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| Members Only - Committee Briefs and Updates |
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| Committee Name: |
Business Information Series |
| Minutes Date: |
04/27/2006 |
| Location of Next Meeting: |
St. Charles Community College, Private Dining Room in Student Center(Cafeteria) |
| Date of Next Meeting: |
05/25/2006 |
| Contact E-mail: |
kfreed@stpeterschamber.com |
| Minutes: |
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Small Business Forum
Karen Schneider, EdwardJones
After you have done the networking event, then what? How do you manage all the business cards that you get?
This is not about being a slimy salesman. It is about managing your leads, not using people or relationships.
Goal ? Help the other person first.
Find your own comfort zone. Put your own personality spin on these.
1) Biggest mistake you can make is making networking about you. Leave your ego outside the door and make your interactions about the person you are talking to. Ask questions in which you are sincerely interested in the answers.
2) Every person that you meet is a potential business lead or business connection, regardless of your line of business. Make connections with people.
3) Listen more; talk less.
Five key tools
1) Carry pen and a notepad
2) Carry business cards
3) Be open minded
4) Use an organizer for the business cards that you collect, anything from a Rolodex to a card scanner
5) Use an electronic contact management system, e.g., ACT! or Goldmine.
Seven step process for lead follow-up
1) Face-to-face. Nothing happens until you meet face-to-face. Focus on the other person. After the meeting, rank the relationship. Concentrate your follow-on actions on the ones which you rank higher.
2) Follow up with a visual within 24 hours. Must be something tangible. Karen sends a handwritten thank you note (and another business card). Perhaps something else.
3) Phone call within 7 days. Follows up on the thank you note. Goal is to get back in front of the person again, to meet face-to-face another time.
4) Second face-to-face connection, maybe coffee or lunch or sitting at same table at a Chamber of Commerce meeting or something else ?not too deep?
5) Within 24 hours, follow up with either another visual or another phone call. Add value to the relationship, maybe by providing leads to the other person, maybe by providing info about your own products. It depends on whether you will be a buyer or a seller.
6) Try for another face-to-face within 2-3 weeks, so follow up with another very brief call.
7) Meet face-to-face again.
Remember: keep trying to help the other person. If you help them, they will be more open to a relationship with you. In a universe of abundance, if you help someone, it will come back abundantly.
Karen had a lot more good information. If you ever have a chance to listen to Karen in person, do it.
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