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Growth Personal Development

Not Catching The Right Fish? – Networking Tips

It’s easy for business owners and professionals to get discouraged if they’re in a focused small market with people who may not have an immediate need for their services or who may not have the money to do business with them.

The discouragement gets worse when they figure out that the people in their focused small market don’t have connections that could be referred to do business with them either.

I’ve seen this happen in networking groups, Chambers of Commerce, social/service organizations, and even whole communities. No amount of bait or dynamite will help you catch fish in a dead pool of hopelessness. 

 

So, I must ask. Are you fishing in hope-filled waters? Do the people with whom you are meeting have the ability to either do business with you or to refer business to you? Do they need, want or can they afford to pay you for what you offer?

 

Fish like a salmon-eating bear

Position yourself so that they will come to you. Here are some quick tips that may help you right away.

 

1. Know which fish you want to catch.

Create for yourself a clear understanding of your most profitable client. What type of client/customer brings you the most profit for the least amount of time, effort, and energy?

For many of us, it’s easy to chase the next transaction, even if we only break even on the money, time, effort, and energy that it took to get them to do business with us.

 

2. Learn how to find the ideal fish that you want to catch.

Gather information about how to find them. Where do they work? Who are their clients/customers? Where are they “swimming” (networking)? How would you go about learning more information about them?

Instead of using social media, networking groups, social/service organizations, and events to try to sell them something, watch and listen.

Ask good questions. They’ll tell you what they want, when they want it and how they’d like to receive it.

 

3. Find bigger fish in bigger streams. 

Both fish and plants grow proportionately to their surroundings. Therefore, genetically large fish may have their growth limited by the size of their stream.

Are you fishing in streams where your most ideal fish are swimming?

 

4. Learn how to make them jump into your paws.

All you need is a strategic process that will make them jump right into your paws.

Once you learn what they want or need, when they need it and how they’d like for you to offer it to them, you just simply connect them to who you know that can provide what they want. The more that you repeat this process, the more that people will hear that you are the person that can help them.

Before long, they start bringing their families and friends to you. Then, you’re simply helping them with what you can help them with or finding one of your connections that can help them.

 

PS. If you feel frustrated that you may be fishing in the wrong stream for the size of fish that you’re looking for, I’m happy to guide you. Or if you know that you’re in the right spot and they’re just jumping right past you into the paws of your competitor, let’s talk. If I can’t find you the right answer, I know people that can.

 

 

Categories
Growth Personal Development

Not Catching The Right Fish? – Networking Tips

It’s easy for business owners and professionals to get discouraged if they’re in a focused small market with people who may not have an immediate need for their services or who may not have the money to do business with them.

The discouragement gets worse when they figure out that the people in their focused small market don’t have connections that could be referred to do business with them either.

I’ve seen this happen in networking groups, Chambers of Commerce, social/service organizations, and even whole communities. No amount of bait or dynamite will help you catch fish in a dead pool of hopelessness. 

 

So, I must ask. Are you fishing in hope-filled waters? Do the people with whom you are meeting have the ability to either do business with you or to refer business to you? Do they need, want or can they afford to pay you for what you offer?

 

Fish like a salmon-eating bear

Position yourself so that they will come to you. Here are some quick tips that may help you right away.

 

1. Know which fish you want to catch.

Create for yourself a clear understanding of your most profitable client. What type of client/customer brings you the most profit for the least amount of time, effort, and energy?

For many of us, it’s easy to chase the next transaction, even if we only break even on the money, time, effort, and energy that it took to get them to do business with us.

 

2. Learn how to find the ideal fish that you want to catch.

Gather information about how to find them. Where do they work? Who are their clients/customers? Where are they “swimming” (networking)? How would you go about learning more information about them?

Instead of using social media, networking groups, social/service organizations, and events to try to sell them something, watch and listen.

Ask good questions. They’ll tell you what they want, when they want it and how they’d like to receive it.

 

3. Find bigger fish in bigger streams. 

Both fish and plants grow proportionately to their surroundings. Therefore, genetically large fish may have their growth limited by the size of their stream.

Are you fishing in streams where your most ideal fish are swimming?

 

4. Learn how to make them jump into your paws.

All you need is a strategic process that will make them jump right into your paws.

Once you learn what they want or need, when they need it and how they’d like for you to offer it to them, you just simply connect them to who you know that can provide what they want. The more that you repeat this process, the more that people will hear that you are the person that can help them.

