Relationships, marketing and rainmaking

You will find some simple truths in this blog posting, Rain Making by Deduction, from Ford Harding. His basic premise: Relationships are the key to rainmaking success, and successful relationship development (and maintenance) is found in both the quality and quantity of your relationships. He also asserts you can't build a relationship without personal contact.

For marketing, he writes:

Marketing Properties

1. The goal of marketing is to help you meet people and develop relationships with them (by giving you reasons to contact them).
2. Marketing efforts that don’t do one of these two things are probably not worth the investment.

Good advice, indeed.

The Monitor

Ford Harding provides some useful guidance when two representatives from our organization are on a sales call: One will usually do most of the talking? What is the best role for the second. The "Monitor" to gently intervene when he or see sees some signs of potential dissatisfaction or unresolved concerns by others in the room, perhaps signaled by body language or restlessness on the potential client's part. You will be wise to read "The Second Seller Problem or the Value of Monitors".

Getting it

Ford Harding's posting, "Getting it" in Matt Handel's Help Everyone Everyday, is a worthy read for anyone struggling with rainmaking and selling professional AEC services.

Your abilities to persist, to ask, to connect, and to share/give are the keys to success in business development. And if you want to delegate these responsibilities to others, you certainly have to fist understand and feel the pain and joy yourself.

Fortunately, despite the sales and marketing systems out there, I don't think there is a one-size fits all approach to success because much depends on your own values, interests, and focus. If you are a great writer and are socially awkward, your model will be different than if you love sports and can build a Facebook network of 41 real friends (and growing) in less than a week.

Here is the original photo for this post. See Ford Harding's second comment below.

Rainmaking, networking, and business growth

More than 100 architecture, engineering and construction marketers attended the SMPS DC Chapter's lunch meeting yesterday. Ford Harding, author of Rainmaking: Attract New Clients No Matter What Your Field, gave a speech -- and signed copies of his book given to everyone attending the meeting.

Yesterday, I headed to 7th Street NW near Washington D.C.'s Chinatown neighbourhood for an interview with Rainmaking guru Ford Harding, a SMPS D.C. Chapter lunch, and some key meetings and conversations with the person who will likely be the new publisher of Washington Construction News.

I will share more from Harding's observations in the days ahead, but the singular magic of the day comes down to one of the most important cornerstones of success in marketing -- you will always do best at the work you enjoy, and if you can relate your marketing to that process you are likely to be successful.

Of course, sometimes you need to do what you need to do to survive in business. One of Harding's best examples is of a person who started out in his own business, with the understanding that his largest client at his previous place of employment would continue working him. However, shortly after the new business owner opened his door, his first and only key client disappeared. The business owner had only one choice to survive: Learn how to sell!

Not surprisingly, many people who chose careers in architecture, engineering and construction want to practice their trade or profession -- not be some obnoxious sales person. As Harding noted in his speech, many people have perceptions and standards and expectations of what selling is about which are inaccurate -- or if they are accurate, represent only a part of the picture.

For example, you can expect virtually every individual sales activity will not result in business -- but if you don't engage in all the necessary activities, you definitely will not get any business (and if you do the right thing, if you, as Harding suggests, "get it", you will succeed.)

Fortunately, if you are unfamiliar with marketing, if you are looking to learn how to acquire the necessary skills, you can connect with your local Society for Marketing Professional Services (SMPS) chapter. You'll gain access to resources, connections and a business network which will help you develop your skills an overcome your fears about the marketing process.

If you are looking for a rainmaker, look to yourself

Tomorrow, I'm heading to Washington, D.C. to attend a meeting of the Society for Marketing Professional Services DC Chapter, meeting fellow SMPS bloggers and rainmaking/marketing gurus Ford Harding and Tim Klabunde. Hopefully, as well, by the end of the day in Washington (I catch a 10 pm flight to Toronto), I'll be ready to engage the final selection for our new Washington Construction News publisher.

Through this whirlwind day in the U.S. capital, at back of mind is Friday's deadline for an article in the upcoming issue of The SMPS Marketer, the association's national magazine. The assigned title is "Recruiting rainmakers".

