I met someone recently who said she’s been having a hard time building her network because people can’t seem to understand or relate to her business. I asked her why she thought that was and she responded that her business is pretty complicated and when she tries to explain what it’s all about, she can almost see people’s eyes spinning in their heads.
I told her that before she can even begin to network effectively, she needs to find a way to explain her business in a way that people will easily understand. We ALL need to heed this rule of thumb and be able to clearly and simply communicate what it is that we do by pinpointing key aspects of our business for our potential referral sources.
My advice to anyone confused about how to clearly explain what it is that they do is to ask yourself these questions and write down your answers:
- Why are you in business (other than to make a living)? Why do you do what you do? How does your business serve others?
- What do you sell? Most important, what are the benefits—not the features—of your products or services?
- Who are your customers? What are your target markets? Be specific. Look at all segments of your business to determine the niche or niches you prefer to work with.
- What are your core competencies, and what do you do best?
- How well do you compete? How do you stand out from your competition?
These questions will help you explain what your business is all about, and make you more effective at implementing a comprehensive referral system. By communicating these aspects of your business to referral sources, they’re learning how they can refer you; and that’s what networking is all about.
Click here to read the complete article from Dr. Ivan Misner
