Business Networking: Expect What You Want
Business Networking: Expect What You Want
Author: Sara Blumenfeld
When interacting with clients, prospects, or anyone for that matter, your expectations determine the outcome.� Do you expect your clients, prospects or referral partners to never be available to take your calls, delay in returning your emails, demand terms you are not comfortable with, or switch to your competition at the slightest provocation?� Or do you expect your them to happily take your phone calls, answer your email to them within two hours, offer terms that benefit all parties, and remain loyal to you because of your friendship?
It is worth the time to make a list of what you expect from the people you interact with, and what you want them to expect from you. Make separate lists for each category of people in your life:� employees, employer, business partners you serve, prospects, business partners who serve you, family, friends, etc.� First get clear on your expectations, and then deliberately review those expectations before your interactions (for instance, you might want to read through the work-related ones in the morning before your go to work and the family/friend related ones before you go home).� This gets your mind focused on how you want the interactions to go, and as you practice these expectations they will show up more often in your life.
To help you get started on your lists, let me give you an example from my own business.� I am a law of attraction life coach.� Some of my expectations for my clients include: enthusiastically refers other perfect clients, is on time and prepared for every coaching session, keeps her commitments to action,� provides glowing testimonials, returns calls/emails within 8 business hours, always looks forward to our interactions, subscribes to and positively comments on my blog at least once a week, values my time, and is decisive.
Some of my expectations of what I will provide to my clients include: be fully present during our interaction, be on time and prepared for interactions, give them more value than they paid for, surprise and delight them, keep their information confidential, treat them with respect and professionalism, and act with integrity and honesty.
You can also make a list of what to expect from an event.� For instance, when I attend a networking mixer I expect to reconnect with 2 or 3 people I know, meet 2 or 3 new people and devote 15-20 minutes of conversation focused on getting to know them, feel relaxed and confident, write down any commitments I make, follow up on my conversations and commitments within 24 hours of the event, and develop 1 new relationship further by inviting the person to lunch.
When you deliberately decide what you expect from those you come in contact with, and from yourself, you focus on what you want, and thereby attract more of it into your life.
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