Most people will tell you that their business comes mostly from referrals, recommendations, introductions and word of mouth. Yet could you tell me:

• Where each of your referrals comes from.
• How to identify and develop your best referral sources.
• Exactly how many referrals your need.
• What kind of referrals your're looking for.
• The amount of business you generate by referral.

Considering this is your best source of business, shouldn't you be a little more on top of this kind of information? Read more and I'll show you how it works...

Ever heard 'I'd love to do more networking but I don't have the time'?

If you don't have or make the time, you will not and cannot network. If you do not network you will not make the contacts you need to increase your influence and win more business.

Let's assume you think networking in all its many forms (online and offline) is a valuable way to achieve your goals. How good are you at finding the time to do it?

I've taught thousands of people to be professional networkers. Here are my top ten tips for making the time to network...

You're good. You have a well-thought-out referral marketing plan and you regularly get referrals from a range of special referral partners, right?

WRONG. Or at the least, unlikely.

Why? Because very few people have any kind of strategy for generating referrals beyond 'we deliver a great service and we ask for them occasionally.' Is it any wonder most people claim to grow their business by referral but struggle to get as many of the right kinds of referrals?

I'd like to give you some food for thought on an area of weakness for many referral marketing disciples - the follow up. In strong contact networking groups like BNI, you have one of the most powerful referral generating mechanisms in the world. But you still have to do the follow up and make the sale.

Depending on the complexity of what you're selling, the sales cycle and the ticket price, it may pay to go into some detail with your fact-finding on this new prospect. Here are 12 of the best questions I've used in the past to help me make the right kind of approach in the right kind of way to make the right kind of sale!

1. Who do they follow, admire or like?
2. How do you know each other?
3. Why is this a good referral for me?
4. How do you think they will respond to my approach?
5. What's the best way to get their attention/onside?
6. What drives them?
7. Will your referral partner/introducer be contacting the prospect?
8. How will contact be made?
9. How might they react when I approach them?
10. What are they likely to say?
11. What's the best place and time to contact the prospect?
12. What possible objections might I have to overcome?

Answers to just a few of these will put you in a better position to make the sale. And the more you can educate your referral partners, the more these questions are answered for you.

To learn more about how to craft a referral marketing plan that will double your business by referral in 12 months, guaranteed, here are two ways forward:

1. If you live in the East Midlands, and can get to Nottingham, Derby or Leicester in the next few weeks, come to one of our Referral Institute Success Masterclasses. Simply click a date to the right here - we run them once a month in each town.
2. If you live anywhere else, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it about you joining my intense six week Networking and Referrals Mentoring Program. It's incredible!
   

Here's to more referrals for all of us - there are plenty to go around if you know what you're doing. Get some education!

You're good. You have a well-thought-out referral marketing plan and you regularly get referrals from a range of special referral partners, right?

WRONG. Or at the least, unlikely.

Why? Because very few people have any kind of strategy for generating referrals beyond 'we deliver a great service and we ask for them occasionally.' Is it any wonder most people claim to grow their business by referral but struggle to get as many of the right kinds of referrals?

I'd like to give you some food for thought on an area of weakness for many referral marketing disciples - the follow up. In strong contact networking groups like BNI, you have one of the most powerful referral generating mechanisms in the world. But you still have to do the follow up and make the sale.

Depending on the complexity of what you're selling, the sales cycle and the ticket price, it may pay to go into some detail with your fact-finding on this new prospect. Here are 12 of the best questions I've used in the past to help me make the right kind of approach in the right kind of way to make the right kind of sale!

1. Who do they follow, admire or like?
2. How do you know each other?
3. Why is this a good referral for me?
4. How do you think they will respond to my approach?
5. What's the best way to get their attention/onside?
6. What drives them?
7. Will your referral partner/introducer be contacting the prospect?
8. How will contact be made?
9. How might they react when I approach them?
10. What are they likely to say?
11. What's the best place and time to contact the prospect?
12. What possible objections might I have to overcome?

Answers to just a few of these will put you in a better position to make the sale. And the more you can educate your referral partners, the more these questions are answered for you.

