A few days ago I interviewed Sam Morton, a business owner who has come a long way in six years. From working on a construction site in Atlanta, GA in college to running a film company based in the northeast of England with clients such as Nike, Nestle, and Lego; effective networking, desire and a strong work ethic has taken him far. This year his company, 21st Century Media, is expecting annual revenues of over $2 million. His very first client has just hired me to do some seminars in Newcastle, England in early July.
I am sharing his lessons because almost every sales professional and business owner I meet would benefit from following his lead. And remember, it’s not whether you’ve heard these ideas before; rather as you read, ask yourself: How good am I at that?
1. “Networking is the most important thing about business that people don’t want to do.” Many people spend too much time hanging out with other people in their own industry. He recommends only networking with people in your own industry if you want to get some creative ideas.
2. “You have to get out of your comfort zone and mix with other business people.” He admitted that he hates walking into a room full of strangers and that it reminds him of school dances when he was 13. As a fellow introvert myself, I can relate and I suspect many of you can too. Morton understands that you have to do it anyway.
3. “We joined every networking organization that we could.” I encourage everyone to be a detective for their community. “There are a LOT of organizations to network with.” When he first started his business, he cast a wide net and began networking with as many other business people as possible and making friends with them.
Since his competition was not out there networking, when it came time for these businesses to make decisions about who they might use for a training video or recruiting video, the only filmmakers they knew were Sam and his business partner. And as Harry Beckwith’s research has found, people do business with those they are comfortable with.
4. “You’ve got to know what your end goal is.” Who do you want to meet? As Morton did more and more networking, then he was able to decide which events and organizations had the fish he was looking for.
5. “Listen a lot more than you talk. Really listen. Really understand.” People love it when you reflect back what they just said. For most of us, that takes practice.
6. If you’re new to an organization, take advantage of that because people will help you. “People are genuinely pretty nice.” (How’s that for an empowering mindset?) Ask to be introduced to others. Also, most people are shy too and don’t want to start a conversation, so talk to them first. They’ll be very glad you did.
7. Ask them their opinions on relevant topics. “Use the context you’re in to break the ice.” If you’ve both seen the same presentation/speaker, ask the other person what he or she thought about it. If you meet them at a later date, use that event as a starter topic for conversation. Then relate it to their business.
8. “Decide if the person you’re talking to can be helpful to you.” Otherwise move on. You’re there to grow your business. It helps to know the etiquette that 7-10 minutes is plenty of time to talk to someone. It was good to hear it reinforced that there is not time to chat with everyone.
9. “Follow up is way more important than the first event.” This point is not made often enough! Keep doing it. Do it on a personal level and self-promote. “I send friendly emails now and again.” At the appropriate time he ASKS for the business – in a rather English-style that’s almost apologetic but still gets to the point: “In my shameless business development mode – how about this idea and that idea?”
10. Have networking HABITS. “We go to one networking event/week and schedule one lunch/week from our hit list of prospects.”
What habits do you have for networking each week to meet more people and build more relationships?
11. “Be present at all the events.” Go to everything the organization offers. This is the point that is most underestimated. It’s a critical way to build the relationships. “You’ve got to constantly be going at it.”
12. Give first. “When we meet people for lunches, we discuss their businesses. It leads to an enormous amount of recommendations both ways.” In other words, he is not just meeting people to pitch them something but to find as many ways as he can to help them. He’s also focusing on their needs first. People are much more generous when you do that. And that’s where having a great network makes all the difference.
13. Become friends and take them out for a drink. How often do you do this with prospects and clients?
14. “If you’re not there, you’re never going to get lucky.” I asked Morton his opinion on whether he thought he’d been lucky. He said; “You create your own luck.”
I urge you to re-read this and be honest about your skill level and your activity level. It’s no accident that Sam Morton has done so well.
Who else would appreciate you forwarding this to them?