Here is the paradox. If you ask people like Tim or Ford, "What is the best way to recruit Rainmakers", they may say: "Why don't you become a rainmaker yourself -- especially if you are an owner or partner in the business/practice?" Essentially, as Ford Harding points out in his most recent blog entry, if you own or are a partner in the business, you can't simply dump this responsibility on someone else. Hired sales people (or "business developers" if you want to avoid the word "sales") simply cannot do the job as well and with as much passion and client relevance as a real partner/owner -- and if you have been around for a while, your network of existing relationships will far exceed any contacts your new hire can bring to the picture.

But here is the interesting thing -- you don't need to sell your soul or twist yourself into contortions to be an effective rainmaker; you simply need to change your attitudes to your business development responsibilities. If you are true to yourself, if you are authentic, and your relate your own interests and passions to your business development model, you can succeed.

Still, there are times when you will have to go outside your organization to hire talent. This ideally happens when you are growing, to new markets and opportunities. This is where an effective and relationship-oriented business development and hiring system really works well.'

More soon . . .

Ford Harding puts it succinctly in latest blog posting:

You will read advice in this blog and in other places about where to look for business in hard times. As good as this advice may be, work will be scarce and winning it will be hard. In a recession, rainmaking is composed of 80% grit, 15% empathy and 5% for everything else.

He says this time will test the mettle anyone in business development in the construction industry, and the challenge will be to maintain respect and support for your network, even as you struggle yourself.

I've already received some reports of people seizing up in fear; cancelling or withholding commitments, or stopping projects. My sixth sense is that much of the public works stuff will unfreeze sooner than later, as government funds are poured in to prop up the economy. The private sector, of course, is more uncertain, and if the work volume declines by just a few percentage points, the competition -- and price fights -- for the available work of course intensifies.

So, remember Ford Harding's perspective that Rainmaking is 80 per cent Grit.

LinkedIn?

Ford Harding outlines in his blog some of the advantages and limitations of sites like LinkedIn.com. I agree that these networking sites are a supplement, not a replacement, for other more traditional approaches and, to use a bad pun, link in these observations with my belief that your networking/marketing should connect your interests and passions with your clients.

In my case, I linked encounters with Linkedin.com to an article proposal for the SMPS Marketer. This led to my first phone conversation with Ford Harding, and the beginning of an ongoing relationship. It also caused SMPS Marketer editor Randy Pollock to invite me to participate on the Marketer's editorial committee, which led to more articles, more networking, and still more connections within the SMPS community.

So, in my case at least, Linkedin.com proved to be the door opener for several incredibly valuable relationships. But did anything come from online searches within Linkedin.com, through associations with the second or third degree networks. Nope, nada, zilch, none. So maybe the old ways indeed work the best.

For fun, here is my linkedin.com profile page.

Some voice mail thoughts

Ford Harding makes some useful points in his blog entry: How to leave a voicemail message -- especially his suggestion that you leave your number early, rather than late, in the message.

I'll implement that strategy. I already slow down when it comes to leaving the callback number, and generally repeat it twice -- to make it much easier for the recipient to respond.

In practice, voice mail responses can still be difficult. Here is an example. Arriving in Raleigh, North Carolina, yesterday, I turned on the cellular phone/Blackberry and found a lengthy message from a good friend inviting me to lunch (in Ottawa!) that day. Holding my carry on bags, walking quickly through the terminal to meet the person taking me to lunch -- in Raleigh -- I somehow had to juggle the phone, the virtually inaudible message, and figure out how to answer.

This is one of the cases where I wish my friend had sent an email with his phone number and email for reply. With that information on the Blackberry, I could quickly scan his message and return his call (by phone) with one click of the dial.

Voice mail messages are inherently inconvenient to return. This is one reason why, while I have a practice of returning all calls within 24 hours, I sometimes fail to return promptly calls from salespeople with propositions of little interest to me, who 'rush' their voice mail message and make me listen to it again and again, to respond. Why bother . . . the answer will be 'no' and I'm not going to be too eager to do business with anyone who both inconveniences me, and makes it difficult to respond.

