Secrets of Master Net Workers Manual 2011

The Secrets of Master Networkers: How to keep your practice consistently FULL just with networking! www.SecretsofNetworkers.com

The Secrets of Master Networkers:How to keep your practice consistently FULL just with networking!The proven Networking Guru SystemNetworking Secrets and Methods REVEALED (including 18 worksheets to use right away) 2011 Client Attraction LLC. All Rights Reserved. The Client Attraction Expert www.ClientAttraction.com

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All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the copyright holder, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review.


The ContentsABOUT THE AUTHOR .................................................................... 1 A DEFINING MOMENT: HOW MY CLIENTS MADE ME WHAT I AM TODAY .. 3 WHAT EXACTLY IS THIS NETWORKING GURU SYSTEM? ...................... 5 WHO WILL THIS SYSTEM WORK FOR? ............................................. 7 THE RESULTS TO EXPECT ............................................................. 9 WHAT YOU NEED TO DO TO GET RESULTS ..................................... 10 HOW TO READ AND USE THIS SYSTEM ........................................... 11 OK, LETS GET STARTED! ........................................................... 12 SECTION ONE ......................................................................... 13 Section 1: Change Your Perception of Networking ASAP .......................................... 14 Step 1. Get clear on what networking isnt. .................................................. 14 Step 2. Redefine your idea of networking. ..................................................... 15 Step 3. The Know-Like-and-Trust Factor. ..................................................... 17 Step 4. The tipping point is key. ................................................................... 18

SECTION 2 ............................................................................ 20 Section 2: Prepare Yourself To Be COMPELLING and Client Attractive .................... 21 Step 5. Get clear on who you want and need to meet: your ideal clients. ...... 21 Step 6. Find out where your ideal clients HANG OUT in large numbers. ....... 23 Step 7. Know your strategic alliances and best referral partners................... 23 Step 8. Be able to reach your best referral sources in groups ....................... 24 Step 9. Clearly communicate what youre looking for with a Client Attractive elevator speech. .............................................................................. 25 Step 10. Come up with a tagline and theyll really remember you by. ............ 27 Step 11. Have a Client Attractive business card. ........................................... 29 Step 12. Make sure you have plenty of business cards. ................................. 32 Step 13. Wear clothing with pockets. ............................................................ 33 Step 14. Wear your nametag properly. .......................................................... 34

SECTION 3 ............................................................................ 36 Section 3: Fish EXACTLY Where The Fish Are ......................................................... 37 Step 15. Understand the different types of networking. ................................. 37 Step 16. Get really familiar with Breakfast Networking Groups. .................... 38 Step 17. Professional associations are key. ................................................... 39 Step 18. Chambers of commerce, special interest groups, etc........................ 40 Step 19. Focus your networking on the Cash Cows. ...................................... 42 Step 20. Know where to find good networking venues in your area. ............... 42 Step 21. How notable networkers can help you. ............................................ 44 Step 22. Find a group you like and consistently go to it. ............................... 44 2011 Client Attraction LLC. All Rights Reserved., www.ClientAttraction.com

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The Secrets of Master Networkers: How to keep your practice consistently FULL just with networking! www.SecretsofNetworkers.comStep 23. Why you must become a member. ................................................... 45 Step 24. Put together your Networking Pie. ................................................... 46

SECTION 4 ............................................................................ 47 Section 4: Learn To Break the Ice and Banish the Fear of Networking .................... 48 Step 25. Stand by the door and become a greeter.......................................... 49 Step 26. Use the Ultimate Icebreaker........................................................... 50 Step 27. Pretend its YOUR party! ................................................................. 50 Step 28. Get known by the host. ................................................................... 51 Step 29. Avoid certain people and areas. ....................................................... 52 Step 30. Feel the fear and do it anyway......................................................... 53

SECTION 5 ............................................................................ 54 Section 5: Know Exactly What To Do and Say ......................................................... 55 Step 31. Create a dialogue that will pique their interest. ............................... 55 Step 32. What to do when its your turn to talk. ............................................ 56 Step 33. How to turn their interest into an appointment. .............................. 57 Step 34. Make a date .................................................................................... 58 Step 35. Ask permission to add them to your e-newsletter/ezine list. ............ 59 Step 36. Use the back of their card ............................................................... 59 Step 37. The one question for non-prospects that will triple your networking results. ........................................................................................... 60 Step 38. Always find ways to stay connected over time. ................................. 62 Step 39. Make a date and circulate. .............................................................. 62 Step 40. How to gracefully end a conversation and continue mingling. .......... 63

SECTION 6 ............................................................................ 64 Section 6: Get Long Term Results Through Masterful Techniques ........................... 65 Step 41. Become a bridger. .......................................................................... 65 Step 42. Dont do the hard sell, ever. ............................................................ 66 Step 43. Add value, just for the fun of it. ...................................................... 67 Step 44. Network indirectly. .......................................................................... 69 Step 45. Go for the long haul. ....................................................................... 70 Step 46. Set up a power referral partner wheel. ............................................ 71 Step 47. Attend each meeting. ...................................................................... 73 Step 48. Sit next to different people each time. ............................................. 74 Step 49. Get to know every member outside the meetings. ............................ 74 Step 50. Become active. ................................................................................ 75 Step 51. Get on the speakers calendar. ........................................................ 77 Step 52. Support others by using their products or services.......................... 78 Step 53. Provide referrals. ............................................................................. 78 Step 54. Stay active even after having given the referral. ............................... 79

SECTION 7 ............................................................................ 81 Section 7: Using Social Networks to Get Clients ....................................................... 82 Step 55. Have a clear objective and develop a strategy. ................................. 82 Step 56. Focus on the long-term relationship. ............................................... 83 Step 57. Its not about you, its about them................................................... 83

2011 Client Attraction LLC. All Rights Reserved., www.ClientAttraction.com

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The Secrets of Master Networkers: How to keep your practice consistently FULL just with networking! www.SecretsofNetworkers.comStep 58. Be authentic, real and transparent. ................................................ 83 Step 59. Social media is all about the conversation happening online. ........ 84 Step 60. Be consistent and plan your time. ................................................... 84

APPENDIX OF THE NETWORKING GURU SYSTEM WORKSHEETS .......... 87

2011 Client Attraction LLC. All Rights Reserved., www.ClientAttraction.com

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About The AuthorFabienne Fredrickson is founder of ClientAttraction.com, ranked on the Inc. 500/5000 List of Americas Fastest Growing Private Companies in 2011. ClientAttraction.com is devoted to teaching entrepreneurs around the world how to consistently attract ideal, high-paying clients, put their marketing on autopilot and authentically create a highly successful and meaningful business, while working less. Fabienne created The Client Attraction System, the proven step-by-step program that shows entrepreneurs exactly how to attract more clients, in record time. Through her workshops, courses, coaching programs, and products, Fabienne shows her students how to create an abundant life they love. As one of the most influential and highly-acclaimed marketing and success mindset speakers and business mentors in the world, Fabiennes down-to-earth yet powerful presentations have become legendary. She is a sought-after and much-loved coach to thousands of heart-centered entrepreneurs around the globe. Fabiennes unique ability is getting entrepreneurs to take immediate marketing action on a systematic basis to produce dramatic results, in record time. Shes dedicated her life to helping entrepreneurs and business owners create a legacy of service, adding value to the world in a lasting way and creating breakthrough paradigm shifts in their mindset and their personal income; and then giving back. Her books, newsletters, products, appearances and online reach now inspire nearly 150,000 people each month. Fabiennes key message that each of us is here to serve the world in a BIG way and that as a result, we are handsomely rewarded for it has changed thousands of lives around the globe. She fervently believes in the capacity for each and every one of us to become the full expression of our purpose here on earth, and to do so, we must take a no-excuses approach to growing within. For that to happen, Fabienne teaches her students and clients that any struggle on the outside is a reflection of the struggle on the inside, and once eliminated, that internal struggle gives way to all the abundance, financial and otherwise, that a person deserves and seeks. 2011 Client Attraction LLC. All Rights Reserved. www.ClientAttraction.com

