21 errors presentation cheshire january 2015
TRANSCRIPT
21 Embarrassing Errors Presented To South Cheshire Business Club - January 2015
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That Could Be Stopping Your Networking Group From Achieving Its Full Potential.
And How You Can Avoid Them!
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Member of a networking group & sad at its growth and success?
!
If true, you’re probably wondering what went wrong for you!
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Who Am I?
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• Chartered Accountant
• Social Media Addict
• + outside interests...
• Corporate Stooge
• Referral Marketing Specialist
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• Recognised social media person - Linked-in, Twitter, Slideshare, Facebook....
• Regular posting on CCBM website & other original content to share.
• Linked-in guru - 35 published posts (nearly 2400+ followers / 2300+ connections)
• 100+ recommendations & hundreds of endorsements on LinkedIn
• Most successful RD in BforB history
• Well respected in Staffordshire & beyond community - helped hundreds of new business / start-ups / established businesses
• Friend of other networking gurus
Who Am I?
Introduction
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• There are many reasons why a networking group does not grow and achieve its potential to refer great business for the members
• We have collected the 21 most common embarrassing errors that we see that stops a group’s growth
• Study this presentation closely, and see if your group is not meeting its potential through any of these “errors”
• Think hard how you are going to avoid these errors yourself in the future?
3 Things We Won't Be Talking About Today!
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• The Venue!
• Your Personal Networking Skills!
• The Efficiency Of The Format Of The Meeting
• These are the 21 Errors Networking Groups Commit
• Study them hard
• See which ones you have tripped-up over in the past
• See which ones have cost you & your group business
• How are you going to avoid these errors in the future?
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So are you joining us then .... Over the table!
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• Just not done, its both rude & unprofessional
• There should be no pressure on joining any group, it should be the right thing for the person to do
EMBARRASSING ERROR 1
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Passing referrals to guests!!
• Getting referrals & leads is a privilege of membership of any group
• However Guests are a great source of referrals & business for the members to enjoy
• But guests must understand that before we can refer with confidence, the group needs to understand what constitutes a good referral for them which takes time & commitment.
EMBARRASSING ERROR 2
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Guests arriving before the exec team & members arrive!
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•What does it say about any group when this happens?
EMBARRASSING ERROR 3
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Not having a group goal or flag to rally round!
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• What separates your networking group from the others
• It can be a business generated goal, a charity you support or something in the local community the group wants to contribute towards
• What ever the group chooses as their goal, all members must contribute towards it, and this must be clear to everyone else who visits
• All groups are not the same, what makes this one special - can the members explain this with confidence to guests.
EMBARRASSING ERROR 4
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Not keeping track of business generated & reporting results
EMBARRASSING ERROR 5
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Not keeping track of business generated & informing the
group on business generated!!
• If the group does not track business generated & report back then you cannot prove the system is working for everyone (key point for guests)
EMBARRASSING ERROR 5
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No understanding of Club rules - everyone’s responsible for the good & growth of group
EMBARRASSING ERROR 6
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No understanding of Club rules - Fact everyone’s responsible for the good & growth of group!
• It’s not just up to the Exec team to do all the work eg bring guests - its every member’s role to participate actively in all aspects of the group to prove above all that they are referable.
• This is always a team effort
• Make sure you are all focused on your responsibility for ensuring the Good & Growth of the Group
EMBARRASSING ERROR 6
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Accepting the wrong applicant!!
• This is someone who will NOT put back into the group through contributions - a taker not a giver
• It is an attitude thing
• If you think someone is a taker, don’t let them in, they wont make a good member of any networking group.
EMBARRASSING ERROR 7
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I'll give you this business if you join!
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• People must join a networking group on its merits & the merits of its marketing system
• Trust to pass referrals & leads takes time, so you cant give business to someone you don’t know just so they join.
EMBARRASSING ERROR 8
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Inviting people to a networking event!!
• Successful people are too busy to go to just another networking event.
• Most groups are not a networking event but a word-of-mouth marketing systems that works in a particular way.
• A lot of networking works on the “law of recency”* where as a good system if operated correctly will generate high levels of 3rd party referrals.
