At a recent breakfast meeting at one of our brand-new groups, I found that Robbin Barnes, a branch manager for Real Living Kee Realty, took it upon herself to arrange for a lunch meeting with the other three women in the group. She told me that she felt it was a wonderful way to assist them in getting to know each other quicker. All four praised the move as a way to jumpstart their group and take real ownership. If this sounds like a good idea, why not make it your mission to arrange for a lunch meeting with the members in your group?
From that luncheon, two of the members realized they were calling on the same types of clients and developed a unique friendship. They came up with an exceptional idea I wanted to share, they started cold calling together every Wednesday.
Find a cold-calling partner and start setting up times to prospect together.
Ashlyn Willard, from Edward Jones, and Jamie Dunn, from Paycor, have turned cold calling into a way of having a good time. For those of you who still must do that, this is a way to get yourself out of the office. I asked Jamie to put their exercise in writing for me to share with everyone:
“Ashlyn and I started partnering together once a week to cold call local businesses. We discovered that our services align in the fact that she does 401K plans, and our technologies, integrate to provide the client with a unified HR system. We have some preplanned drops and others we just stop in! We have both uncovered opportunities for business, and we have a blast doing it!”
Even though Jamie is a very involved mother of two young, traveling team hockey players, she can still plan sometime around participating in some of our events, as well. I like what she told me about our organization:
“I was reluctant to join the SNG because I thought it was just like all the other business networking groups. The ones I had been exposed to in the past were bland and not for me. I’m delighted I took the time to become aware of the different form of business development they had created.
“Getting referrals from my group, and the members I have met in the SNG organization, have made business development, not only easy, but fun! I have established relationships with many referral partners. There is no way I would have had the success without the support of the SNG!”
I was pleasantly surprised to find the ladies were not the only ones working together!
Don Johnston, from Schooley Mitchell Business Optimization Specialist, and Jay Penfil, from Powerhome Solar, are also making business calls together.
Jay had some really nice things to say about the SNG and is actively inviting people to become members. Here is a recent comment:
“I keep hitting homeruns with the SNG. When I went to their Building Trades Chili Cook-off at Hard Rock Stone Works, I met Don Johnston. We are now working with each other’s clients and doing partner cold calls together.
“It seems that every SNG event I go to yields new opportunities for me.”
Don Johnston, who has been a member since October 2017, wanted to add the following:
“What appealed to me was, when you join one of their groups, you, essentially, are joining the whole organization. I can intermingle with all the membership by participating in the leagues and activities. By being an active member, I decide which of the multiple events I want to attend and can fit into my busy schedule. Through the events, I have expanded my marketing area, and I am being pulled, in a great way, all over Metro Detroit.”
There is an old saying, “You are a composite of the five people you spend the most time with.” The SNG, with the quality members we have, allow people to raise their standards by being able to associate with leaders in the community. The Sunrise Networking Group is a terrific training and learning facility for fresh salespeople, or experienced ones that need “freshening up!”
My question is, how beneficial is it to youthful people, newly starting their business careers, to have the ability to associate with seasoned, quality professionals? I would make it a prerequisite for new hires to join our organization, if for nothing more than, the exposure and experience to be acquired by associating with our variety of such people.
At the SNG, we believe, “You don’t have to be the life of the party, but you must be, at the party!” What creative ways are you working with your fellow members to expand your business development, while having fun?
Copyright Wayne A. Curto 2020