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The Secrets of Master Networkers: How to keep your practice consistently FULL just with networking! www.SecretsofNetworkers.com Highlights from Fabiennes inspiring career include:

Ranked on the Inc. 500/5000 List of Americas Fastest Growing Private Companies in 2011 (#20 in Media category, #10 in Connecticut and in the top 100 for Women Owned Businesses) Crossing the million dollar mark in her business at the age of 38, in an industry where most entrepreneurs barely make $20,000 a year (and doing so with 3 young children at home) Subsequently doubling her business nearly every year to the multimillion dollar level, always making more in the last twelve months, than shes made in the last 12 years combined (both in prosperous times and in a recession) Consistently and repeatedly helping 5-figure entrepreneurs cross the 6figure mark, and guiding 6-figure business owners to easily move to a 7figure business, while adding more meaning, purpose and fulfillment to their daily lives Creating the worlds most verifiable, repeatable Client Attraction System for entrepreneurs throughout the world Conceiving and leading the Client Attraction Winners Academy, a series of sequential coaching programs that teach entrepreneurs exactly how to use marketing and systems to go from 5-figures to 6-figures, from 6figures to multiple 6-figures and then to 7-figures. The Winners Academy successfully mentors hundreds of entrepreneurs every year, through its Gold Mastermind, Platinum Mastermind and Private Client tiers.

The consistent feedback from hundreds of thousands of Fabiennes students around the world over the years is that it is her authenticity, transparency, vulnerability, humanness, sincerity and compassion and love for entrepreneurs that separates her from other mentors and is the catalyst to their expansive growth, both personally and otherwise. To order Fabiennes FREE Audio CD, How to Attract All the Clients You Need by mail and receive her weekly marketing & success mindset articles on attracting more high-paying clients and dramatically increasing your income, visit www.clientattraction.com. Fabienne lives by the sea in beautiful Stamford, Connecticut, with her wonderful husband, Derek, and their three young children.

2011 Client Attraction LLC. All Rights Reserved. www.ClientAttraction.com

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A Defining Moment: How My Clients Made Me What I Am TodayMany people have asked me over the years how I came to be a Client Attraction Expert. Believe it or not, I was standing in your shoes just a few short years ago, wondering how I was going to pay my bills. And then something happened: A defining moment in my life took place in late 1999. In the middle of the night, I woke up in a pool of sweat. I had tossed and turned all night. This was going to be yet another night of no sleep. What was causing this anxiety? A few months earlier, I had quit my corporate job and had started a private nutrition practice out of my tiny apartment in New York City. The apartment was so small that Id transformed my bedroom into a part-time consultation room with the help of a Murphy Bed, and my living room had become my "waiting room as well as a makeshift cooking school. Id marketed myself like crazy and had gotten clients right away, but not as many as I needed to have to pay the rent. Worst of all, the credit card companies were calling to find out when they would receive their payment. This was not what Id bargained for. As I tossed and turned, I kept thinking to myself, What have I done?! Why did I leave my well-paying corporate job just to struggle to get clients? How will I pay my rent if I dont get any more clients FAST!? Although I didnt want to admit defeat, I felt my back was against the wall and I called my father in the middle of the night. I told him everything Id been going through. He sat quietly, listening to me, and after I explained everything, after some time, he said to me, Fabienne, if theres one thing I know about you, its that when you want something, and you want it really badly, theres nothing thats going to stop you from getting it. And then he paused. So, I want you to figure out how youre going to get clients, and then go and do it. I didnt say a word. It seemed so simple when phrased that way, but I sat without talking. And a few moments later, I made the commitment to him, but most importantly to myself, to immerse myself in absolutely everything that had to do with marketing myself and getting clients. And I did just that. I read every book on marketing and networking that I could get my hands on. I took every 2011 Client Attraction LLC. All Rights Reserved. www.ClientAttraction.com

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The Secrets of Master Networkers: How to keep your practice consistently FULL just with networking! www.SecretsofNetworkers.com course that was available. I talked to experts. I essentially decided to become my own mini-expert on how to get clients. And it worked! Lo and behold, in less than 8 months, I filled my private nutrition practice to full capacity: 31 clients! What dawned on me during this process was nothing short of an epiphany: the aspect that I began enjoying MOST about my practice was actually the marketing of my practice, not teaching clients how to cook brown rice and steam broccoli and tofu. Soon, my nutrition colleagues began to hear about my success. They started taking me aside and saying Fabienne, how do you have 30 clients in less than a year and I have only 3? What am I doing wrong? Can you help me? Yes, indeed I could. Id give them 2 or 3 things to do and told them to call me in a few weeks to tell me how it went. Virtually every time, that nutritionist called me back a few weeks later saying Hurray! I got a new client! Thank you!!!! Tell me what else to do! Slowly, a few of them asked if they could become clients, take my 6-month nutrition program, but that they didnt want me to teach them about nutrition. Instead, they wanted to find out exactly how they too could attract many clients and keep their practice consistently full. I soon found myself with a hybrid practice, half made up of nutrition clients, half made up of other private practitioners who wanted to know exactly how to market themselves. Helping these people finally make money at their calling became extremely rewarding to me personally. I was making a difference in peoples lives. After a while, I made another commitment to myself. From that moment forward, I was going to dedicate my professional life to helping other struggling self-employed, sole practitioners get more clients, consistently and in record time, and I would help them end the feast or famine syndrome so many were experiencing. And so my business coaching practice was born, and my clients made me who I am today. The door of opportunity was banging loudly and I didnt have a choice but to answer it. Since then, Ive worked with several hundred private clients, spoken in front of thousands more, and have created The Client Attraction System, a series of 10 important practice-building modules most every sole practitioner needs to apply to get more clients, in record time, whether theyre just starting out or have had a practice for years and need a boost of new clients quickly, and most important, on a consistent basis. 2011 Client Attraction LLC. All Rights Reserved. www.ClientAttraction.com

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What exactly is this Networking Guru System?The Networking Guru System you have in your hands is simply one of the only proven systems out there telling you EXACTLY what to do to fill your private practice simply by networking. Nowhere else have I seen such a complete HOW-TO on how to get clients consistently with worksheets, templates, and actual scripts that have worked, not only for one person, but for hundreds of private clients. Heres what it includes: Section 1. Change your perception of networking ASAP In this section, we look at all the myths and false direction that so-called networking specialists have been teaching us for years. Many of their teachings on networking either dont apply to us, because were self-employed and NOT looking for a job, and many are just not realistic in the real world. Here, we set the record straight on what REALLY works for us in private practice. Section 2. Prepare yourself to be COMPELLING and Client Attractive You can go and network all you want, but if you havent taken the steps you need to take to make your marketing message COMPELLING enough for someone to want to work with you, then you might as well have stayed home. In this section, you will learn step-by-step how to be really Client Attractive when out there networking, so that you 1) dont waste your time and 2) start seeing some REAL results. Section 3. Fish EXACTLY where the fish are This section will help you figure out where to reach your ideal clients and strategic alliances where they can actually be found, in large numbers and inexpensively, not by taking an ad-hoc approach. We also talk about how OFTEN to network, which is something that comes up very frequently. Section 4. Learn to break the ice and banish the fear of networking If, by chance, you are someone who happens to be shy or introverted, this section was created for YOU. It will teach you proven ways Ive created and used hundreds of times myself to get over the fear that networking in large groups can sometimes bring up. We teach you the Ultimate Icebreaker, tactics for networking with the right people without feeling overwhelmed or wanting to 2011 Client Attraction LLC. All Rights Reserved. www.ClientAttraction.com

