The Most Effective Marketing Secret You'll Ever Hear

Women love to talk and are naturally supportive in almost every environment, especially in their business. How many times have you talked with a woman and gave her a recommendation on where she can get her hair done, offered her a time-saver or told her where she can buy what she needs, ON SALE of course! By offering just a few referrals, you have just made her beautiful, gave her more precious time and saved her money. By now, you have just become her new best friend. She feels that if she needs support, she can contact you for advice or possibly offer her help by putting her in touch with someone else. This referral system is also known as a "Network". Most women are born with this technique and some have become "Networking-A-holics!" They love to connect others and find a way to help one another.

Here are a few secrets to help you become a powerful networker:

• Always have your business cards on you, with a back-up stash in your car!
• Wear a nametag everywhere you go, it identifies who you are and provides the other person something to talk to you about
• Ask how you can personally help them
• Listen to her and be fully engaged in the conversation
• Follow up by phone, email or another in-person meeting. Join her for a cup of coffee somewhere.
• Be on the look out for what she needs
• Keep a contact management system like ACT! so you can easily retrieve information for your referral
• Hand write a note on the back of your card with a lead, a contact or other valuable information
• Be a giver of referrals without any strings attached, remember the old saying, "Give and ye shall receive".
• Attend networking events whenever possible
• Make it your goal to meet 3 new people each week and learn as much as you can about them
• Find a way you can promote them and get them more business
• Be prepared to introduce yourself (in 60 seconds or less).

Networking is one of the most valuable skills you can develop for the success of your business. There are plenty of organizations that can provide you access to people locally or nationwide. You should visit a few and determine if they offer a full assortment of ways to help you market and promote your company specifically to your target market. Remember, networking is about building relationships so don't assume everyone will do business with you immediately. It's a process and takes time to cultivate and grow. Make a commitment to be involved and attend regularly otherwise you might just miss shaking hands with your next customer!