No points for originality

Ford Harding's blog posting: No Extra Points for Originality in Rain Making is worth bookmarking because it concisely summarizes or links to some of the simplest and most effective prospecting methodologies for rainmakers -- and provides simple shortcuts to make the process easier.

A lesson from Joe

This posting from Ford Harding: A Lesson from Joe: It’s Not about Us is a humbling reminder about our place in the world; and our self-absorbed anxieties (or visions). Although Ford took the experience as a reminder that he shouldn't think too much about pursuing opportunities and calling, I take it in a slightly wider perspective -- that we should absolutely respect the person who we are calling and the value of his/her time and priorities.

This doesn't mean be 'sucky' but it suggests that we connect where appropriate with the person's 'gatekeeper' (administrative assistant), or use alternatives to the phone and in-person visit where we really don't need to be in the busy person's face.

For example, in at least a few instances where I had a proposal/request for an extremely busy CEO talked with the AA and then put the thoughts down in paper on a fax and sent it to her. The document then lands on the decision-maker's desk, and I received the response/answer I needed. (I realize this only works if I have a prior, real, relationship with the decision-maker, or I am ready to accept a referral to someone else in the organization; I'll still be communicating with the power of the boss's office, in that case, however.)

And it reminds me of the absolute power you obtain by promptly and honorably returning calls, even when you don't see much business opportunity or value in the process. It takes just a few minutes but leaves a powerful impression on the perhaps overly self-absorbed caller!

Chaos Theory and Construction Marketing (2)

In a recent blog entry Lead Flow Part 2 -- How it makes you an Attractor, Rainmaking expert Ford Harding observes how Chaos Theory applies to the networking process of rainmakers. Rainmakers, of course, have an incredible ability to generate valid and worthwhile leads -- and thus are desirable to everyone in business. Of course, the challenge for the rainmaker-- and the person or organization wishing to obtain the leads -- is to define the best way to fit in and create value.

Harding suggests the highest power occurs when rainmakers get together, each generating leads which benefit the others. But there are other categories. The least valuable is the person who approaches the Rainmaker claiming synergy -- or, to put it more basely, "You give me the leads, and I may buy you lunch."

(Jeffrey Gitomer handles these people simply: If you want his consultation, you can pay him $500 for his time -- and he might buy you the lunch.)

So, how do you master the Rainmaking art so you can generate leads and attain the power that arises?

The most obvious approach would be to call Ford Harding and pay for his services. He obviously knows his stuff, and if you pay -- and listen to his advice -- you'll probably get there a lot sooner than if you try to do this on your own. This type of paid consulting is almost always worth the money you spend. In fact, I sometimes wonder about people who spend a small fortune on marketing -- on brochures, advertising campaigns, even head-hunters to find marketing employees -- when you can pay the expert and (if you listen and learn quickly) get the answers you need.

There is a longer range approach as well, the one I've chosen to practice. Since my own personal goals call for me to be a truly effective national level rainmaker in three to five years, I can be patient and build up my expertise and status more deliberately. I've chosen to use my writing ability in this blog and for the SMPS Marketer. Every time I research a story, of course, I gain virtually instant access to the experts around me -- as they know the advantages of positive and reference-based publicity. These connections increase my, for want of a better word, "Rainmaking credits" since I expect no compensation or direct business to arise from this work. (The blog and writing are probably quite helpful indirectly, of course, in that we are now receiving upwards of two or three dozen requests for the Construction Marketing Ideas newsletter each week, and some of these inquiries are from businesses within my publication's service area.)

Most effective rainmakers "get" by giving -- they share so much value in their relationships and insights that, without a cent changing hands, they attract business and opportunity. So, if you want to be successful as a rainmaker, you'll need to learn how to give without worrying about the 'get.' The art, of course, is to do the giving in rational ways and places -- and no, I am not talking about blind and insincere 'networking' where relationships are plastic, artificial, and only concerned with short term gain.

So, my advice to you: Take a portion of your marketing budget and spend it on top-quality consulting from people who know what they are doing. But don't take that consulting in the framework that they will do everything for you -- use their expertise to learn the craft and build your own knowledge. If you don't want (or don't yet have) the cash, there is nothing wrong with reading, connecting, and then finding ways to share. You might be a proto-rainmaker now, but ultimately you'll graduate to full status -- and the fullest opportunities for success and achievement.

