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The 5 Biggest Mistakes Professionals Make In Building Their Networks

Excerpt from the book by:
Allan Boress, Michael Cummings & Barry Schneider

It is undeniable. Your future success as a professional will be determined by the quality of your network of contacts and relationships. And the ability to cultivate and transform these contacts into a practice-building set of allies is what separates the top producers from the rest of the profession.

Yet, most professionals financial, engineering, consulting, technical don t have a network building game plan, fail to turn their clients into their personal sales force and lack professional allies. Professionals who don t cultivate their network building skills make some common mistakes that cripple their ability to build their practice, including:

Mistake #1: Random Networking - Wasting time networking in the wrong places and in the wrong way

Problem: Most professionals think of networking as meeting as many new contacts (i.e. strangers) as possible and trading business cards. All the time, their mindset is on what can this person do for me and this attitude permeates their interaction with potential referral sources. They also do not qualify contacts on their ability and willingness to help them.

Solution: Start by networking with people you already know. Be VERY selective beyond this group. Only invest time and energy in networking with people or groups who can get you the ideal clients you desire. Have a giving mindset. Your goal is to build a mutually beneficial business relationship not add to your business card inventory.

Mistake #2: Networking Myopia - A self-limiting view of networking

Problem: Doing networking is seen as an activity. For example, I am going to an association meeting or luncheon to network.

Solution: The right way to think about networking is as follows: Networking is building relationships with ANYONE who can help you to grow your practice. Using this definition, you are already networking all the time. When you are working with clients, meeting with your colleagues or mentors at your own firm or attending an alumni event. The key is to recognize that you are constantly network building; inventory & prioritize these business contacts and develop an express action plan to cultivate these relationships.

Mistake #3: Settling for Referrals - Getting cold calls with a name attached

Problem: A referral is defined as a contact telling you to call someone they know and mention my name when you call. Now, getting a referral to a potential new client can t hurt, but it is not the best you can do. The person doesn t know you, don t understand why you would be of value to them nor are they prepared for your call.

Solution: Ask your contact to first call to introduce you to the future client. In this way, they pre-sell and endorse you to the prospective client and prepare them for your call.

Mistake #4: Solo networking - Marketing yourself by yourself

Problem: Professionals only look to build THEIR personal network people who can help them to build their practice.

Solution: Instead, team up with a few like-minded professionals and build your combined relationships. Look to trade and inter-connect your web of relationships together. Add collective value by introducing people to one another even if there is no direct business benefit to you. Find people with power networks like the head of an associations and go to see them as a team.

Mistake #5: No allies - Settling for shallow networking relationships

Problem: Professionals often look to network with MORE and MORE people.

Solution: Instead, the best business generators look to forge highly committed alliances with FEWER & BETTER referral sources. Build a small, elite team of professionals business partners . Continually market together on a cooperative business. See your business contacts as de-facto partners in growing each other s business.

"This is by far the most complete, helpful and practical personal marketing book I have ever read. It is appropriate for both associates and partners. If there was only book of this kind to buy, I would take this above all others." - Sandy Hill, Senior Partner

Get a step by step networking blueprint. Understand the practical business-building strategies and build the skills you need to achieve breakthrough results.

Learn How To Create More Quality Client Introductions, Cultivate Referral Sources, Create High Power Professional Alliances and Build Your Reputation Through Networking

The Best Practices In Personal Marketing is the best selling product that I have ever sold on my site. I find their approach to be practical and custom tailored for the profession. It has a wealth of ideas that a professional can put to work immediately to build their business.
- Larry Bodine, Director Of Professional Marketing Forum North America

Most professionals simply do not know how to network effectively. This book guides you into the correct personal marketing actions that create productive referral relationships.

What's included in this book:

• Why networking fails for professionals
• What determines personal marketing success
• The 10 Commandments for Networking Success
• How to Create Chemistry with Prospective Clients and Referral Sources
• The Four Stage Process of Having Business Referred to You
• The Relationship Building System": How the Best Business Relationship Builders Create Their Productive Referral Networks
• Turning Your Clients Into Your Sales Force
• How To Ask Clients For Introductions

• "This is definitely one of the best things we have done for our firm
  Our results have been phenomenal! Everyone immediately began putting these methods to work. The energy level in our firm has been incredible. Most importantly, everyone is empowered and confident in selling our firm. This is definitely one of the best things we have done for our firm .We more than paid for Allan's fee with the results we attained the first week following the training." - James L. Williams, Dixon Odom

