Every entrepreneur has to face the situation of deciding who to ask for help either directly or indirectly in making contacts with prospects or identifying possible leads for the entrepreneur to follow up with on the strength of a personal introduction or referral. It is almost seen as a taboo to even suggest to someone you know outside of a strictly business relationship that you would appreciate their assistance in acquiring names or entry to potential customers.
The fear is that the other person is put on the spot or that you are asking them to commit to something risky by vouching for you, your company, or your product and service. If one were to take a step back though, there are a couple of competing processes at play.
The first is that it is improper to mix business with social or other relationships. The concern here is that if it were not to end successfully, how would that impact the established relationship?
The second is that the majority of business relationships are based on networking between customers, suppliers, and interested others. The way that works is that one customer or supplier familiar with you recommending or introducing you to another potential customer that could use the products or services you provide. Now, networking is not simply an opportunity for you to take from others to build your list of leads. Rather, it is the exchange of contacts, ideas, or other valuable information between two parties. If you fail to provide value back, you will not have the same access to other people's insights as they will choose to no longer share with you.
In terms of who you should network with, the best answer is those that know you and your capabilities best and can provide leads to you that are highly probable or at least somewhat qualified by the person offering the lead to you. So, the best place to start is with the following:
• Friends. As you speak with friends, let them know what you are doing and how your product or services either have or can help others. Very often they may know someone who has exactly a need you are capable of meeting.
• Family. Family often has a vested interest in seeing you succeed since they are related to you. While you may want to be careful not to come on too strong at the family reunion, it is a target rich environment to ask for help, practice your elevator speech, and see if there are any hidden leads among family members.
• Old Company. If you left previous employment on good terms, you may want to ask decision makers if they have the potential to become a client, or know of others with the potential. After all, they know you and your abilities, and assuming you did stellar work, they may be eager to have someone who understands them as well as you do offer assistance to them.
• Cronies who left old company. If you have kept track of others who have left your old company, or perhaps people you knew through that association with your old company that perhaps called on you or that you had occasion to work with, you can reach out to them and see if they have any insights.
• Neighbors. As long as you are asking, it is possible that neighbors may work with, know of, or have contacts with others who can use your products or services.
• Social/Civic/Religious Organizations. If you belong to any organizations or are affiliated with any groups, you may want to use that tie-in to approach potential leads or ask for people you know to introduce you to others.
• Volunteer Groups. If you do not already volunteer for a charity, you should consider doing so immediately. Given the spirit that people are in when they are participating in charitable work – being very giving and extending themselves to others, it is an ideal setting for you to demonstrate your contribution to the organization and at the same time increase your odds of having someone wanting to help you out.
If it is a fish you are looking to catch in the ocean of prospects, then you are more inclined to snare one with a net than with a spear. Spread your networking as wide as you can and chances are that at least one of your contacts will pay dividends.
David Zahn is a two-time author addressing the issues of entrepreneurship and consulting ("How To Succeed As An Independent Consultant, 4th Ed." and "The Quntessential Guide To Using Consultants") as well as being a frequent interviewee and contributor to articles in publications like, "BusinessWeekOnline, Entrepreneur, BrandWeek, Training & Development, CTPostOnline, and others. For a free "business readiness assessment," please click on http://www.startupbuilder.com. |
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