To learn more about how to craft a referral marketing plan that will double your business by referral in 12 months, guaranteed, here are two ways forward:

1. If you live in the East Midlands, and can get to Nottingham, Derby or Leicester in the next few weeks, come to one of our Referral Institute Success Masterclasses. Simply click a date to the right here - we run them once a month in each town.
2. If you live anywhere else, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it about you joining my intense six week Networking and Referrals Mentoring Program. It's incredible!
   

Here's to more referrals for all of us - there are plenty to go around if you know what you're doing. Get some education!

Personal marketing is all about working on yourself. It's the EVE ratio - the proportion of time you spend on your education vs your entertainment. I discovered this from iLearning Global - it's a really powerful way to assess where you are putting your time.

Working on yourself will help you create a fortune. It will bring you the recognition, the kudos and ultimate 'go to'status for what you do.

There are no secrets to success. If there were, pretty much everyone would know about it and everyone would be successful. The truth is, being successful (whatever success looks for you) is the application of various core principles. I've not seen anything better than this three minute video for setting it all out for you.

Have a look and embarrass yourself that you're not doing at least half the ten things on this video. Then wonder why why you're not doing as well as you should be!

Came across this terrific 3min video called Smile and Move. It's a great little motivator to start your day!

I also like the messages around contribution, value, consideration, relationships and giving. All of these character-based traits are fundamental in leaving legacies, creating a compelling reputation and getting people to choose you first. Take a look.

If you want people to think, feel, do and say particular things when they come into contact with you or your name, you have to inspire them to do so. You've got to be just a little better and different to what they're already seeing. If you want people to...

• Pay a premium for your product or service.
• Buy from you instead of you selling to them.
• Take a look at your network marketing opportunity.
• Promote you instead of your colleague.
• Hire you instead of your rival.
• Award your pitch the business rather than your competition....

... then you've got to give them good reasons for doing so. When you smile more, give more, share more, know more, engage more and think more, the role of overwhelming 'go to' status and ultimate number one is yours to lose!

I'm a member of TED, where I watch at least one great video a week to inspire and educate me to raise my game constantly.

As an authority on business reputations, I'm always hungry to learn what makes some people successful (and usually well-reputed) and others fail. This video by Richard St John lasts 3 mins and 30 secs. It shows that many of the things that lead to success also lead to a great reputation. Watch it now.

If you're going to make an impact, leave a legacy, create a disruption, become a leader worth following or be so irresistible that people always come to you when they need what you do, you need to watch this!

Now what are you doing that will lead to success, whatever success looks like for you?

When you achieve success, people take notice. You begin to impact lives. Success is rarely an isolated event. And your reputation acquires an aura, a compelling attraction that makes you irresistible. When you're successful, you increase the likelihood that:

1. You'll create more wealth.
2. You'll attract more opportunities.
3. You'll get more interesting work.
4. You'll make more interesting connections.
5. You'll have more choices.
6. You'll be more influential.

All of these are the pay-offs for a reputation as the number one choice and trusted voice for what you do. Now isn't that interesting?

Strive for success, and it's likely your reputation will take care of itself.

Was proud to speak alongside FW de Clerk yesterday at the 'Network for Networth' Academy for Chief Executives Southern Regional Conference (thanks to brilliant photographer Giles Christopher for the photo).

Organised by the great Joe Adams, brilliantly hosted by Richard Brooman, Mike Burnage and Brian Chernett, and taking place at the fabulous Warren House, this was a day for great speakers, great audiences and great networking!

Mr de Clerk is an incredible man with enormous gravitas, great authenticity and deep insight. I loved his quote that many people in business and government spend their time thinking of brilliant ways to do the wrong things better!

Other terrific speakers and experts you should know about that 'led the line':

Andy Lopata: One of the few people that know as much about networking as me! And the best connector I know...

Neil Poynter: Great thoughts on leadership and engagement. Passionate about building people to be extraordinary!

Simon Ricketts: Really entertaining sales speaker with a track record to blow your socks off!

I met some really interesting people with really interesting jobs and really boring ways of telling people about it! See, most people are lousy at networking, at mingling and particularly at introducing themselves and others.

