Being ‘in Sync’ With Your Networking Partners
My wife, Beth, and I were in South Africa recently on safari at Camp Jabulani in the Kapama Reserve. Camp Jabulani has a beautiful suspension bridge between the main lodge and the guest suites. If you’ve ever walked over a suspension bridge, you know the feeling of the springiness under your feet as you walk. It was almost like wearing those Moon Boots I got for Christmas as a boy!
As we made our way over the suspension bridge, we noticed pretty quickly that when we did not walk in sync, the bridge’s flexing and bending jarred both of us as we tried to walk across. When we walked in sync, it was much easier to walk in a way that didn’t make us look like drunken sailors!
This started me thinking about networking relationships and the importance of being in sync with our referral and networking partners.
When I think about walking in sync with other businesspeople, I think of collaboration, cooperation, and maintaining a focus on how we can help each other (what I call Givers Gain). These three elements are critical for successful relationship marketing.
In order to build the kinds of mutually beneficial relationships you desire, it’s important to keep in mind what I call the proximity effect–networking is a contact sport. You must stay in contact with each other in order to benefit from a collaborative relationship. Profiting from a business relationship without staying in contact with one another is like getting a haircut over the phone—I have never seen that done!
Staying in touch can include holding one-on-one meetings with each other to learn more about each other’s business and referral needs, and to ask, “How can I help you?” Having a Givers Gain focus is the most effective way of supporting your referral partners.
We all need to make a commitment to maintain a focus on how we can help each other in business. This is a new thought pattern for most business owners. We aren’t schooled or trained in thinking “How can I help you?” when it comes to those with whom we are in a particular business community. More often than not, we think, “What can I get out of this relationship?” If you do business with a Givers Gain mentality, you will turn that thought pattern on its head.
Relationship networking is a good way to get business; it’s an even better way to do business. As you walk in this rhythm, you will find others getting in step with you, and everyone will do better business as a result.
Great article. I agree that for network marketing to really succeed, you need to be in sync with your referral partners. If you’re not both on the same page, then how could you help one another?
Thanks for the great blog posting. I have also come to realize that in order to stay in sync with my powerpartners I need to have 1-2-1 meetings on a regular bases. As a realtor I am aiming to meet with the lender in our group at least once a week and it has deepened our referral relationship. A great investment of my time, we are finally able to give each other more referrals.
Givers Gain…
Mutually beneficial…
Business people who truly embrace the concept, who look for ways to benefit their clients, referral partners, teammates, and community are so rare they rise above the crowd. Your competitors usually seek transactions, not relationships. They are the “herd”.
We need to stand out. Dance. Shine because we care.
It’s a lesson we need to be reminded of. Thank you Dr. Misner for doing just that!
To add on to the idea of having one-to-one’s on a regular basis, my closest (high credibility & profitability) referral partners & I have 2-3 30-minute phone meetings a month to stay in touch. We keep each other informed about possible referrals we’re working on, invite each other to networking events, or follow-up on a referral we received. We’re also in the same Power Team & we meet with about 10 members in the same contact sphere once a month.
Great points, Dr. Misner — and excellent points Mirjam and Gail about ongoing structure!
On that topic, I have found videochat or videoconference to be an excellent “next best option” to meeting over coffee or lunch — because of its congruency with our human dynamic of communication being 7% words spoken, 38% tone of voice, and 55% nonverbal.
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