Fear,. Greed and Emotional Selling

This disturbing image, lifted from an intriguing blog Bits and Quotes, captures both fear and greed --undoubtedly powerful emotions, but when, and where, is it proper and effective to use these in the selling and marketing process?

When, if ever, should you use the twin emotions of fear and greed in your marketing and selling initiatives. Gurus Ford Harding and Sims Wyeth debate these points in some fascinating blog postings.

To make things more interesting, they extend the basic twin emotion set to "FUD - Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt" (Wyeth) and "GOG -- Greed, Opportunity and Glory" (Harding). Wyeth argues the that tackling the negative emotions is the way to go -- followed by the positive. Harding suggests that you need to look at the situation of your prospective client and then advance the solution based on the appropriate emotions reflecting the real situation; and be wary of ethical extremes especially when working with unsophisticated clients. Neither addresses the (very real) market segment of engineers in our industry, who seek and expect the marketer to use logic rather than emotion in making proposals.


At first impression, I favor Harding's approach, though the one-two-punch of raising fear then offering a greedy solution is close to perfect in the world of marketing, if the prospective client's actual circumstances match that profile (that is, something really scary is happening or about to happen, and your solution really will solve the problem and make your potential client rich, successful and famous.) Alas, this one-two punch is also the stuff of the con-artist since circumstances are rare where fear and opportunity validly coincide in truly stark and immediate contrast. There may be many valid fearful situations, but do you really have the magic bullet that will truly solve the problem and allow your potential client to rise to glory with your support?

When you have a potential client in that situation, you may need to take a highly risky approach yourself -- eschewing short term income/security for a longer-term relationship. Consultant Bill Caswell won that status with me when, as this business approached what appeared to be its final downward spiral two years ago, he arrived on the scene with a commitment that we would not need to pay him anything unless we were successful -- and the amount we would pay would be in line with regular consulting services; not some overpriced contingency-fee rip-off. To execute that approach, you need to be comfortable with both the the integrity of your potential client and your ability to patiently weather the storm -- as things rarely resolve as quickly as you would like.

Not mentioned in this debate is the potentially more important -- but truly long term -- issue of the quality of your personal relationships coupled with the competence of your work. In the marketing matrix, if you and your team of employees are enjoyable to work with, have smarts in your field, and are sensitive your clients real needs and emotions, you'll receive and sustain business with other, healthier emotions. Like love.

Key Performance Indicators -- unintended consequences

It took some searching (because link backs aren't obvious from the blog), but I traced Jerry's Blog to Jerry Tice (see his linkedin.com page) and The Appalachian Group of Companies.

Ford Harding graciously sent me a link to this posting "Is accountability a performance management issue: Unintended Consequences" in Jerry's Blog -- Striving for Organizational Excellence. The writer addresses the problem that setting measurable targets can distort business practices and result in dangerous excesses; sometimes serious ethical breaches, or possibly seeking short term gain at the expense of long-term viability.

As everyone in business knows – if you don’t measure it, you can’t manage it. But what happens if you are measuring the wrong thing? Well obviously it can drive the wrong result. Worse still is that it may drive exactly the result you hoped it would, but it drives it way too far or drives other undesirable results along with it that are not seen until something hits the fan. In nearly every one of our consulting engagements we work with our clients to set up a set of metrics that can be measured directly on the floor in very short intervals, typically 1 to 2 hours. We do this to enable front line managers to drive barriers to performance to the surface so that they can be resolved on the fly instead of building up to unrecoverable levels. Often, probably more times than not, we discover after a few days that the measure that the client told us was the one to watch turns out to be the wrong metric. Either its focus is too narrow and other important metrics suffered (the old production vs. quality dilemma for example) or the focus of the metric is way too broad and we never achieve the intended result. I see the same thing on the verge of happening on a grand scale with a trend that is developing in the talent and performance management fields.

