Getting Yourself an "IN" (Ideal NetWork), Part III: Opening the "Front Door" to Your IN

In our first installment of Getting Yourself and "IN" (Ideal Network), we discussed the types of questions we should ask ourselves while planning our "IN."  By completely answering those questions, we establish a solid foundation on which to build.  The next step is the "front door", which I also call a "front NetWork".

The front NetWork is what most new NetWorkers view as the ultimate objective - finding a steady source of ongoing business referral sources (in other words, the relationships I establish with those that will give me referrals).

We begin by asking the question, "how many professions should be represented?"

Some examples:

1. A residential realtor, commercial realtor, title insurance agent and real-estate attorney for a residential mortgage broker
2. A business broker, franchise consultant, business attorney, certified public accountant and estate attorney for a financial advisor
3. A catering hall, DJ, wedding planner, photographer, videographer and limosine service for a florist.

Next, we ask "how many representatives from each profession should be represented?"  In some cases one is truly all that is needed.  Yet what I find most often is that experienced NetWorkers prefer not to "put all eggs into one basket" and will develop relationships with several representatives of one profession.  For example, a business insurance agent may find that financial advisors are a great referral source for them, but more can be better.

It is important to keep in mind that it can be challenging to develop a solid business relationship with just one person, let alone more than one, so it pays to develop a SMART goal* to help discover the right number while implementing the right action steps to get you there.  I also recommend to my clients that they consider constructing a NetWorking organizational chart (a la e-Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber) to help visualize their front NetWork.

As you develop your SMART goals* to go after those referral sources, be aware that you must understand and measure whether or not the relationship is established.  How do you know when you have the right relationship?  Again, contact my office for a past article on that subject!

Now that the "front door" is built, we will also need a "back door" as well!  In Part 3 (the last part of this series) of Getting Yourself an "IN" (Ideal NetWork), we will discuss the key element that separates the good NetWorkers from the outstanding NetWorkers.  Stay tuned!

**  If you don't know what a SMART goal is, contact us, your own personal or business coach, consultant, trainer or look it up on the internet - this is one of those things that EVERYONE SHOULD KNOW for the sake of their own career!
 

Kovitz Enterprises, LLC
Connecting, Educating and Inspiring Business
18 Rockwood Road
Levittown, PA 19056
(215) 945-3411