The BIGG Successs Show
Quit Jumping on Me Like a Dog!
5 tips for successful networking. Read our show summary at biggsuccess.com.
Welcome to The Big Success Show. Today, we'll talk about why you should not jump on people like a dog. The Big Success Show with George and Mary Lynn. We sent out a big salute to Chris Brogan for coining this wonderful phrase. And Chris is a fantastic social networker. And we've got a link to his blog on ours today at BigSuccess.com. And Chris gave us permission to run with this. Now, he was talking about a situation with an overly aggressive salesperson that he had just met. And this salesperson obviously was trying to get his business. And Chris said, and we quote, "This guy wouldn't quit jumping on me like a dog." I think it was something like that. It was something like that, I guess. Well, the problem was, as Chris told us, his tail wasn't wagging. But the salesperson just wouldn't let up. And we've all dealt with someone like this, that supercharger who has their own agenda and just doesn't seem to respond to any cues you may give off. And a person with this networking style actually risks losing a prospect before he or she even has them. That's right, Mary Lynn. And so, if you don't want to be one of those people, people who jump on other people like a dog. There he is again. There he is again. Here are four networking tips to keep in mind. First, don't get too revved up about what you do and what you offer, because you may jump on people like a dog. Just because you're all revved up doesn't mean they're revved up, right? So respond to the cues from the other person. They may be very responsive to what you're saying. If that's the case, keep going like a dog. Second, when you meet someone for the first time, don't just pitch, pitch, pitch. It'll seem like you're jumping on them like a dog. Yeah, try to get to know them. Start building a relationship. What are their interests? If you can find out, what are their challenges? Yeah, if you start the conversation by talking about them, you'll almost certainly be invited to tell them about you. So keep it short and give them your elevator speech. And third, don't try to get a commitment from them right then and there. That's really jumping on them like a dog. Know what you want to accomplish, but keep it reasonable. It's a step-by-step process, right? If you exchange business cards and have a brief conversation, that may be a great start. Now you can follow up and try to get to the next step. And fourth, don't assume that now is a great time for them to talk to you in depth. That's another way to jump on them like a dog. Exactly, because you don't know what they may have on their mind, what kind of day they've had, what kind of mood they're in. Wouldn't you rather talk to them about this when they can give it the attention it deserves? Yeah, because you know what you have to offer is great, and so it deserves 100% of their attention. And coming up, what internet marketers can teach us about building ongoing relationships. Today we're talking about why being too aggressive when you network is like jumping on people like a dog. I just, I love that. Good talking. Yeah, that's right, down boy. There's a little trick that internet marketers use to know who they should focus their efforts on. It's real simple. They ask us to opt in. They get our permission to market to us by asking for our email. And you can do the same thing in person. T's what you can do, and then ask for permission to follow up. If they say no, no big deal, somebody's bound to say yes, right? Yeah, and when they do, then follow up on your promise to keep them wanting even more. Speaking of which, you can opt into our newsletter, so you're the first to see what's new and notable on big success. Plus, when you do, you'll get our goal-setting workbook, and it's all free. And to get signed up, all you have to do is go to our website at big success that's bigwith2g success.com. That's also where we have a written summary of today's show, and let's get our big quote for the day, George. Our big quote comes from Bob Berg, author of The Go Giver. Yeah, we've got a link to our interview with Bob. He's a great guy. And Bob said, "The successful networkers I know. The ones receiving tons of referrals and feeling truly happy about themselves. Continually put the other person's needs ahead of their own." So don't jump on people like dogs, because that dog won't hunt. Well, dog gone at Mary Lane. You just can't quit talking about dogs today. Somebody needs to throw me a bone here. Well, speaking of bones next time, we'll talk about how to get in the loop to gain a competitive advantage. And until then, here's to your big success. The Big Success Show at B-I-G-G Success.com (music) [BLANK_AUDIO]