Ford Harding, in comment, writes:

Jerry
This is a serious issue for professional firms pushing for growth. As the incentives to sell go up, so must the controls to avoid both selling something the firm shouldn’t and providing advice to a client more geared at selling more work than looking after the client’s best interests. Note that in Andersen’s case the partner in charge of the Enron account successfully challenged the firm’s controls.

Firm management may exhort its partners to sell, sell, sell, but it seldom balances that message with a reminder of the need to use good judgement, behave ethically and abide by controls while doing so. They take it for granted that the partners remember and care about such things. Unfortunately, not all partners do.

Good post,
Ford Harding

Jerry's initial solution -- that is to make sure the measurement cycle is short and fast enough to quickly determine if something wrong is happening, is a good approach, of course, for production-line or fast acting situations, but our business (I think) operates on a longer cycle and in any case, our staff are highly decentralized, often working from home offices with much autonomy. So how do you determine an appropriate fast acting and quickly repaired measurement cycle?

However, I shudder to fear when we get down to setting out our KPIs that we mess this up -- and fall into the traps described here. This is a problem that needs attention; but I am (alas) still at a loss for a good solution. Hopefully, our short term internal KPI (something I don't think should rightfully be broadcast outside our organization) is valid, and we can review/implement it without damage pending our full-scale planning meeting in the fall.

From negative to positive

I've enjoyed reading this posting by Ford Harding (and you can see the next installment by checking his blog). He outlines some common false assumptions and reasons for not doing the things we are supposed to do to build sales -- excuses that I admit to finding very close to home.

I especially can relate to this point:

Why bother going to an association meeting when I hate doing it and am no good at small talk?
Why? Because it is a highly efficient way to meet and catch up with many market contacts. Also, because networkers know that there is no such thing as small talk; there is only business talk and relationship talk. And finally, because you don’t have to be good at small talk. You need to listen to other people, so that you learn about them.

I solve this problem by going with a purpose -- of course I'm a journalist/writer by trade, so that is the role I rightfully play. At a recent association meeting I listened with interest as the owners representative and general contractor described an exciting $500 million building project, with great pictures. A brief conversation at the end of the meeting and some follow up and, voila, we have a solid revenue-generating feature.

But I also appreciate that "going with a purpose" does not necessarily mean "going to sell". In fact, my attitude at these meetings is virtually always to listen, to learn, and to help others, perhaps by bringing some connections or mutually beneficial ideas. It certainly isn't a game of counting business cards, or "gathering leads" -- I think if I attended association events with such an overt attitude I wouldn't sell a thing.

But I get ideas -- and tomorrow have some follow-up to do from today's Toronto Construction Association meeting. Indeed, it pays to go and participate in relevant associations.

Rain Making and Networking -- some perspectives

Two of my favourite blogs are written by Ford Harding and Tim Klabunde. Ford focuses on Rain Making -- the specialized skills and abilities for professional practitioners who are also selling/marketing their practice's services. Tim has a wealth of material on networking the right way -- focusing on sharing, generosity and relationship building.

They've posted two recent blog entries worthy of consideration.
In More News from Down Under: How Shawn Callaghan Blogs for Fun and Profit, Harding reports on a successful Australian blogger who addresses the challenges that Ford has not yet resolved himself -- converting blog energy into actual business -- especially for high value professional services. Shawn Callaghan has developed methods to generate a significant lead volume, and then converts these leads to business with an intermediate easy-to-enter and purchase service.

Tim Klabunde, meanwhile, blogs about Ford Harding's latest book: Rain Making: Attract New Clients No Matter What Your Field-- 2nd edition (I also reviewed the Harding's book for The SMPS Marketer. (Note the link off Amazon.ca may take you to the first edition -- you may have to order the second edition directly from Ford or try Amazon.com)

Now if you are wondering if we are in a mutual admiration society, I have given that some thought as well -- blogging, by its nature, involves an interconnected network of communities and readers -- unlike conventional journalism where there may be one organization with 100 journalists and 100,000 readers, with blogging, you may have 100 individual bloggers representing 85 organizations (some organizations will have more than one blogger!) and perhaps 10,000 readers. The difference hopefully is focus and specialization: I doubt I could express an independent perspective about Construction Marketing in the way I am doing before the blogging era arrived -- I would instead need to exclusively work through gatekeeper publications either in the general business press or perhaps (as I am also doing) through the SMPS Marketer.

