It’s finally Friday! But first, let’s put next week events on the calendar:

Hey! Andres here,

Welcome to the networking desk! I don’t know about you, but I am ready for the weekend. This was a week of hard work and I know a lot of you out there are working hard too, keep it going guys, you are making a difference :)

IF YOU ARE TRULY MAKING A DIFFERENCE or even small wins, remember:

🌟 Don’t forget to share your networking wins (or business wins and tips) to be featured next time!

Here’s what we got this week:

• Questions that get referrals while networking

• Local Networking events next week

Alright, let’s do this.

“Lean forward moment” of the week - ☎️ Talk Better, Get Referrals

I realized I haven’t written about networking in a while, there’s just so much to cover haha, but this is why I enjoy business. Unlimited learning (yes, sorry, I am a nerd).

What I want to talk about this week is skipping small talk, or at least the same questions…

I keep hearing “what do you do?”, “are you new to the chamber?”, and these are valid questions, but it just shows that you are not really looking for connections, and they will forget you spoke with them by the end of the day.

I got some better conversations starters to use. Always ask hyper-specific questions to get people talking, these create meaningful connections.

• ‘What are you most excited about this month?’

• ‘Outside of work, what do you love doing?’

• ‘How did you make your very first dollar?’

• ‘Do you have any recent big accomplishments?’

These responses lead to a more interesting conversation and true connections to be made.

Which leads us to…

Referral Triggers

A lot of people think referrals come when you ask, ‘Know anyone who needs a website?’, or ‘if you know anyone looking for a house…’ But most of the time, referrals happen when someone hears a specific problem and thinks of you.

These are called referral triggers.

Examples:

• ‘I hate that we can’t fit more than 2 people on my kitchen’ - they might be looking to move

• ‘Don’t go to our website to donate, instead scan this QR code’ - they might need a new website

• ‘Next Monday I will actually start going to the gym’ - they might need a trainer, or maybe it is just all of us, lol

When you hear that kind of pain, your brain connects the dots. That’s when you refer someone. Not from a vague pitch. So make sure that these triggers are mention during your conversations. Share when your ideal clients are in most pain, so people can identify them for you.

The real conversations like we talked about in the beginning create conversations that connect people and lead to these triggers.

Contrast this:

❌ “I help people looking to get more leads”

With this:

✅ “My ideal clients complain about only 1 or 2 landscaping calls per week, those are the people I can truly help to book 1 or 2 per day”

Help others paint that clear picture when they talk about their business. This is how you become referable. Be helpful.

Next week, try switching up your networking conversations. Ask better questions.

Share your business in a way that focuses on the pain you solve. And listen for those referral triggers from other people too, they’re what actually build your network.

💻 Shameless plug

Hey! In case you didn’t know, I make websites and help non-profits to stay top of mind to create more revenue.

OR JUST RESPOND TO THIS EMAIL!

🗓️ Now, the events…

⭐️ Let me know what you think of this format… I think it might be easier to read.

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Thank you for reading! Quick thing before I go:

1. If you are new or would like to read older posts, check out this page. There is a backlog of previous weeks of “The Networking Desk”

2. Know someone who would benefit from this newsletter? Be sure to share it with them! 📩 (just copy the link or forward this email) I will keep putting out great newsletters for them and for you. That’s a promise.

See you next week.

- Andres Inciarte