It All Starts with Engagement

The more I learn about relationships and what makes some work and others never take root, the more I understand the significance of “engagement.”  Understanding what engagement is and is not is just the beginning to cracking the code to the engagement puzzle.

First, since we’re looking for developing successful referrals rich business connections here’s specifically what you want. 

You want to build relationships with a community of people who trust you and are willing to open up their “Rolodex” (cell phone contact list) and let you explore though it for people that they can willingly introduce to you. This may sound a bit extreme yet I’ve had those relationships including ones where I let the other person review my contact lists as well. 

Since trust is at the core of people doing this, you need to earn or build that trust by continuously being in touch with them and showing that you care about the things that are important to them. 

As we go through this Academy, you’ll be guided every week on just how to do that. Just remember it’s all about them. Too often I’ve seen professionals seek to build engagement by sending out to their contacts product promos, monthly portfolio updates, news releases, etc. thinking its building great engagement. Stop as that’s not what it’s all about!

It’s need to be totally about them, their family, interests, hobbies, causes, education, sports favorites and more. It can also be about personal growth or leadership skills or lots of other business interest areas but its not at all about you or your offerings. 

So when you reach out every couple of weeks and consistently make it about just “say me….” I’m going to begin to feel differently about you. I’m going to feel special, important, cared for and you’re going to be distinctively setting yourself apart from everyone else “pitching me” their stuff! 

When you set yourself apart, I’ll hear and see you and want to be in a two-way relationship with you. Research shows that these types of relationships have nearly a 100% incidence of producing the results you’re wanting… referrals. Fail to focus on me and you’re falling back into the vast massive group of people who simply are trying to pitch me and you’ll get lost in the surrounding noise.

Someone once said that “people don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care…” How about you… are you ready to get on the right engagement track?

OK… now the rubber meets the road here in the earliest stage of the Academy training where you’ve selected an “A-list’ and you’ve researched their interests as I described above.

Now each week as a person comes up in your “touch-cycle” take a few moments to find something of personal interest that’s unique to each individual and share that in your outreach to them. 

Also scan the Success Club Tools and Tips as I’ll be bringing dozens of personal growth, productivity and leadership articles to supplement what you share with your connections. 

Let me reassure you that over the years I’ve seen that it only takes 3-4 touches as described here and you’ll be standing apart in the eyes of the people in your “A-list.” Then as you keep building you’ll be enjoying mutually beneficial results with these relationships and reaching your referral goals.