Are you a Self-Promoting Jerk or Are YOU Referrable?
I was reading the blog post written by Scott Ginsberg, “Hello, My Name is Scott” today – you know him – he’s the guy who wears his nametag everywhere and always – no matter what he is doing.
Today’s post was very interesting – he was talking about becoming ridiculously referrable without becoming a “pushy, self-promoting putz!” I believe you all know the type of people he is referring to – we meet these types of people all the time. If you are like me, I go out of my way to AVOID those people at networking events – I hate to be pressured into doing something before I’m ready to do it – so it is much easier to just avoid any connection with them.
I certainly don’t want anyone making the “assumption” that I must be just like them since I’m taking the time to chat with them or hang out with them. My time is better spent introducing people to one another, finding new people to connect with personally and developing relationships.
Having said all that, I started thinking about some of the things we can all do to become more referrable and one of the paragraphs in Scott’s blog post really said it all! I have reposted that portion of his post for you here.
Whom do YOU refer? During a recent speech, one audience member shared, “I always refer my chiropractor – she’s great looking and has strong hands!” Naturally, I made an appointment immediately.
So, try this: Make a list of five people you’ve referred in the past month. Then, next to each name, note the various attributes that made that person referable.
Next, re-read your final list of attributes. Rate yourself from 1-10 on each one.
Finally, if you’re not happy with your current referability, set a goal to raise each category by two points in the next six months.
Or, if you REALLY want to blow your hair back, email ten customers and ask them to rate you on those same attributes. You may be amazed at the disparity.
How referable are you perceived as being? Just remember, you can’t FORCE people to refer you, but you can HELP them WANT to refer you!
During our weekly RUN meetings, we talk a lot about what it takes to receive (and to pass) great referrals. So I would now like to issue a challenge – not only to my RUN members, but to my readers as well. Why not try what Scott has suggested – put yourself to the test and see how your referrability scale will increase. Then, come back here, post a comment and tell me about your experience. What happened, the good, the bad and the ugly and let’s share our experiences with one another.
There are a few more points to this subject that we will cover in later posts, but don’t wait for those to appear. Get started today – comment below by telling me that you accept the challenge and I’ll be watching and waiting for your results!
Don’t keep RUNLancaster and this blog a secret, tell others about it, will you?
To Your Networking Success!
Carol
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