* Rob Brown
EMBARRASSING ERROR 9
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Butting in, being too funny, fidgeting & not listening when someone is doing their 60 secs sound byte
EMBARRASSING ERROR 10
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Butting in, being too funny, fidgeting & not listening when
someone is doing their 60 secs sound byte!
• For this to work for all the members, you need to give the meeting your full attention at all times & especially the elevator pitches so you can refer with confidence
• And what does it say about you if you misbehave when others are speaking or presenting - it will hardly encourage the other people present to refer you on to their trusted contacts.
EMBARRASSING ERROR 10
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No one assigned to look after a specific Guest!
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• Nothing speaks more to the quality & vibrancy of a group than the way guests are looked after.
• Guests as we know are a great source of business and referrals
• Looking after a guest is about asking the right questions, show guests the “ropes”, and taking a keen interest in them and their business.
• First impressions count so make sure you filter Guests to someone who can look after them well
EMBARRASSING ERROR 11
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All telling & selling and no asking & listening!
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•No one wants to be sold too, so take the time to listen to the people present, especially the guests.
EMBARRASSING ERROR 12
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Saying to a Guest!- "oh we do that”!
!• Guests can have business interests that cross over Members activities. However they are a great
source of referrals and contacts for the Members
• Making these sorts of statements puts guests off - its embarrassing. Have a 121 with them and see if there might be areas of fruitful cooperation
• Successful referral marketers have a laser-like focus on their perfect referral prospects and referral partners
• Confuse your message by eg “I'm also a distributor for” & people won’t know how to refer you with confidence to their trusted contacts.
EMBARRASSING ERROR 13
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Superficial networking with Little or No follow-up!
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• Common error - This shows up with little or no follow-up of guests or opportunities.
• Most people don’t know how to follow-up effectively - keeping in touch means you have a >90% of bring there when the buying is done. Not keeping up means you only have a probable <10% chance of succeeding.
• Follow-up early for the greatest results
• Great members have 121s, contribute and follow-up assiduously every opportunity in line with their networking & referral marketing plans.
EMBARRASSING ERROR 14
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Not contributing - "I'm too busy!
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• What you are saying that you are too important to be there at the meeting
• If you don’t contribute then don’t expect any referrals from the rest of the group.
• Networking is like a bank account, if you don’t get to make withdrawals unless you make deposits via contributions.
EMBARRASSING ERROR 15
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Giving apologies, excuses etc !!
• You can’t refer or connect to an empty chair
• Absence soon signals your lack of competence & reliability to the rest of the group and will stop your referrals
EMBARRASSING ERROR 16
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Too many quick fix merchants as Members..... It is about
longtime relationships!!
• Networking is all about life-time value of long term relationships
• You can get lucky and get referrals early on, but long-term success in Networking requires discipline, planning and hard work
EMBARRASSING ERROR 17
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It's not what's said - it's all about the behaviours!
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• How you act at a meeting is an indication of how competent you are i.e. Character = Competence
• Reputation is one of the key differentiators for people who are successful - make sure yours is top class at all times
EMBARRASSING ERROR 18
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I'm not a morning person!!
• Makes people look weak when they say this
• Sends the wrong message
• Ensures you close out all business opportunities with the more dynamic individuals of the group
EMBARRASSING ERROR 19
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Quality guest from local influential company & everyone sells to them
EMBARRASSING ERROR 20
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Quality guest from a local influential company arrives & everyone tries to sell to them!
• There is nothing more embarrassing to see
• Networking is about long-term relationships & asking the right questions - not the pursuit of immediate short-term gain from your guests.
EMBARRASSING ERROR 20
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What's your Embarrassing Error???!
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•You have read the other 20 Errors - now see if your group has any other embarrassing errors that might be stopping it reach its full potential
EMBARRASSING ERROR 21
Final Thoughts
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• There are many reasons or embarrassing errors that you're group might not be reaching its full potential
• If you see one from this presentation then act upon it immediately for the good go your group
• If you have “embarrassing error” no 21 in your group, then please share it with us vis Linked-in.
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