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The Secrets of Master Networkers: How to keep your practice consistently FULL just with networking! www.SecretsofNetworkers.com run out of the event and go back home. This is for many people one of the most powerful steps to take to start seeing clients coming in the door: feeling the fear and doing it anyway, but this time, with proven techniques that WORK. Section 5. Know exactly what to do and say If you dont know what to do and say in a networking group or at an event filled with hundreds of people, you might just walk away with nothing, instead of walking away with lots of potential clients and strategic alliances. This section will teach you exactly what to say and do, along with scripts that really work, to finalize change things around for you. Section 6. Get long term results through Masterful Techniques Finally, this section deals with all the fine details that masterful professionals of networking, those whove done it for years and been EXTREMELY successful, use to keep their practice consistently full of clients, and their pipelines continually filled with prospects. Any one of these steps will help you do the same so that you too can quickly become a Networking Guru and reap the benefits (in the form of new clients, in record time and consistently!) Section 7. Using social networks to get clients Social media and networking platforms like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn are receiving lots of attention as tools for Client Attraction and its easy to spend a lot of (wasted) time there. To attract ideal high paying clients from social networks, its important to remember that the same rules apply for social networks as they do for traditional marketing: giving value and building relationships! This section covers how to use popular online social networking tools to supplement the results you get from traditional offline networking. Congratulations!!! Your Networking Guru System is now in place and, once you apply all these steps, you wont have to worry about getting clients again. What youll find is that each Section of The Networking Guru System includes valuable worksheets, lots of practical assignments, proven resources and timesaving recommendations. This means you dont need to reinvent the wheel to get masterful about your networking efforts. The tools are handed to you, ready to make your own.


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Who Will This System Work For?This system works for people just like you in private practice and other independent professionals who are really good at what they do, but have never been taught exactly how to attract clients through networking or set up systems around strategic alliances so that they ALWAYS get new clients. This means that if youre just starting out in your business, this is perfect for you as youll learn exactly what it takes to have a full practice, from square one. Its especially ideal for the established sole practitioner that could use more clients (most people could). The Networking Guru System will get you to reexamine what youve done to network and market yourself so far, then streamline, rethink, systematize and help you make your networking efforts much more rewarding (in the form of more clients and more money coming in). Whichever profile you fit, this Networking Guru System was created for people who are absolutely excited and deadly serious about getting more clients through networking and ending what I call the 3 A.M. sweats, meaning, no longer waking up in the middle of the night asking how will I ever get a full practice? Its about taking a No Excuses Approach and doing what it will take to grow your business. Ive worked privately with hundreds of the following professionals (and the list is growing daily): Accountants Acupuncturists Alexander Technique Teachers Aromatherapy Practitioners Attorneys Business Coaches Career Counselors/Coaches Caterers Charitable Giving Consultants Chiropractors Cold Calling Trainers Consultants Copywriters Dentists Estheticians Event Planners Feldenkrais Practitioners Graphic Designers High Performance Coaches Holistic Health Counselors Image Consultants Interior Decorators Life/Personal Coaches Long Term Care Specialists Marketing Consultants Massage Therapists Mortgage Lenders Neuromuscular Therapists Nutritionists Organizational Consultants Personal Financial Planners Personal Shoppers Personal Trainers Photographers Professional Organizers Professional Pet Sitters 7


The Secrets of Master Networkers: How to keep your practice consistently FULL just with networking! www.SecretsofNetworkers.com Professional Voice Teachers Real Estate Brokers Reflexologists Research Specialists Speakers Tutors Virtual Assistants Writers

Being a high-achieving go-getter myself, Im known to work best with other high-achieving go-getters who are super-ready to get going, and just want to know exactly what steps to take to get clients. If this is you, then pick up this system and run with it. It was written for YOU! This system is not for owners of large companies or even medium-sized companies. Yes, Ive been told several times that many of the concepts can be applied to your business, but the independent professional is the person for whom this was written. As a side note, it was also not written for whiners or skeptics or people who make excuses because their results arent the same. If you are one of these people, this may not be the solution for you. It takes a lot of drive to put something like this in place. Its your responsibility to make it happen. Consider what youll do with this Networking Guru System to be an action learning course and you will be expected to take serious and consistent action. No excuses anymore, just a totally different way of thinking and a full set of resources while you achieve this incredibly exciting goal: more clients, consistently and in record time.


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The Results To ExpectLets face it. You didnt get this Networking Guru System simply because you wanted to go through the process, just for fun. No, you got this because you want the results. OK, so how quickly could you expect to see results? This depends on how long youve been in business and how totally committed you are to investing yourself and your time to do the networking assignments outlined in the following exercises. And, youve got to put a lot of work into this. It doesnt happen on its own, trust me, but its really simple when you get started. And when you do the work, youll be happy to see the results. Traditionally, a practice gets consistently full in 3 or 4 years (sometimes even longer!), and thats with lots of expensive mistakes. Expect a fraction of that time with the Networking Guru System. That said, virtually all of my private clients see results within the first couple of months in the form of new clients or new prospects. They see more revenue, start generating a lot of interest from referral partners and experience having a consistently full pipeline of prospects. (For more on Closing the Sale and turning those prospects into paying clients, please refer to the popular Client Attraction Home Study System, available at http://www.TheClientAttractionSystem.com)


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What You Need To Do To Get ResultsDo all of your assignments and fieldwork. Period. Be totally focused on networking for a period of one year. Understand that its not a quick fix, its not magic and it takes up to a year for you to plant the seeds and for those seeds to grow into the fruit that you can enjoy. All my clients who have diligently applied every step of The Networking Guru System have successfully grown their businesses, in a LOT less time than they would have on their own AND have made more money than theyve made doing what they do. If youre asking yourself whether youll recover your investment in this Networking Guru System, the answer is Yes, a resounding Yes! Many clients are excited to report that they were able to cover the small investment within a month, if not within a single week, and THEN some! I want you to stop reading for just one moment to ask yourself What is a new client worth to me, and what is the average revenue I make from the lifetime of that one client? Chances are, that amount will more than cover your investment dozens of times over. Most likely, you will make 20 times what you invested in this program in the next 3 years. Even better, the information and skills you learn with The Networking Guru System may just net you 100 to 1,000 times what you invested in the next 10 to 20 years. Something to think about What youre regularly getting with this program is what I call a series of AHAs! that will move your business faster than you would on your own. Expect to get a lot of these. Thats what youre investing in, results, more revenue, more clients, not simply a series of assignments and worksheets.


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How To Read And Use This SystemHeres some advice about how to take it all in. My recommendation is to read this manual in its entirety, without taking any action the first time around so that you can let it all sink in. Its a lot of brain candy and will most likely get you very excited to move forward. But its important to take in the WHOLE picture first. Otherwise you might get overwhelmed or wonder if youre going in the right direction. Once youve read everything, start at the beginning again and take each assignment step by step. Read the first tip of the first Section, fill out the assignment and use the worksheets provided in the Appendix. Dont skip any steps, even if you think you already know the answer. Each step is there for you to use so that you dont have to reinvent the wheel to get moving and to see results. Remember, take this whole process slowly. Its Pace, Not Race. And it can become a little overwhelming if you try to tackle it all at once. Treat it like you would eat an elephant: one bite at a time. The key is to do it. Have you ever read a book that you thought was so good, chock-full of amazing ideas that you underlined it, highlighted certain sections and dog-eared a few pages? Ill bet that at least once in your life you put that book right back on the shelf and never applied all the great ideas you read about. And because of this, youre still in the same place you were before you picked up the book. Well, I dont want you to do that here, so just go for it. Your business is too important to not do this. Commit yourself to this networking project. Know that its not always a quick fix (although many clients of mine have seen results extraordinarily fast) and that you actually have to do it for it to work. Just make the time, make a commitment and take each and every step. If you get stuck and are having trouble moving forward, drop me and my team a line at [email protected] and well be happy to help. Sometimes a little nudge can get you back on track very quickly.