But does this stuff bring in business? If you are a contractor or trades person who prefers to work with your hands rather than the keypad, I'd definitely leave blogging off the priority list -- the payback in time and return on effort is hardly worthwhile. But as Harding, Tim and Shawn Callaghan show, blogging indeed has a place in your marketing strategy if you enjoy writing, can maintain the discipline, and realize the payback in actual client business may be very much delayed gratification.

False Clairvoyance

Ford Harding, in his latest blog entry, points out how people often make faulty assumptions based on limited experience. He calls this False Clairvoyance. So, for example, you set out to follow the advice during hard times to reconnect with former clients, with the hope of gaining new business. You call two or three people, and feel a 'brush off' or simply no business results.

Should you stop just because you didn't succeed right away? Of course not. While I am not advocating blind cold calling or playing the 'numbers game' without a sense of relationship, the odds are you will succeed if you persist, and make a few more calls. Or, if everyone in your organization makes a few calls, somewhere, somehow, some new business will arise which certainly wouldn't occur if you didn't make the effort.

The inverse principal also applies. Say you purchase a lottery ticket or win a casino jackpot on your first visit. If you really think you are something special and can defy the odds, go ahead, but I'd take my money and run (never to return, except for 'throw-your-money-away entertainment' -- probably not the wisest expense in hard times!)

My review of Harding's latest book has just been published in The SMPS Marketer. If you would like me to send you a copy, email me at buckshon@constructionnrgroup.com.

Other opinions about "client satisfaction surveys"

My observations on the SMPS Listserve yesterday provoked two additional postings, which I will relay here.

Jim McKeen of Strategic Marketing Associates in Stow, Ohio wrote:

With all due respect to Mark's comments, I feel compelled to weigh in on this issue.

Having conducted surveys as a profession for the past 11 years, I can say with great confidence that client surveys - including satisfaction surveys -are neither an irritation nor an intrusion if the process is managed properly. In fact, to the contrary, we find that clients are generally happy to provide their input because they know it will impact future service quality. And as a side benefit, most clients are impressed with the fact that their supplier respects their opinions enough to ask for it - "The Voice of the Customer".

The fact is, if managed properly, the percentage of clients that find surveys irritating
and intrusive is low, and you simply don't interview them. You say "not a problem, thanks for your time, and have a great day". And that's the end of it.

So cheer up Mark and any others out there that see the benefit of gaining the clients' perspectives, but have concerns about their reception to the process. It's really just a matter of management and technique, and it's done all the time.

Later in the day, Architectural marketing consultant Frank Smith in Smyrna, Georgia, wrote:

I second Jim McKeen's comments. If properly handled surveys are not intrusive. I have been conducting Client Satisfaction surveys for Clients of mine for over 20 years. I learned after the first couple that the secret to success was to have my Client send a letter to the subjects of the survey saying that I was going to call them. As a result I have consistently had a "hit rate" of 80 per cent.

I have never had a prospect not talk with me, although one in New York called his
attorney first! On a typical survey I will ask for the names of 40 contacts knowing that I will get the 36 responses contracted for in a timely fashion.

Always have an disinterested, experienced outside consultant conduct the survey. It is the only way you can get true value.

Points noted. And, pragmatically, a "client satisfaction survey" can be an effective way to gather intelligence and develop leads for new projects and commissions -- systematically it may be one of the best and quickest routes to refilling your order book in times of economic slowdown.
But I'm still uncomfortable with most of the survey efforts I've seen attempted and I automatically continue to put most survey calls on the polite "decline to participate" list.

I much prefer the strategy outlined by Ford Harding in his comment to my last posting. Enclose a business reply card with invoices, with just a few questions, and have the postpaid reply card be directed to the company president. As Harding notes, few complete the card, but if there are issues, the ones that respond are generally serious and worthy of immediate attention.

Asking works

This book, Breaking the No Barrier, by the late Walt Hailey, is one of the cornerstones of our selling and marketing strategies. Hailey advocated integrating selling and marketing within the business-to-business supply chain.

