Business Networking and Sex - Ivan Misner [89]
Please make sure you are measuring the bottom line results you are getting from your various activities. Then step back and look at how you are investing into the relationships from those activities. I want you to look at each relationship and question whether it is worthwhile for your business and then look at it from their perspective. What ROI would you say are they getting from their relationship with you? Let’s remember, your opinion on this does not matter. It is what they think and believe that matters to them. However, it needs to matter to you, because if they are not seeing you as a value asset and you are not seeing them as one, then the two of you have a great opportunity to develop a relationship that could end up being very beneficial to both of you.
Men, women are good at this part. We are to focused on the formula. The formula is nice, measuring is important, but the person, the relationship is what matters more. So, track and measure.
She Says . . .
Time is often an in-demand commodity for most women. When we look at the statistics for the time spent networking between men and women, it comes as no surprise at all that men belong to more organizations, spend more time attending events, and on average spend more time per week networking than women do. Yet men state that they get less business from their networks than women do. Are men and women guessing about their time and results? Or do they actually have systems? In my work with hundreds of businessmen and women around this very topic, it is very rare that I find a man or a woman actually tracking their personal time and results.
One gentleman named Eric had an impeccable system around his activities and his results. He knew exactly how much time he was spending, what organizations were developing results for him, and how much money he made from each and every activity. In ten years, I have only met one person who actually could show me his system. Most of us just guess at our time spent and results, often estimating or guessing considerably over or under the actual.
If you a networking for your business, you have to measure your results. Time is money, and you cannot regain lost time. If I lost everything I have today, I know that given enough time I could recreate my wealth. The key is, would I have enough time? For women it always comes down to time, time for our family, time for work, time for friends, time for our self and others. To make the best use of our time we have to start by measuring our results.
I know, I know! I hear it all the time, you don’t want to commercialize your networks, you don’t want to seem pushy, you don’t want to infringe upon the relationships. I just want to remind you that this is a book about business networking. Business requires measurements!
Measure Your Groups
• Make a list of all the groups that you are in right now.
• Ask yourself, why am I in this group and write down the reason.
• You have your list, now which of those groups still serve a purpose for you?
• How much business are you getting and how much are you giving to the people in those groups?
• Are you in groups just for support or did you intend to get and give referrals in the group?
• How long have you been a member of the group?
At the end of every year or before you decided to join another group, go through this process, and then decide what groups you are going to keep and which ones you are going to leave. CAUTION: Do not join groups, sit back and wait for things to happen, then walk away and say it did not work. You get out of any group what you are willing to put in. Take a look at yourself before you blame others or the group for your lack of referrals or business.
Here is a list of four things you should be measuring:
1. Time. How much time