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OK, Lets Get Started!Welcome to The Networking Guru System Before we begin: If you are in business for yourself and dont have a welldeveloped marketing and networking plan in place that works to get you all the clients you need consistently, dont be hard on yourself about it. Youre not alone. And the first thing I want to share with you is Nothings wrong with you! What we all have in common is that we were probably only taught our professional tradehow to be a consultant, dentist, acupuncturist, financial planner or real estate broker, but not how REAL Client Attraction works and how to start getting clients quickly and consistently! In fact, almost everyone who I speak to about their business does almost nothing to promote it, preferring instead to wait for word-of-mouth referrals. Problem is, these referrals dont always come as quickly as wed like, right? Youve got to go out and get yourself some clients instead of waiting for them to come to you or you might not be in business for very long. The good news is, you can do this! There are indeed ways to get them to come to you, but youve got to do a few things first to make that happen, and thats why youve got this extremely detailed workbook in hand. The 60 assignments and 18 worksheets of The Networking Guru System will help you attract all the clients you need and can handle through serious networking, must faster than what youre doing now. Now, realize that none of this is truly rocket science, although I know a few light bulbs might go off. It always happens. What I want you to get from this is that you may know a lot of this, BUT youre simply not doing it, and certainly not consistently enough to get the steady stream of new clients you need. With that said, lets get started. Good luck! And remember, Im here when you need me. J Fabienne Fredrickson


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Section One

Change Your Perception of Networking ASAP


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The Secrets of Master Networkers: How to keep your practice consistently FULL just with networking! www.SecretsofNetworkers.com Section 1: Change Your Perception of Networking ASAP Ah, networking! Mention the word and you will get either one of two reactions: Ugh! I hate networking. It doesnt work. Besides, everyones in it for themselves and it takes too much time. Yeah, networking is great. It helps me get lots of clients. I love it!

Ask every self employed person you know and youll notice that youll get about 80% of responses to be in the first category. But the thing about networking is that is DOES work to get you clients really quickly. I filled both of my private practices in less than a year each, using networking and other Client Attraction techniques. So why all the extremes of emotion around it? My gut feeling is this: 1. People arent doing it correctly and therefore often fail miserably when attempting to network. 2. They have misconceptions about what networking really is about. So, Im here to dispel the myths and get you guys going on a path of doing it correctly, so that you not only start seeing REAL results from your networking, but you also start really enjoying it. (I know, some of you are shaking your heads right now saying to yourselves, Dream on, Fabienne, Im NEVER going to enjoy it! But thats what my clients had also said about marketing and Ive changed thousands of peoples minds about it once they saw the results, so I can probably change your mind too, if you let me.) J Step 1. Get clear on what networking isnt. There was a time (many say its still going on now) that networking was about entering a large crowded room of people you didnt know, all dressed in stuffy business attire and your goal was to walk away with as many cards as possible, exchanging them frantically and promising to do lunch. And then, you were supposed to follow up and make the sale. I dont know about you, but THAT sounds horrible to me! And for the life of me, I cant even imagine how that would be successful in helping you get clients. It feels sleazy, slick and not the kind of way I want to spend an evening. Besides, it doesnt fit my


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The Secrets of Master Networkers: How to keep your practice consistently FULL just with networking! www.SecretsofNetworkers.com personality or my way of approaching life, and if youre anything like me, it probably doesnt fit the way you approach yours, either. No wonder 1) we dont want to do it and 2) it doesnt seem to work for us! Its a totally wrong approach! (Sadly, when you read or hear various networking pros talk about networking, some are STILL advocating this grab-as-many-cardsas-you-can mentality and telling you to push your services onto them, asking for the sale on the first meeting. Yuck!) So, the very first thing I want you to do is to banish what youve already learned about marketing and start from scratch. In essence, Im asking you to UNLEARN all the myths and allow me to show you what its really all about and how to approach networking so that you actually get really great results from it and feel authentically yourself the whole time. Your Assignment: Take a sheet of paper and list everything youve been taught about networking, what it means to you, what your emotions and feelings are around it, and whats stopping you from doing it. The first key to changing something is to recognize it, then understand where it comes from and then, to make a commitment to changing it. Once you realize that your feelings around it come from outdated sources, youll be ready to implement the steps and concepts Ive outlined in this Networking Guru System. However, if you keep reading without changing your feelings about it, youll probably see yourself becoming skeptical and thinking it wont work, most likely because your preconceived notions are still there. So, its time to erase the board and start from scratch. (Worksheet 1 in the Appendix will help you get started.) Step 2. Redefine your idea of networking. Ok, now that youve gotten clear on what networking isnt and whats slowing you down, its time to redefine it so that you can start taking advantage of it, starting now.


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The Secrets of Master Networkers: How to keep your practice consistently FULL just with networking! www.SecretsofNetworkers.com Contrary to what youve probably been taught, networking is NOT about pushing yourself on others (or being pushed upon by others) but about one simple thing and one thing only. Building relationships. I know, you were probably expecting something more earth shattering than that. But the simple truth is, Master Networkers understand that networking is about the long haul and its about building relationships, not GETTING something from others or putting something over on others. Ok, but lets examine building relationships and why thats the NEW view I want you to take on networking. Lets examine how YOU would rather buy services. When youre looking for a new service, would you rather open up the phonebook and play eenie-meenie-miney-mo or would you rather ask a friend you trust if they know someone who provides that service? Yeah, me too. I feel much better about asking someone to give me a referral. For some reason, when I know that my friend has had a great experience with that particular service provider, let it be a dentist or a plumber, Im much more likely to just call and book an appointment, rather than question the expertise of the person were talking about. And so you see, it all boils down to that relationship with your friend, and the relationship that your friend has with the dentist or plumber. Without the relationship they have, you wouldnt have ever been referred that person. Your Assignment: From today forward, I want you to start approaching the entire networking process with the objective of creating LONG TERM RELATIONSHIPS. No more, no less.


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The Secrets of Master Networkers: How to keep your practice consistently FULL just with networking! www.SecretsofNetworkers.com Step 3. The Know-Like-and-Trust Factor. I cant honestly remember where and when I first heard about the Know-Like-and-Trust Factor (who knows, I probably think I invented it! Ha!) Its so ingrained in my way of thinking about networking, Client Attraction and Closing the Sale, that I take its origin for granted sometimes. But as you can see, I apply it to everything. It just works so well that you too will want to apply it to your way of doing everything from now on. OK, so what is this Know-Like-Trust Factor and why is it so crucial to effective Client Attraction and networking? Well, have you noticed that what sometimes stops us or slows us down in the process of working with someone is often that we dont know much about them, we dont know if we like them yet and we certainly feel hesitant about working with them because we dont feel we can trust them yet? This Know-Like-Trust Factor runs much deeper than you are probably aware of. When you dont like or trust someone, do you feel comfortable giving them your money and putting yourself in their hands? Nope, I didnt think so. We give business to those we like and those we trust and never the opposite. Simple as that. Now, that being said, we have a greater likelihood of attracting lots of new clients and referrals from those who already know us, like us and trust us, and many times this means former colleagues, family and friends, people already in our life. People who know us, like us and trust us automatically become ADVOCATES for us. These people can attest to you as a reliable person and can probably rave about your services if theyve experienced them. This is extremely valuable and should not be overlooked when building your practice and setting out to attract new clients through networking.


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The Secrets of Master Networkers: How to keep your practice consistently FULL just with networking! www.SecretsofNetworkers.com Your Assignment: Start by thinking about those people whom you know, like AND trust. Dont you find it easier to send them referrals than those you dont? Shift your thinking to create relationships, over the long haul, with the main objective being TRUST. Take every action to make this happen and youre on your way to becoming a veritable Networking Guru. Step 4. The tipping point is key. Now, before you point the finger at me for bashing ALL things about what you already know about networking, let me say there is ONE thing that I believe in very strongly that past networking experts talk about over and over again. Getting LOTS of people in your network. The more people you know, and the more people know YOU, the more likely you are to attract LOTS of new clients through networking and referrals. Think about it. If youve got 300 people in your network, and lets just say, for fun, that 1% of them refer people to you on a monthly basis. Well, that makes 3 referrals per month. But if youve got 1,000 people in your network, and that network generates the same percentage of referrals per month, 1%, then, that gives you 10 referrals per month. In just a few months, youve got a solid practice going! And its been my experience that, when you DO have more than a 1,000 people in your network who become advocates of yours, you start getting clients real fast! The key however, is in how you create this tipping point. And again, its not about entering each networking event you go to and throwing your cards at people, its about creating relationships that are based on trust. LOTS of them!


