Have you built up enough rapport with a potential referral partner that you would like to invite him to have coffee? Great!

Let me take you on a tour of tenacity.

Ready?

Make the invitation, and when you do, assume the meeting. Assuming the meeting means you extend the invitation with the meeting in mind. Assuming the meeting helps in two ways.

First, you will write or speak more confidently to the other person if you think positively.

Your confidence will seep into the email, leaving a great first impression.

Second, assuming the meeting is efficient. Especially in an email or message format, you want to avoid your referral partner taking an extra step. Why ask someone if they are willing to meet you in one email, and ask for a day and time in a whole other email that has to be answered.

A short, polite invitation with days and times for your prospect to choose from allows him to look at his calendar, pick days/times you’ve offered (a great technique from Sales Maven Nikki Rausch), or decline, all in one step.

A good “reach out” email will look something like:

What if he doesn’t reply right away? Don’t pack up your bag just yet. Keep your negative thoughts at bay with these strategies.

Three Dos and Three Don'ts

Do:

• 1. Keep an open mind.

Remember, your potential referral partners are just as busy, as you. Remember how cluttered email boxes are. No need to be the least bit concerned if you don’t hear back in a day, or even a week.

• 2. Try another method of communication.

Often a prospect will reply to a FB message but not an email, or vice versa.

• 3. Evaluate.

In networking and in business, we need to always be evaluating our systems, our words, and our ideas. Look at your actions from a neutral point of view and evaluate your assumptions.

Ask yourself:

• Could I have made the email stand out more? (I assumed I didn’t need my email to stand out in order to gain his attention.

• Was the email full of typos? (I assumed he wouldn't care about typos.)

• Was the email too long? (I assume the email will be read word for word, instead of scanned.)

Any of these email/message missteps could turn him off, and you’ll need to work that much harder to get back on his radar. Don’t beat yourself up if mistakes are made. There are plenty of referral partners out there for you, and maybe even if one of these mistakes were made, he just hasn’t gotten around to replying because he is so busy.

Don’t:

• 1. Leave your email or message to die in the interwebs. Email him again after a week. Keep this email shorter than the first and use language that doesn't pressure or judge, but inquires.

Here is an example of a follow up email you might send:

• 2. Say, “I hope” when you reach back out.

“I hope” is passive.

Sales coach Nikki Rausch taught me this: When you ask “How are you doing?” instead of “I hope you are doing well,” you force yourself to be ready and accept whatever answer is given.

Are you merely “hoping” for engagement, or are you actively making it happen, by showing true interest in what your referral partner is up to?

• 3. Tell yourself the story that you aren’t worthy of the prospect’s time.

Negative self talk doesn’t serve you. Until your prospect tells you directly, you have no idea why the he has not returned your email/call etc.

• 4. Act in Desperation

After the first follow up email, do not continue to email or message a prospect that is ghosting you. Instead, fine tune your process and go find another prospect who will be thrilled to enter into a referral based relationship with you. Networking for my window cleaning business taught me, over time, to think in terms of plenty instead of famine.

Let me save you the years it took me to understand the plenty/famine dynamic by encouraging you to see the business world through the lens of abundance rather than scarcity. Fine tuning all of your skills, not just networking skills, will help you see the abundant business just waiting for you to earn.

New small businesses start everyday, and the go-getter business owners who pour their hearts into their business want to meet others with the same tenacity. They want to meet you.

Intentionally connect with the people you know you need to be around, a strategy made easier with practice. Once you have a few meetings under your belt, begin to network up, across, and down. Are you curious about what I mean?

Find out here, here, and here.

Go network my friend, and remember;

People want to talk to you. You just have to be willing to ask.

Faithann Basore and her husband Dave have owned Window Cleaning Plus (WCP) for 10 years. Growing WCP through networking has given Faithann the desire to guide other small business owners through the networking terrain so they can feel comfortable and build long lasting relationships in their business.

Got networking questions? Email me at [email protected].