more contacts, find more business By Ken Trim, MCT Lifeskills.

For most of us there is never quite enough new opportunities to get our teeth into, we want more and we do our level best to make sure we’re always busy. One particularly smart way of working is to make more contacts or as it’s been more commonly labelled today, to “network” more. It’s become a cliché to talk about working smart as well as hard, however just because it’s become a cliché it’s still nonetheless true.

Making more contacts can be seen as another form of prospecting and is important enough for you to focus your time and effort on. Work on your relationships with others and you are likely to reap both the financial rewards of more business opportunities as well as the benefits of having more and better quality friendships. Most people are knowable if only you take the time and trouble to get to know them. Look for ways to help those in need, and there will come a time that you benefit from the help of others. What goes around comes around.

Increasing your contacts is both a concept and a specific activity, which, if understood and successfully implemented, can mean big things for your business. When you first cold call someone you’ve often got thirty seconds or less to get their attention and raise the other person’s interest in talking further. However when you’ve been referred by a mutual friend or acquaintance then that thirty seconds will often expand to three or four minutes. Not long I know, but substantially more time to build some desire in the other to hear more.

Making new contacts or “Networking” is advertising in its purest form - word of mouth. We’re not referring to advertising a product or service - but yourself. If you are attending meetings, but not introducing yourself to as many people as possible, and explaining your present situation or business needs! Chances are you're leaving the meetings feeling discouraged and ineffective. Suppose you attend several meetings and you get to know several people? What usually happens when you attend the next meeting? Do you end up talking to the same people you met the week before? Most people do, almost everyone feels more comfortable and secure by socialising with familiar faces.

But that's not the purpose of joining a new group. Results are! Take the initiative to talk to someone new by introducing yourself. Ask them what type of business they own, or work in, or at least why they attended the meeting. Be a matchmaker by introducing and linking people with similar interests. Through your actions, they are likely to appreciate your efforts, which could result in a returned favour. More than likely they will follow your example and be a matchmaker too.

Everyone is a potential customer, or a lead to a potential customer so please realise that you have to work at making more contacts, start to think of it as a particular task within your overall job. When someone asks you for assistance, you refer him or her to people you know. That's why it's important for everyone to know what your business is, so you will be referred to.

You might be saying to yourself right now, "Well, I tried that, but it just didn't work for me." Then try again! Maybe you were just talking to the wrong people, or not asking the right questions of the right people. The point is...keep practising. You will attend meetings where you will walk away with 5-10 great new leads, and other meetings with nothing. That's to be expected.

Start with ensuring that you use your business cards more effectively. Most business cards end up being thrown away or filed at the back of a dusty business card holder. Try asking the other person to give you a call if they think you can help them. Chances are they will keep your card to hand as you’ve offered help rather than tried to sell them something. Always drop someone a line or e-mail to those people that have given you their card. Thank them if relevant or maybe remind them of how you appreciated the time they spent with you. Don’t go over the top and grovel, just exhibit some common courtesies and good manners.

Learn to like yourself for every positive relationship, including all types of networks, begins with a healthy self image. Definitely commit to making the first move for in any meeting, someone must start the conversation. Be human and if necessary vulnerable, so drop any pretensions, don’t just pose and look cool. One of the best ways to get others to shed their masks is to drop yours first.

Take a risk as all of life involves some risk. When you approach others there is the potential for rejection. Keep it in perspective as not every one is going to like you. Overcome that fear because unfortunately the fear of rejection is one of the major causes of failure in selling and in forming relationships with others. Everyone has a fundamental need to be liked, accepted, and loved.

Once established put your energy into your best contacts and regardless of the circumstances develop those relationships where you have a genuine and mutual respect. Try to mirror qualities that you respect. What do you look for in someone you meet? What qualities make you feel comfortable and create a willingness to get to know the other person? Draw up a list of all the qualities in other people you like and admire, then work at portraying those same qualities.

Please accept differences for each of us has something to offer each other and society. Just because the other person is not the same as you, it doesn't give you the right to judge them. Chances are that everyone you meet knows someone you know or someone that can help you. It really depends on how far back you have to go to find the common contact. The chances of improving the number of common contacts increase with a few basic factors: Are you in a common business or similar organisation? Do you operate in the same geographic area, have any common interests, similar problems or goals, or face similar opportunities?

Please listen rather than talk. Few people really listen as most people prefer to talk. Understand that everyone needs someone to listen to them and everyone has something worthwhile to say.

Making more contacts should not be considered as simply a numbers game. This can take place anywhere, on the street, in elevators, in coffee shops, in aeroplanes, and in business meetings. However, some environments are more conducive to building a productive network of new contacts than others. Building an effective network of contacts takes time, respect, and interest, far too many people jump from person to person in a matter of seconds. Make sure you build and develop a real relationship based on mutual respect and understanding for quality is more important than quantity.

Increasing your contacts top tips

• Make the first move
• Be human
• Drop any pretensions
• Help others
• Listen more
• Talk less

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MCT Lifeskills, under Ken Trim's leadership, is rapidly gaining a reputation for providing the UK's most effective "Sales" and "Management" training.  Ken's "Make it happen" philosophy has helped thousands of front line sales guys to regularly smash their targets. If you like to learn more about MCT Lifeskills or contact Ken, e mail him at ktrim@mctlifeskills.com

"Developing the team to excel benefits them, the business and the bottom line. Delaying that development can cost more than you might wish to know."

MCT Life Skills Ltd. Sales and Management training and development for today's marketplace.