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The Secrets of Master Networkers: How to keep your practice consistently FULL just with networking! www.SecretsofNetworkers.com Your Assignment: Make a commitment today to start growing your network to the Tipping Point. My networking is up to many thousands of people now, and you can imagine how many referrals I get from this network and all the networking Ive done in the past. If you estimate that you currently know (and are known by) say, 300 people, start working hard to be known and trusted by 1,000 people. When youve reached that, start shooting for 2,000, then more. The more people are in your network, the more you start tipping the scales in your favor. Itll be a process, and not necessarily a quick one, but the more you work towards this, the more youll love networking because of the RESULTS youll get from it, consistently. Its addictive, trust me! So, how many people are in your network now?


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Section 2

Prepare Yourself To Be COMPELLING and Client Attractive


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The Secrets of Master Networkers: How to keep your practice consistently FULL just with networking! www.SecretsofNetworkers.com Section 2: Prepare Yourself To Be COMPELLING and Client Attractive OK, so I hope Ive gotten you excited about the concept of reaching a tipping point in your network through building relationships based on a know-likeand-trust factor. But before you rush out there attending all sorts of networking groups and functions, youve got to do just a little bit of work so that youre not wasting your time. Step 5. Get clear on who you want and need to meet: your ideal clients. Before we move forward in your networking, we need to get really clear on who you want to meet. Well first focus on your ideal client. Now, to get clear on who your ideal client is, lets first agree that there are several things that universally constitute an ideal client: Those you really enjoy working with Those who need your help, badly Those who recognize that working with you is essential Those who can easily be identified and contacted Those what will happily pay what youre worth, without negotiating Those who will get great results from working with you (and write testimonials to prove it) Those who will tell others about you and refer other clients over and over again

Now, be honest with me. Dont you want a practice FULL of these types of people? (Trust me, its a lot more fun and its not difficult to get.) To have a practice filled with these types of people, you need to stop networking with anyone and everyone and start targeting a specific target audience. One of the secrets of masterful networking is knowing WHO your ideal clients are (the ones wholl recognize that working with you is crucial to solving their problems, pay you what youre worth and tell others about you), figuring out WHAT their particular issues are, WHY theyre having them and HOW you solve them.


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The Secrets of Master Networkers: How to keep your practice consistently FULL just with networking! www.SecretsofNetworkers.com Your Assignment: Get very specific on who your best client is. To do this, you can start thinking of your most favorite current clients (the ones that fit the criteria we outlined above) and former clients. Write it all down: For individuals, it can include their age, sex, and income group -- even where they live, if it impacts your business. If you cater to companies, write down what industries you want to work with, the number of employees, and specific titles within the company. Now, write down your ideal clients particular situation that you can solve, their struggles, and any other common-denominator aspects that would be a requisite for being a best client for your services. Get thinking about these and youre on your way to crafting your ideal client profile. Once you have that, marketing can be a breeze. This is one of the most important steps you can take in attracting all the clients you need. Do not skip over this part, even if you think you already-kinda-know who they are. Note: If youre not currently working with your ideal clients or need help in figuring out this section (most people do), we go really in depth in forming your ideal client profile and the viability of marketing and networking to this ideal client in the Client Attraction Home Study System. You can get your copy here: http://www.TheClientAttractionSystem.com For deeper learning, I invite you to check out my 3-day Client Attraction Workshops (see upcoming dates, details and inspiring success stories at http://www.clientattraction.com/events) as well as my sequential coaching programs (The Winners Academy), where I teach my students and clients how to use marketing and systems to go from 5-figures to 6-figures, from 6-figures to multiple 6-figures and then to 7-figures, taking them past the million dollar mark. You can find out more (and get a free DVD with videos of moving and inspirational success stories shipped to you at no charge) by going to http://www.clientattractionwinnersacademy.com . (Worksheet 2 in the Appendix will help you get started.)


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The Secrets of Master Networkers: How to keep your practice consistently FULL just with networking! www.SecretsofNetworkers.com Step 6. Find out where your ideal clients HANG OUT in large numbers. Once youre clear on who your Ideal Clients are, theres just one more thing we need to unearth, and its a crucial one. We need to know where they live and where they hang out. Why would you randomly network hoping to find your ideal clients when you can find places to rub elbows with them in large numbers and at low cost to you? This is much easier and gets you more results. Your Assignment: Ask yourself the following questions: Where do they congregate regularly? What workshops or seminars do they go to? What conferences or conventions do they visit each year? What trade shows will they attend this year? Where do they network? What clubs or organizations do they visit regularly? What associations do they belong to? Where will you find a roomful of these people? What organization or group holds a list of these people?

(Worksheet 3 in the Appendix will help you get started.) Step 7. Know your strategic alliances and best referral partners. To make networking even more effective for you (and to quickly increase your results), youll want to not only try to meet your ideal clients, but strategic alliances as well. Strategic alliances are people who share the same target audience or clients as you do, but whose company or service doesnt overlap with yours. Strategic alliances are usually your best referral partners and, in many cases, youll have many different ones. Heres an example of a strategic alliance scenario: If you were an Accountant/CPA, these are what some of your strategic alliances could look like: Financial Advisor Personal Financial Planner 23


The Secrets of Master Networkers: How to keep your practice consistently FULL just with networking! www.SecretsofNetworkers.com Bookkeeper Attorney Insurance Broker Small Business Banker Business Coach Etc.

All of these types of people are possible referral partners to you AND share the same type of client without offering what you offer or competing with you. The idea is that these peoples Rolodexes and mailing lists are full of your prospects and in teaming up, you could both help each other spread the word and refer your clients to each other. Your Assignment: Make a list of which industries or types of businesses share the same client you do and see what you can do to share your resources. Perhaps you can do a seminar together, combine mailing lists for double the exposure of direct mailings, send a letter of endorsement to your clients about your Strategic Partner and vice versa, etc. Extra credit assignment: You can also consider a Strategic Alliance to be an organization made up of your Ideal Client whose mailing list is made up of hundreds of thousands of your targets. This is another great way of aligning yourself. How could you work something out together that would benefit everyone involved and help you both attract new clients? (Worksheet 4 in the Appendix will help you get started.) Step 8. Be able to reach your best referral sources in groups As you did with your Ideal Clients, its time to get clear on how to reach your best referral sources and strategic alliances in large numbers and inexpensively. You could essentially put together an ENTIRE marketing plan around this technique, one that would get you LOTS of clients, consistently.


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The Secrets of Master Networkers: How to keep your practice consistently FULL just with networking! www.SecretsofNetworkers.com Your Assignment: Ask yourself the following questions: Where do each of your strategic alliance groups congregate regularly? What workshops or seminars do they go to? What conferences or conventions do they visit each year? What trade shows will they attend this year? Where do they network? What clubs or organizations do they visit? What associations do they belong to? Where will you find a roomful of these people? What organization or group holds a list of these people?

(Worksheet 5 in the Appendix will help you get started.) Step 9. Clearly communicate what youre looking for with a Client Attractive elevator speech. OK, now that you know who youre going to want to look for and talk to when networking, you gotta have something to say that will make them: 1) want to work with you 2) want to refer clients to you. An Elevator Speech is a marketing term that is meant to describe the commercial you would use with an ideal prospect in an elevator if you only had 20 seconds to get your message across before reaching your floor. Its meant to describe what you do in a very short amount of time, with the objective being that this person will not only want your card, but will also want to talk to you further. And I consider it a crucial part of Client Attraction as a whole and paramount for masterful networking, because if you cant say what you do in a compelling way in LESS than 20 seconds, youre letting potential clients slip through your fingers on a daily basis. Not ideal. The good news is, its just a question of plugging things into the formula below and memorizing it.


