Do you have all the business you could ever possibly want?  Probably not.  Like most entrepreneurs, you balance the need to find more customers with actually doing work for your existing customers, and you may wonder if there is an easy way to fit it all into your day.

Lucky for you, there is a solution.

Bob Burg, author of Endless Referrals and the new book, The Go-Giver, was in Bellevue this week to talk to a packed house of entrepreneurs and sales professionals about his proven methods of networking. 

He promotes several strategies that are extensions of the basics you already know:

• Remember people's names (he has a few tricks for this and did a memorable demonstration of his skill in this area)
• Spend time learning about them and save your long-winded pitch.  A 5-7 second benefit statement will do.
• Follow up immediately and often. 
  
• Always look to add value for your contact, not to pitch to them unless they ask.  Value comes in ways like referrals, connections, information,
  

Bob also talks about Posture, which is the lack of emotional response to the result of a sales call.  He says it is up to the customer, not you.  "You are responsible TO people, not FOR people."  While he doesn't advocate yelling "Next!" whenever someone says no, you can move on without taking an emotional hit.  Part of having a great Posture is realizing this internal piece and also having a great external Posture - such a big network that one 'no' doesn't really matter.  Be emotional about what you do without an emotional attachment to the result.

The seminar had much more information than I could include in a blog post, and thankfully Bob has put it all into a time-tested, best-selling book you can read yourself.  Check it out here.

I talked with Bob after the event and asked him a few questions about women and networking.  Here are the highlights of our discussion (next time we're getting this on tape, Bob!):

• The Law of Receptivity:  This is #5 in Bob's Go-Giver book, and he mentions that it is the one most women comment on.  Because we are nurturers by nature, giving is not usually hard for us.  Receiving? That is another story.  Bob points out that giving/receiving are really 2 sides to the same coin, and you have to keep them in balance.  If you refuse to receive, you are shutting down the flow of the gift of giving for someone else.  Keep it in balance. 
  
• Making a lot of money for what I do makes it less meaningful:  This is wrong thinking.  Your target is serving others, and your reward for hitting the target is the money.  The money is not the target.  Change your mindset about this and you will be handsomely rewarded for serving others well.
• Working from a script:  If you make sales calls, presentations, or in any way pitch your product/service to potential customers, you must have a well-rehearsed script.  When Bob says script, however, he means one like actors use, not telemarketers.  Instead of never veering from the printed word no matter what the other person says, know your talking points inside and out and rehearse them until you do. When that happens, you can veer off as necessary in the conversation, but you will always be able to come back.  If you ad-lib, you never will.  Think about an actor in a play - you want to know your script so well that it is a part of you.  After all, you wrote it!
• I'm too busy to find more customers:  Whether it is reading a business book, practicing your script, sending thank-you cards, or making phone calls, there are going to be people out there who don't think they have the time to do it.  Bob says "to the degree you value the activity, you'll find time to do it."  Getting away from the busywork that prevents you from adding revenue-generating sales processes into place requires a brain shift.  You have to place the correct value on the activities you are doing and schedule them accordingly.  Make appointments with yourself to get them done. 
  
  • Find a System
  • Apply it immediately
  • Do it consistently

You can download the first chapter of Bob's new book, The Go-Giver, by clicking here.  Bob also has a great library of material at his website, and you can find out more about his workshops and seminars there.

Many thanks to Bob for sitting down with me at the end of a long day for him and with nothing but popcorn as payment for his time.  I wouldn't go so far as to call him a cheap date, but I think he would laugh if I did!