The Three-Stage Plan: Step Two – Making Connections
In the previous chapter, we covered effective networking skills. You’ve attended events and collected the names of potential contacts. Now, how do you turn these into brilliant business connections?It’s time to set out your objectives, understand and document your goals.
Maintaining A System
Who have you recently met, or who is already in your database, that you want to build connections with? You will be able to start quite simply. Focus on success and the business development you will achieve.
Begin by identifying common links and themes to each and everyone in your database.
With practice you can usually find two or three things in common within a few minutes. Use this as the common ground from which to build a valuable connection.
If you’re a keen gardener and you buy some new plants, the first thing you’d probably do is set about the border in which you’re going to put them. It’s an ideal opportunity to create some space – remove the weeds and trim the existing shrubs that haven’t been tended for the last six months.
This analogy may seem a bit incongruous when contrasted to the tough business world we’re writing about, but it works!
When you consider your database – cleanliness is definitely next to godliness. If your contacts are moth-eaten, out of date, choked and surrounded by dead wood, there’s no way you’ll be able to optimise their worth. Add potentially new and exciting contacts to this, and they will get swamped by the old material and will sink without trace within a short space of time.
The information you should be aiming to record on your business connections includes:
- the contact’s name, address, telephone number, fax and email
- their company name and job title
- the source of the original meeting, venue or person who introduced you
- a record of what transpired at the first meeting
- the type of person/reaction – cold/tepid, warm/hot
- the arrangement for follow-up – timing/method
- any personal details – birthday/family/hobbies and interests
- geographical details – the area of country if you are visiting them
- background – them/their company/previous positions held
- their and your aims and objectives, links and mutual acquaintances.
Spending some time on a database cleanse and update not only refreshes your memory as to what’s in it, but helps you work out which contacts will connect well with your new acquaintances. From here you can begin to create even more exciting and harmonious relationships which you can develop with your newly acquired skills.
Attitudes And Approaches
One of the categories listed above may seem slightly unusual to you, but I find it helpful when measuring the level of my response to people. There are four degrees of reaction when you meet someone for the first time.
Type 1: assertive–cold
These people do not trust new contacts. They are introverted and do not welcome approaches from other people. They prefer to remain aloof. It will not be easy to penetrate their reserve.
Do not expect a warm welcome when you meet them. Accept their negative attitude – it is not personal. Use your professionalism as a foil. Keep small talk to an absolute minimum and emphasise that you are talking to them for sound business reasons. Make your opening remarks short and very much to the point.
Type 2: accommodating–cold
These people are a little warmer than Type 1. The best way is to let them take the lead. Demonstrate that you are in control of the interview by attentive listening, note taking and asking concise, factual and open questions. These will help to direct the meeting. Be firm, polite but never subservient. Position yourself as confident, professional and calmly determined.
Type 3: accommodating–warm
You can expect a warm welcome, but so can everyone else. Their warmth does not indicate that you are
particularly special. Allow them to express their feelings with some small talk but stay in control. Do not lose sight of the fact that you are there for business reasons.
These people like to think they belong to select groups so mention as early as possible the involvement you or your company have with other comparable, reputable companies. Tell them how you would like to progress the relationship, including your role and theirs.
Do not be too business-like and officious. Keep the opening conversational and flexible. Position yourself as a friendly contact.
Type 4: assertive—warm
Expect a correct and professional opening with a warm handshake.
Be as professional as you can, this person will expect you to acknowledge them as commercially astute. Your opening remarks should be short and clearly indicate the purpose behind the meeting.
Flexibility is the key so that their ideas can be accommodated in a joint desire for the business relationship to progress. Be prepared to review your objectives and avoid standard approaches or responses.
Review – little and often is best
The best thing to do is a quarterly or half-yearly update of your database.
Check your closest contacts first to ensure that their details have not changed. If someone has been promoted, make sure that you have a note of their correct job title. Your valuable contact will not be pleased at being addressed as ‘Senior Associate’ when he or she has just been made up to director level. Any misinformation that remains uncorrected works against agreeable business relationships.
Make a note in your diary to update your contacts on a regular basis. If you do this carefully it won’t become a mammoth task. This will lessen the risk of the job being put off to an indefinite date.