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The Secrets of Master Networkers: How to keep your practice consistently FULL just with networking! www.SecretsofNetworkers.com My Elevator Speech formula: I work with (insert ideal client profile) who struggle with (insert client challenges) and would like to (insert results and benefits). What separates my service from other (insert competitors) is (insert your Unique Selling Propositions) and because of this, clients receive (insert motivators and your claim). Would you like to know more? Heres mine as an example: Hello, my name is Fabienne Fredrickson and I am a Client Attraction Expert. I work with somewhat successful self-employed professionals and very small businesses who struggle to market their business effectively and need to attract a lot of new clients consistently, without pushing so hard. What separates my service from other business coaches is that I ONLY work with self-employed businesses and I ONLY specialize in Client Attraction, nothing else. Because of this, my clients receive proven, undiluted, and extremely specific step-by-step information on exactly what they need to do to get clients. As a result, those who coach with me get more clients, in record time, and make more money than they would on their own. Would you like to know more? I get a lot of attention with that one. And every time I use it at a networking meeting, I see people really listening to what I have to say and then usually get approached by an ideal client or receive a lead towards the end of the meeting. Not bad, huh? One thing that needs to be mentioned is that people judge you on what you say about your business (they cant help it, theyre trying to figure out whether youre good at what you do, or not) and one of the things they look at is your confidence level around how you describe your business. Were not shooting for arrogance or aggressiveness, but rather a casual confidence that makes them want to know more. And thats why its important that you memorize your elevator speech. Because you want it to roll off your tongue, easily and without effort. VERY Client Attractive!


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The Secrets of Master Networkers: How to keep your practice consistently FULL just with networking! www.SecretsofNetworkers.com Your Assignment: Time to work on your elevator speech using the formula Ive given you above. Understand that it might sound canned at first. The formula Ive given you is meant to be a starting point. But once you practice it several times and start to memorize it, youll find a way to round out the edges and make it really easy to get attention. Note: If youre having trouble filling out the formula (many people do), we go really in depth in all the different components of the elevator speech formula in the Client Attraction Home Study System. You can get a copy here: http://www.TheClientAttractionSystem.com (Worksheet 6 in the Appendix will help you get started.) Step 10. Come up with a tagline and theyll really remember you by. So, imagine that youre in a structured networking meeting (well talk about these in depth in a little while) and that 30 other people are giving their elevator speeches, looking for referrals from the group. Can you imagine yourself forgetting what one or more (if not many) peoples messages are? Ill bet you anything that most people in that room will forget at least one persons elevator speech. And what if it were yours? Youd be bummed. Heres what you can do about that. Having a tagline or slogan can make all the difference in networking colleagues remembering you. They probably wont remember your entire elevator speech, but if you make it easy for them, theyll likely remember your tagline. A tagline is something that describes the entire essence of what you do, including results, to a potential client or referral source, within just a few words. Its essentially a reduction of your entire marketing message, or elevator speech. Basically youre trying to reduce your essential message into just a phrase, so you want to keep it short, memorable and have it be results- and benefits-oriented if possible. In the end, youre looking


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The Secrets of Master Networkers: How to keep your practice consistently FULL just with networking! www.SecretsofNetworkers.com for something that your ideal client or strategic alliances will remember and refer you with. My tagline is More clients, in record time every time. An added bonus is that people will start to refer you to others using your tagline. People do this for me. They tell me that when theyre talking to a friend whos complaining about not having a full practice or having a tough time marketing to clients, theyll simply say to them, You should talk to Fabienne Fredrickson, she can help you get More clients, in record time, and she does it every time. It works. OK, heres how to come up with yours. Imagine that youre cooking a large amount of broth on the stove (your elevator speech) and youd like to reduce it to a thick sauce (your tagline). It takes time, but sooner or later, youll get something that will be the essence of your message, yet in a lesser quantity and much more powerful. As I just mentioned, mine is More clients, in record time every time. But it took me a while to get there. My first tagline was, More money, more of life, better decisions, faster growth. (Not exactly very easy for others to remember or repeat.) And then it became More clients, more money, better decisions, faster growth. (A little better, but still not there.) And then, More clients, in record time, guaranteed. (Great tagline, but I started attracting people who werent willing to put in the work, so that wasnt ideal either.) And lastly, More clients, in record time, every time. Now with the Winners Academy, Ive added a new tag line just for that, Step-by-step Guidance, Expert Coaching, Daily Accountability.

Now, understand that this evolution happened over a span of several years. And you know what? Im still thinking about changing it to have something in there about consistency because my clients dont just want a lot of clients fast, they want a lot of clients fast AND consistently, so Im working on changing it yet again. The reason I took you through all these different incarnations of my tagline is to reassure you that coming up with a good one 2011 Client Attraction LLC. All Rights Reserved. www.ClientAttraction.com

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The Secrets of Master Networkers: How to keep your practice consistently FULL just with networking! www.SecretsofNetworkers.com doesnt always happen overnight. And it can always evolve (just be careful that it doesnt change drastically on a regular basis or youll confuse people.) Its OK to spend some time with this, but when youve got one, use it on EVERYTHING: Your business card Your website Your marketing materials Your voicemail Your e-mail signature file At the end of your elevator speech Etc.

Your Assignment: Distill your message down into a few words Keep it memorable Have it be benefits- and results-oriented, if possible Use your Unique Selling Proposition, if possible

(Worksheet 7 in the Appendix will help you get started.) Step 11. Have a Client Attractive business card. You can have a business card that says your name, the name of your company and how to contact you, or one that gets you clients. Which do you want? Your business card should be considered a sales tool, something that someone will look at and get a very good idea not only at what you do, but what you can do for them. If youve got just one chance to make an impression (in person or not) and youve got the space, use it well. Make sure people know what you do, really DO, when they read your business card. Give them a compelling reason to call you to talk about working together. Or perhaps you want them to visit your website or sign up for your ezine (e-mail newsletter). The idea is to get prospects in action JUST WITH YOUR CARD.


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The Secrets of Master Networkers: How to keep your practice consistently FULL just with networking! www.SecretsofNetworkers.com Heres an example for you: I got a call from a prospect a while back, saying that she was ready to work with me to help her attract new paying clients. She wanted to talk to me because she just needed to see exactly how I worked and what my rates were. The funny thing is, wed never met. And she wasnt referred by any of my clients or colleagues. Instead, she had found my card in a doctors office close to 50 miles away. Now, I can ASSURE you that I had never been to that doctors office and that I hadnt gone to that part of the state in over a year, but somehow my card found her and compelled her to want to work with me. And that card probably cost me no more than 10 cents. Not bad for a return on investment on a marketing piece and the fact that I wasnt even there in the first place! OK, so what should you put on your business card to make it Client Attractive in a networking situation? It should have your phone number(s), every way to reach you and can even have a set of PULL marketing questions on the back that invite the reader of the card to consider working with you. (Use the questions weve already worked on in the Client Attraction Home Study System.) Its recommended that you add your tagline to the card. And use the back of it if you can! Let me give you an example of what your card can do for you, even when youre not there. Heres the text to mine: FRONT More clients, in record time every time. Client attraction made easy. Fabienne Fredrickson Client Attraction Expert, Business Coach, National Speaker Client Attraction Business Coaching 866-RAINMAKER (toll free) Local phone: 203-595-0068 [email protected] 2011 Client Attraction LLC. All Rights Reserved. www.ClientAttraction.com

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The Secrets of Master Networkers: How to keep your practice consistently FULL just with networking! www.SecretsofNetworkers.com FREE Client Attraction Tools at www.ClientAttraction.com BACK Not attracting enough clients to your existing small business? Do you wish you could turn more prospects into paying clients? Do you love what you do but havent mastered the marketing yet? Do you feel the financial pressure of not having enough clients? Do you sometimes feel like youre pushing too hard? You can double your client base, without spending a lot. Call me to share your own business struggles, ask key questions, and talk about solutions, free of charge. Fabienne is also a national speaker, widely known for her popular Client Attraction trainings and seminars. Visit www.ClientAttraction.com for details. This business card has also prompted several colleagues to refer potential clients to me even though wed only met once at a workshop Id given or at a networking meeting. The information on the back allows the person holding the card to self-qualify or screen themselves as to whether or not they are an ideal client for me. And it gives referral sources ways of describing what you do clearly and effectively when talking to others about you. It has an invitation to call: Call me to share your own business struggles, ask key questions, and talk about solutions, free of charge, which is very important. We call this the call-to-action. The objective should be to have a card that has your ideal prospect say, Wow! I need you! when theyve read your card. The key is to keep it legible, but to have real Client Attractive information there, so that it works as part of your sales force, even when youre not there to sell for yourself. Resource: I have often used www.vistaprint.com for my business cards. Why? Because I get to do things myself, online, whenever I want to (even in the middle of the night). There is a free option (yes, 250 free business cards for anyone and everyone, as often as you like) and a customizable option where you can use the back of the card for just $20 or so. (I choose this option.)