  How To Inventory and Audit Your Network
• How to Penetrate Organizations From the Outside
• How to Target Dynamic Referral Sources: Activating The Right Contacts for Referrals
• Strategy For Building a Contact Base Outside Your Foundation of Relationships
• Identifying Organizations to Join for Visibility with Target Clients and Action Plans to Develop Relationships
• How to Build Your Personal Reputation Leading to More Referrals
• Staying in Control: Establishing, Maintaining and Nurturing Your Data Base of Contacts

Chapters in the Book:

1. WHY MARKETING IS HERE TO STAY
2. BIGGEST MISTAKES PROFESSIONALS MAKE IN MARKETING THEIR PRACTICES
3. WHAT MARKETING IS AND HOW IT DIFFERS FROM SELLING
4. LESSONS FROM THE BEST BUSINESS GENERATORS IN THE PROFESSIONS
5. HOW TO FOCUS ON YOUR BEST OPPORTUNITIES: DEFINING YOUR PERSONAL MARKETING STRATEGY
6. THE ART OF MARKETING TO YOUR EXISTING CLIENTS
7. BUILDING POWERFUL MARKETING ALLIANCES
8. A SYSTEMATIC APPROACH THAT GUARANTEES QUALITY REFERRALS
9. DEVELOPING WORD-OF-MOUTH ADVERTISING THROUGH WORLD CLASS NETWORKING

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The bottom line: Professionals Must Network

"We have been growing 25%-30% per year...
" The "raw meat" of Allan's program is a culture-changing business development message. And the message stays with you. His philosophy underpins the phenomenal growth of the Kansas City office of Fleishman Hillard. It has allowed us to continue growing in a market where many might have thought we had reached our potential. We have been growing 25%-30% per year...Our work with Allan undeniably has had an enduring impact on our ability to develop the business relationships necessary to grow our business." - Ron Arp, Senior Partner

The days of listing your services in a phone book or letting your company do the marketing...and hoping for the best...are long gone.

Marketing must become the personal responsibility of each professional. Success is predicated on building relationships, making contacts, doing business development each day and systematically employing the proven methods of the top producers.

But competition is everywhere...in today's world of firms consolidating, with the continuing over supply of other professionals elbowing in on your turf... marketing your services is more essential than ever.

This course offers you a practical and proven step-by-step approach to effectively marketing yourself. Written in an easy-to-read style, it provides a wealth of tips, tools, techniques and how-to guidance you need to be more successful in 2004 and beyond.

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"We are extremely pleased with the results...
We have developed a number of action points focusing on business development and client service, derived from the points you raised on the subjects. The reviews speak for themselves. It would be a pleasure for me to assist you in identifying opportunities for your organization within Deloitte. I am also happy to be used as a reference should you have any potential opportunities (inside and outside Deloitte) in the pipe-line." - T.J., Deloitte

About the authors of Best Practices In Building Your Personal Network: For the past 20 years, Allan Boress, Michael Cummings and Barry Schneider have worked with industry leading professional firms as trainers, coaches and business development consultants. They have built the entrepreneurial skills of thousands of professionals at hundreds of organizations including personal marketing, building a network of allies and cultivating relationships with customers. They are award winning instructors, best selling authors and world class public speakers for both associations and in-house.

Benefits of the training include:

• How to eliminate the mystery, wasted time, and effort of trying to figure how to most successfully market your practice
• How to be mentored by the top producers in the profession.
• Learn how to systematically apply the same best practices on a daily, weekly and monthly basis
• Offers you a step-by-step approach to effectively marketing yourself - written in an easy-to-read style - the tips, tools, techniques and how-to guidance you need to be more successful
• Every possible aspect of networking and creating alliances is discussed in a step-by-step format that you can begin using immediately

This program is based on hundreds of interviews with professionals across North America - working with over 500 professional firms since 1980. It is the ONLY Best Practices study of professional networking. Specific examples and case studies are reviewed to turn theory into practice.

• Know exactly what you have to do to grow your practice on a daily, weekly and monthly basis
• Leverage your existing strengths as a professional and apply them to business development for results
• Find ways to unleash your current contacts into a fertile referral source
• Learn proven methods to turn your clients into your sales force
• Cultivate a committed Set of Professional Allies and Business Partners who market your services for You
• Quit wasting times on personal marketing methods that bear no fruit
• Take control of your business development success
• Lessons from the Best Business Generators, so you can emulate their business building behavior and start to consistently produce the same results
• Generate a steady stream of "pre-sold" prospective clients
• Learn how to become a celebrated "expert" in your field
• Create the word of mouth advertising that makes money
• Focusing on Your Best Opportunities, Marketing to Existing Clients, Obtaining Quality Referrals, Building Powerful Alliances, Developing an Effective Network