That's why I devote my work to helping people like you build better reputations. It makes you irresistible and memorable.

I ran a 70 minute live networking session with a mixture of motivation (inspiring people to do it), education (upskilling people to do it) and participation (making people do it)!

Here are a few of my soundbites and exercises from that session:

1. Remember your richest resources will always be in your richest relationships. When I first came up with this phrase, I was brooding on the brilliant BNI motto, Givers Gain.


2. See networking as simply personal marketing. When you look at it that way, it's less intimidating. You're selling you and nothing else. Put another way, 'your net worth is in your network'
   


3. Consider that networking is a jigsaw. Lots of little things come together to make great networkers. It’s not one underlying trait or skill. It's a blend of little things like your handshake, your introductions, your badge, your business card and your follow up.
   


4. Decide the tip of your arrow. This is what you lead with. It's the first thing that comes out of your mouth. What can you say that will make any kind of impact into people's busy lives? what can get under their skin in a good way in those precious first few seconds?


5. Use a variety of elevator speeches. This is such a crucial topic, I wrote a full Pocket Guide on it! These are my 'Business Books in 40 Minutes'. In it you'll find lots of powerful hints, tips and scripts to introduce yourself better and answer the 'what do you do?' question with impact and interest. Take a look>>


6. Practise your introductions. We did five types - your best client (and why), the best part of your job (and why), your biggest challenge, an example, war story or case study of something great you've done recently for a customer and the big one...


7. ...USE KILLER QUESTIONS! These are one or two questions that you can bring into a conversation that people can use to position you and create an opening for you. For instance, if you were positioning me, you'd ask someone the following question: "Do you have conferences or seminars for your people where you bring in motivational speakers or business experts from outside?" When they say yes, you simply ask; "Well, could I recommend someone to you that would do a fantastic job?" And away you go talking about Rob Brown.


8. Have unbalanced conversations. The average balanced conversation is 40% you talking, 40% them talking and 20% comfortable silence. Great networkers skew that to 30-10-60. Talk less, listen more, ask insightful questions. People will think you're fascinating!

Where to now? Check out Clive Gott's Blog for some more great insight and feedback on this event. He's a blast and one of life's true entertainers!

And if you love personal development, go here to see what I consider to be the future of learning and development>>

What many people don't realise about building relationships is that you've got to go out there and find them in the first place. New friends, customers and suppliers are not just going to land on your doorstep, unless your advertising and marketing is incredible. You need to be a little more proactive. Here are four of my best ideas to help you source and build the relationships you need for profit and success!

1. Take More Risks. Be brave. Take a chance! Approach a stranger. Who know what conversations lie on the other side of a courageous question? Who know what sales lie on the other side of a courageous close? Who knows what romance lies on the other side of a courageous approach?

"Nothing in life is worth having that doesn't lie on the other side of a risk"
Columbian proverb

2. Raise Your Profile. Get your name out there more. Let people know you're there. It doesn't serve your purpose to think small, and it doesn't help your cause to be the best kept secret in the world. Your strategy for survival is visibility, as on old mentor once taught me. Profile yourself with my three Ps - publish (books and articles), present (speaking, seminars) and party (networking).

3. Keep In Touch. Stay connected after the initial connection. Many relationships are like the seed that falls on stony ground. They never take root, and never get the love, attention, water and nourishment they need to grow. Anyone can say hello once. It's finding reasons to stay in touch, finding ways to help and offer value, finding things in common that is the mark of a great relationship builder.

4. Be A Connector. Be a conduit that people go through to get to others. Good mavens (as they are called) are good at joining the dots of people's careers, interests and desires. They make great introductions. If you can be a networking hub, people will come to you for advice on who to talk to for all kinds of things.

Get these right, and before too long, you'll be the talk of the town. Your business relationships will blossom and both your personal and company reputation will go sky high!

Change doesn't stop in a recession!

You may already be overwhelmed and oppressed by the amount of change, restructuring and cost-cutting you're going through. But the global recession is only going to exacerbate that!

Is there a silver lining in the cloud? Yes! Where there is danger, change and gloom, there is also opportunity, innovation and transformation.

Where people lose money, people can also make money.