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The Secrets of Master Networkers: How to keep your practice consistently FULL just with networking! www.SecretsofNetworkers.com I get to have my cards within just a few days of creating them. I get to choose from dozens of impressive templates, and I can also get postcards, letterhead and envelopes to match to create an entire brand that is consistent in its image. Best of all, Vistaprint is really inexpensive yet the quality is good. And because its so inexpensive to produce 250 cards, I never order more than 250 at a time (the minimum). Why? Because I like to tweak my materials often! You will too. And throwing out 800 cards because I want to change one small thing doesnt make sense, so I order small and reorder whenever I need to. You should do the same. Your Assignment: Ask yourself: What does my business card say to my prospects? How do I differentiate myself from all of my competitors with my business card alone? Am I actually attracting new business because of it? Is there a call to action, an invitation to call me, a compelling offer or point of differentiation that makes me stand out? Ask yourself: What are people I network with REALLY doing with my business card once they come home from where they met me? Is it going in the circular file (i.e. the garbage) because they cant tell what you really do for a living and what you can do for them? Business cards are the Number One marketing tool you will use most often to get new business. Create one that gets clients to call YOU. (Worksheet 8 in the Appendix will help you get started.) Step 12. Make sure you have plenty of business cards. I know I shouldnt even have to mention this one, but youd be SHOCKED at the number of people I meet at networking meetings who arent carrying business cards! I mean, what are they thinking?! I know that we have all been caught once without a business card (even me!) but that needs to be a total exception. If you regularly 2011 Client Attraction LLC. All Rights Reserved. www.ClientAttraction.com

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The Secrets of Master Networkers: How to keep your practice consistently FULL just with networking! www.SecretsofNetworkers.com go to networking events without cards, my advice would be dont bother. I had a colleague a while back who used to suggest that if youre going to the beach, tuck a few in your bathing suit. In a way, thats my take on it too. YOU NEVER KNOW when youre going to meet someone, either an ideal client or referral source, that you want to reconnect with. Make sure youre not scribbling your info on a chewing gum wrapper. Its not that Client Attractive, trust me. Your Assignment: Usually, its a matter of you not having re-ordered your cards in time. Just make sure that you reorder early when you start running out or get a bunch to begin with. If its a matter of you not having thought ahead, just make it a habit to have a stack of good business cards in your purse or wallet at all times and you wont be stuck without. Step 13. Wear clothing with pockets. Have you ever given another persons business card to someone by mistake, instead of your own? I have, in the early days. (It was a little embarrassing.) So I figured out a trick. Wear a jacket with 2 pockets. One for your cards, one for the cards you receive. Simple as that. Its kind of a no-brainer but itll save you some embarrassment and disorganization. Your Assignment: Make sure that whenever you go to a networking meeting, you wear something with 2 pockets. Make a habit of this.


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The Secrets of Master Networkers: How to keep your practice consistently FULL just with networking! www.SecretsofNetworkers.com Step 14. Wear your nametag properly. What Ive noticed from years and years of networking is that there are smart ways to wear that nametag and ways to avoid wearing it. The first thing is WHERE to put your nametag or sticker. Most people are right-handed and if you put your sticker or nametag on the left hand side, you make it more difficult for the person to see your name. Put it on the RIGHT hand side instead, and it falls right in their line of vision. I usually only write my first name, in large letters, instead of my full name. You just want to give them enough info to get them to remember your first name (they dont really need your last name until later, and theyll get that when you exchange business cards). I also recommend not putting the name of my company, instead preferring to put WHAT I do, which is more Client Attractive. Ill give you an example: A while back, I was on my way out of an LTBN meeting (Lets Talk Business Network) with my coat in hand and someone stopped me right in my tracks. Id written Fabienne, Business Coaching on my nametag in big letters instead of the name of my company. Well, he stopped me and said, Hey, you do business coaching? I need some help. Can we talk? If Id just put the name of my company (which was not very descriptive at the time) or kept a lot of info crammed into that small space, theres no way he would have been able to read it and no way he would have stopped me. It can make a big difference. Now, I just put: FABIENNE CLIENT ATTRACTION And by the way, he became my client and stayed for well over 6 months, which was a great surprise.


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The Secrets of Master Networkers: How to keep your practice consistently FULL just with networking! www.SecretsofNetworkers.com Your Assignment: The moral of the story is, make it simple! Keep it to your first name, write it BIG, write WHAT you do instead of the name of your company and lastly, put your nametag high up on your right shoulder, so that its in their line of vision.


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Section 3

Fish EXACTLY Where The Fish Are


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The Secrets of Master Networkers: How to keep your practice consistently FULL just with networking! www.SecretsofNetworkers.com Section 3: Fish EXACTLY Where The Fish Are This section is about where and how often to networking. People ask me this all the time in seminars and in private coaching. If we take into account what weve learned about networking in the first section (that its about building relationships and creating the know-like-and-trust factor for the long haul) then the answer to how often to network is easy to answer. But first, lets get into WHERE you should be networking to meet potential clients regularly, as well as your best referral sources. Step 15. Understand the different types of networking. When I ask certain clients or seminar attendees if they do any networking, many of them say Yes, I network at parties sometimes, or I talk to people at the supermarket when I go there. OK, good, but thats not really the answer Im usually looking for. Understanding that you may be a social, gregarious person, its great for you to network anywhere and everywhere. I do recommend that because you never know who youll meet. But what Im really going after is where you go to network PROFESSIONALLY and how often. Im talking about structured networking groups or meetings where the sole intent or purpose is to meet other professionals looking to make contacts and referrals to grow their businesses. That said, there are several different types of professional networking opportunities available to you, most anywhere in the country, and even the world: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Weekly breakfast networking groups Chambers of commerce Professional associations Special interest groups or alumni clubs Animal clubs (Lions, Elk, etc.)

The key is that each of these has a different approach to networking, as well as different types of people youll meet.


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The Secrets of Master Networkers: How to keep your practice consistently FULL just with networking! www.SecretsofNetworkers.com Your Assignment: Study the list of the networking groups I attended in New York in the Appendix (as an example) and start figuring out which will be best for you, in combination. Commit to making at least two of these a part of your marketing plan. (Worksheet 9 in the Appendix will help you get started.) Step 16. Get really familiar with Breakfast Networking Groups. Weekly breakfast networking groups (such as www.bni.com and www.letip.com) meet weekly (obviously) and are BY FAR my favorite way to network and something I almost make mandatory for my clients to attend and join. My favorite is BNI (Business Network International there are chapters just about everywhere in the world) and without it, I can honestly say that I wouldnt have filled either of my private practices (nutrition first, then business coaching) to capacity in less than a year each. I can also honestly say that in the first year alone for each of these businesses I started, 40-50% of my client base came from BNI members and their referrals. And then referrals of referrals. Did you get that? 40-50%! Thats HUGE! So, when a new client of mine starts to complain that these groups meet really early in the morning and that theyre not sure if they want to show up that often, I look at them dead in the eye and I say, Well, how badly do you want clients? Theres usually a long pause and then they say, with a smile, Okay, Ill do it. And they never regret it. The point is, if you really need or want to fill your practice quickly, then just DO what it takes, and BNI is a must in my book. As a side note, its that kind of NO EXCUSES approach that will help you fill your client base faster than youre doing it now. Do what it takes and the clients will come. Youve heard me say this before: A strong focus now creates a different future later.