In this blog entry, Networking Up, Part 2: How Rainmakers Move Up in the Client Organization, Ford Harding addresses the question of how you can connect with the key person/people in the organization when you aren't at the 'right' level. His recommendation: Ask -- and it makes a lot of sense.

Really, when it comes to selling, if you have a valid proposition and service that is of real value to the client business, you can gain access. The challenge is the words "real value". I can't see how you can possibly know if you have anything of value just by calling cold, running down a list, or barging into the office door with a canvassing call. (I suppose in the residential sector, and you are selling vinyl siding, and the house on the street's exterior is a mess, you can tell they might need new vinyl siding.)

So, then, the question is how do you find if the business has real need for your service when your manager gives you a raw list and says "go get em!"

Clues can be found by reading and learning about the business; by talking to lower level personnel in an informal setting, or if you are lucky (or plan it right) having informal discussions with more senior people in neutral settings.

Another approach is to look at your existing network of clients and see if you an work with them upstream -- that is, obtain referrals to THEIR suppliers. This is the cornerstone of our own marketing approach -- we assess the supply chain and then follow the money. If your clients are really happy with your services, they'll probably be happy to refer you to their suppliers, and their suppliers will likely be happy to take your call, because, after all, you are referred by these suppliers' customers.

I'm a firm advocate of spending more time on research and analysis, and putting more effort into the prospecting phase, rather than 'closing' the sale. The 'close' almost should come naturally without force or effort, because by the time that arrives, the client will be naturally ready to do business with you.

Yes, you might say, spending all this time on research and not getting face time with clients invites analysis freeze. This is why I really like this four point program that creates excellent self-discipline and management, and reminds you that all the research in the world doesn't substitute for face-time with real prospects and clients.

Getting the good seat

I really like this posting by Ford Harding, where he addresses the question: How can you be sure to sit next to the person/people you really want to be with at networking/dinner events? He shares three effective ideas in this Salesopedia article.

The real way to network

This image is from the North Carolina government Office for Historically Underutilized Businesses. The website offers a photo review for a 2007 Contractors Networking Reception and Expo. Something for our North Carolina publisher Bob Kruhm to research.

My advance (printed) copies of The SMPS Marketer arrived yesterday, along with a kind hand-written thank-you note from Lisa Bowman. Almost simultaneously, Ford Harding called to thank me for my courtesies to him; in his voice message he asked if there is anything he could do for me. Lisa and Ford are of course practicing one of the most essential principals of effective marketing, by openly expressing their thanks. (In turn, I emailed Lisa to encourage her to introduce an essentially cost-free service that would provide real value to ALL contributors to the Marketer; and when I checked the blog, I discovered that I had inadvertently deleted the permalink to Ford Harding, and reset it. And I called Ford, and told him the only thing I needed in return is for him to continue doing his good work.)

Note that Lisa, Ford, nor fellow Marketer contributor Tim Klabunde (see below) have not sent any business to me, nor do I expect to provide any revenue-generating business or services to their companies in the near future. But we are networking the way it is supposed to be done and the rewards, if not immediate, will be found in the future.

Tim Klabunde, director of marketing at William H. Gordon Associates (whga.com) a Washington, D.C. engineering firm, writes in his SMPS Marketer Article:

Ask Yourself, "How Can I help This Person?"
The next time you head out to network, remember what you are really there to do. It is time to rethink how you perceive networking. No more collecting business cards, giving a sales pitch on your company, or thinking about who in the room can get you the next job. Instead, start by focusing on building meaningful relationships with others. When you walk up to someone, think to yourself, "How can I help this person?" When you learn how to focus on helping others first, the real networking begins.

Klabunde notes in his article:

Some of my most successful days networking I spend sitting at my desk. I don't attend a single association event, no lunches, and definitely not any speed-networking events. To succeed at networking, I work my computer and make phone calls with the sole purpose of helping other people. I make introductions, forward project leads, pass along information from a local paper, and laugh with friends about my two sons' most recent escapades.

Aha.

Networking is not about the 'immediate', nor is it about 'take'. Effectively done, it is a long-term proposition. Note you don't need to spend long hours on the process and you can link your work on one thing to another.