The Holy Grail of Getting Business Referrals And Finding Jobs

Part One

I went to a networking meeting in Richmond yesterday and had a great time.  I walked in the door and immediately connected with a few people. Learning where a few folks originally grew up, a little about their story and finally a little bit about what they do.  The meeting started off pretty standard, with business cards being exchanged and warm smiles all around. Then sitting across from me, was a familiar voice.  “There is the mystical person – Chris. You DO exist!”  How cool would it be if you went to networking event, or had a job opportunity where the folks already knew of you.  Better yet, they knew you personally and you haven’t opened your mouth yet.  How does one do that? It’s not how you think?

Ok, I’ll explain the “mystical person” thing right off the bat so I don’t lose half the folks reading this. The person speaking to me was Vicki Griffith. A person dedicated to helping women get to the root of the things that hold them back and then move them forward. The dirty little secret is that Vicki and I have never met in person; however, I was honored to have her as a guest on our recorded Refuse Ordinary “Ask The Expert Series.” I was recommended to her by asking various networking contacts for a person that could speak on the topic of why people sometimes have a hard time saying “no.” Within two days, I had no less than ten people telling me to reach out to Vicki.

It took A LOT OF WORK for Vicki to be that well-known but isn’t that what you want?  The easiest way to accomplish this is having people willingly be your biggest fans.  You see it all the time; the plumber everyone calls, the charter captain that has a two year waiting list, the doctor everyone recommends, or the trainer everyone uses?  Ironically, the same methods can be used to eventually help a person get connected to someone who might be hiring, even if the position is not known to the world yet.

Over 1.2 million people live in the Richmond Metro area, how did I find Vickie without leaving my house? I did what you would do; I asked around. I was looking for a speaker and I wasn’t sure who would be a good fit.  I was very specific about what I wanted and started to ask around. Remember, in two days, I had ten people recommend that I reach out to Vickie.  I researched her website, asked about her professional reputation (sterling by the way) and finally asked Will, “Hey! I think Vickie might be a great person…” I couldn’t finish the sentence before Will said, “I know her very well. She is awesome and has really established herself as an expert.”  Long story short, you know that six degrees of separation thing, it was more like one. There was one more critical thing that really sets folks apart. Vickie, Will and I all have one thing in common. Not only is it part of our business to provide a great service BUT first and foremost we make it our “job” to help as many folks as we can so we are also known as people who help connect people. So here are some tips for being an influencer and creating opportunities:

Tip # 1 – Develop a reputation for helping people even if it doesn’t directly help you, especially in a networking  opportunity (call it karma or paying it forward; what goes around comes around).

Tip # 2 – Do great work and get yourself out there so the right people know who you are and what you do (it’s not who you know it’s who knows you).

Tip #3 – Job or client hunting? Be specific about what you are looking for or the people you really want as clients and work towards becoming an expert because who doesn’t want to be introduced as the expert!

Next week I’ll talk about the four networking sources for you next business or career opportunity. See if you have them all.