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The Secrets of Master Networkers: How to keep your practice consistently FULL just with networking! www.SecretsofNetworkers.com On a last note about these weekly groups, its the WEEKLY part, among many other things, that makes it so successful for many of us self-employed people. Because were going after relationships and the know-like-and-trust factor in networking, a group such as this one will create a systematic way for you to meet with a group of professionals close to 50 times a year. NOTHING beats that for creating friendships and strategic alliances really quickly. And thats how you get clients. Your Assignment: Go to www.bni.com and click on your country, state, city and find a chapter in your area. Youre allowed to visit twice without having to become a member. Meet the members, check to see who could become a referral partner for you (it only takes one) and remember that its not necessarily whos in the group that youre only going to network with, but the Rolodex of each person in that group. Thats pretty powerful. Visit a couple of chapters, and then pick one, join and start reaping the rewards. (Well talk about how to make the most of these in a little while.) Step 17. Professional associations are key. OK, so now that weve talked about meetings that deal specifically with networking, nows the time to go HANG OUT with roomfuls of our ideal clients. Professional associations provide a great filter for us in terms of creating these roomfuls of people. If you think about it, you join an association because the members have something in common, as in an industry or a purpose of some sort. In terms of networking, that saves YOU a lot of work in reaching your ideal client or referral source. Whew! If you look back to the assignments and worksheets you worked on in the last section, the ones about where your ideal clients and strategic alliances HANG OUT, then this assignment will be easy. Its a matter of finding out which associations these people belong to or attend regularly. I belong to several associations because my ideal prospects belong to the same groups. For whatever reason, I tend to attract a lot of 2011 Client Attraction LLC. All Rights Reserved. www.ClientAttraction.com

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The Secrets of Master Networkers: How to keep your practice consistently FULL just with networking! www.SecretsofNetworkers.com women clients. Out of 30 private clients I have at the time Im writing this, only one is male. So, it actually makes a lot of sense for me to belong to the National Association of Women Business Owners (www.NAWBO.org) where I meet a handful of people each time I attend an event who eventually become clients. Others I meet have become referral sources, so its been a win-win for me. Your Assignment: Using the list you came up with in the Ideal Client and Strategic Alliances sections, start researching the actual associations that your ideal clients and referral sources belong to. Look them up on the internet, get contact information and ask when their next events are (or look for the events calendar on their website, thats usually easier.) If you like, you can even go to your local business library, and ask the reference librarian for the series of guides that list ALL associations in this country, broken out by industry. Its mindblowing how many there are. Once youve made a list, all you have to do is figure out if theres a chapter in your area, when they meet or when their annual convention is. Very cool. Then once you like a group, plug into your calendar all the events already scheduled for the year and make going regularly a priority to gain lots of exposure and create long-term, mutually beneficial relationships. (Worksheet 10 in the Appendix will help you get started.) Step 18. Chambers of commerce, special interest groups, etc. In addition to professional networking groups and associations, I added (especially in the beginning) a sprinkling of other networking opportunities. Visiting your local chambers of commerce can be really good, especially when youre trying to create a presence locally or when you need a boost of new clients. They usually have weekly or monthly meetings, although the same people arent always there, which can be considered either good or bad. Good if you want a fresh batch of people each time, bad if youre looking for consistency in building relationships. 2011 Client Attraction LLC. All Rights Reserved. www.ClientAttraction.com

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The Secrets of Master Networkers: How to keep your practice consistently FULL just with networking! www.SecretsofNetworkers.com Additionally, if they only meet monthly, then thats usually not frequent enough to help you quickly ramp up your Client Attraction, so I would use this as an ADDITION to my regular networking as opposed to the cornerstone of it. Many of my clients are encouraged to attend chambers in several different towns surrounding them. One other group I like to attend is a Special Interest Group started by a www.Coachville.com member, made up of other professional coaches. At first, it might not make sense to you if you think that everyone who attends is my competition, but I dont approach it this way at all. As a matter of fact, I look at it quite the opposite way. There are so many different types of coaches out there: Life coaches, nutrition coaches, business coaches, corporate coaches, sales coaches, ADD coaches, that theres plenty to go around. And Im usually known as a big referral source for them since I only coach ONE type of professional, the self-employed person who needs more clients. Since mine is a pretty narrow niche, I refer out all other types of clients to my coaching colleagues (and happy to do it) so that I can focus on my core competency, which is Client Attraction. In turn, they do the same for me, so having those relationships can be very key in terms of networking. So think about what Special interest Group is available to you and how you could give and gain leads from it. Then, make this a part of your networking plan. Your Assignment: Once youve got your professional networking groups and associations in place, think about what other occasional networking you can add to the mix. Kind of like your investment portfolio, its good to diversify your networking activities so you get more chances of attract clients that way and dont put all your eggs in one basket.


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The Secrets of Master Networkers: How to keep your practice consistently FULL just with networking! www.SecretsofNetworkers.com Step 19. Focus your networking on the Cash Cows. To take networking to the next level, Id like to also talk to you now about Cash Cows. Lets agree that there are different types of referrals from networking. The referrals that have a little business for us and those who have a LOT of business for us (these are the Cash Cows, by the way). Client example: A real estate broker client of mine has redirected her networking efforts to rub elbows with those who have a LOT of business for her, rather than just a little business for her. During our coaching, we realized that she could either network with INDIVIDUALS (who sell one apartment at a time) or DEVELOPERS (who need to sell 15 units at one time). When the light bulb went on and after screaming EUREKA! together, we looked for associations that she could join to create lasting relationships with real estate developers (Professional Women In Construction is one of them). She will now be networking there regularly and maximizing her networking to reach Cash Cows (i.e., getting a referral to sells 15 units rather than just 1). Next, shell be targeting architects. If she keeps this up, she is on her way to become an apartment selling machine! Your Assignment: Instead of going after ONE client at a time in networking, think about those people who have a LOT of business for you, instead of just a little business for you. Make a list of these. Then visit the web to see if they have an association you could belong to. If theyre local, join the association. If theyre not, offer to write a monthly column for their association newsletter or speak at the annual conference. Step 20. Know where to find good networking venues in your area. It sometimes feels overwhelming for some of my clients to start the whole networking venue search, but actually, its very simple. I use two main resources: 2011 Client Attraction LLC. All Rights Reserved. www.ClientAttraction.com

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The Secrets of Master Networkers: How to keep your practice consistently FULL just with networking! www.SecretsofNetworkers.com 1. The local business journal 2. The internet The first place to look is in your local business journal, if you have one. In virtually every one of them, there is a weekly listing of events and from my experience, most of these are networkingrelated events. This is great because you can simply get the latest issue (or log onto their website) and circle all the events that are coming up in the week or two ahead and visit them. One stop shop. In New York, its Crains New York Business, and the website is www.CrainsNewYork.com, but just ask around or call your chamber of commerce for the one covering your area. While youre at it and youve got the chamber on the phone, ask them if they have a listing of local networking groups (they just might) and ask to get a copy of it. Again, another possible one stop shop. When certain clients of mine live in more remote areas, I usually do a Google search using the keywords network and then the name of their town or county. That usually produces some results, although sometimes you have to dig deep in the first few pages to see what comes up. (I usually avoid using the keyword networking as it will usually provide computer networking resources, but its not a bad last-resort move to make.) Your Assignment: Research your local business journal and keep on top of their events calendar (your local regular newspaper may also provide some of this info, but its usually not as focused on business meetings.) A great online resource that li

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Secrets of Master Net Workers Manual 2011

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