Before long, they start bringing their families and friends to you. Then, you’re simply helping them with what you can help them with or finding one of your connections that can help them.

 

PS. If you feel frustrated that you may be fishing in the wrong stream for the size of fish that you’re looking for, I’m happy to guide you. Or if you know that you’re in the right spot and they’re just jumping right past you into the paws of your competitor, let’s talk. If I can’t find you the right answer, I know people that can.

 

 

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Best Practices Entrepreneurship Management Marketing Personal Development

Why Your Elevator Pitch Still Matters

If you want to attract an investor, get a job, get a raise, or maybe even get a date: you’ve got to have an elevator pitch. Or, more accurately: The NEW Elevator Pitch.

Some might think of the elevator pitch as a throwback to a long-ago era, before technology became commonplace. And that’s true: the elevator platform has been replaced with the social platform.

While it’s true that you can swipe right to make a connection, that’s only the start of the conversation. An employer might be interested because of your LinkedIn profile. But sooner or later, someone is going to say,

So, tell me a little bit about yourself. What do you do?

The online conversation can only take you so far. According to this article in Harvard Business Review, over two-thirds of managers are uncomfortable communicating with employees. Are we losing the ability to have an effective conversation?

The need for a new kind of conversation has never been greater. The influx of technology is crippling our ability to interact, and that old-school “facetime” conversation is now stilted, awkward and uncomfortable. Why?

  • We still need to persuade others, and get them enrolled in new ideas
  • Investors still want to hear from you, personally, before they part with their money
  • Hiring the best and the brightest means being able to share your story quickly – clearly – concisely

When you want to persuade and influence the people that matter most (whether that’s your life partner or business partner), you’ve got to understand these key components of a new kind of conversation. That conversation is what I call the NEW Elevator Pitch.

  • If it doesn’t matter to your listener, it doesn’t matter: Have you ever met someone who can only talk about themselves? I know one guy who was out on a date and his conversation starter was, “So what have you heard about me?” Wow. Yikes. Ouch. And for entrepreneurs, the problem can be just as challenging: focusing on your business, without looking at the impact for the investor, is deadly. Sure, you’ve worked hard, and your life experiences make you who you are, but at the end of the day: what matters most? Is it your past…or your potential? Ultimately, you have to turn what you’ve done in the past into what you can do for others. Otherwise, what matters to you won’t matter much.
  • Create a “Tell Me More..”: If you want to know if you’ve got a great pitch, remember this: the best ‘pitch’ isn’t a pitch at all. It’s a conversation. A conversation that makes your listener say, “Tell me more.” Those three words – tell me more – let you know that you’ve started a dialogue. That’s how you know if someone is interested. And if you’re wondering, “What’s the opposite of ‘tell me more’?”, the answer is: “So what?”
  • Include an invitation: The NEW Elevator Pitch is a persuasive conversation. In other words, you want someone to take action. That means that just providing information isn’t enough. Information is everywhere. I know, because I just googled it. Information doesn’t always lead to action. Think about it: you know you shouldn’t eat that second donut. But there it is. Your knowledge can’t stop you from snarfing down that delicious chocolate covered donut. What is it that makes people want to take action? This video can tell you more, but basically: you’ve got to remember to include an invitation. An invitation that’s easy to say ‘yes’ to. An invitation that’s logical, simple and clear. If you don’t offer a next step, how can people know what action you hope to create? And more importantly, how can someone learn what kind of outcome you might be able to achieve, together?

 

You don’t need to be an entrepreneur to be in the market for a great pitch. You just have to have an idea worth sharing. All you need is a story to tell. You have ideas you want to share. The NEW Elevator Pitch can help you to deliver your message.

My question for you is: do you know how to bring your ideas to life?

For more resources that can help you to access your authentic story, take a look at my YouTube channel. And, if you would like some help with your pitch, don’t hesitate to reach out to me here.

New results could be just one conversation away.

 

About the Author

A coach to entrepreneurial leaders on four continents, Chris Westfall has helped transform brands across the globe. His clients have appeared on Shark Tank, Dragons Den in Canada and also Shark Tank – Australia. Recognized as the US NATIONAL ELEVATOR PITCH CHAMPION, he regularly provides guidance to C-Suite executives on powerful communication skills.  Follow him on twitter or Instagram, and check out over 200 videos on effective communication, via his YouTube Channel.