There was once a member in a Chapter who sold computer equipment. Just before joining the organization, he had sold dozens of computers to a local school system. Apparently, the state legislature had earmarked a billion dollars for school systems to upgrade their computer equipment and this particular member had come across an opportunity to tap into a small piece of these allocated funds.

After joining, this individual was eager to use the contacts in the organization to identify more school systems that he could sell upgraded computers. As these opportunities represented major transactions for him, each week he focused his infomercials on seeking contacts and inroads into local school systems.

Although articulately said, nothing came from his requests. The problem was that no one had legitimate contacts into school systems (partially because most Chapter members did not have school-aged children). After a year of trying, the member stood at the Chapter meeting when it was his time to speak and proceeded to resign his membership, stating that he had just not gotten any referrals.

This announcement troubled much of the Chapter. This individual was a good member. He had consistent attendance. He got a respectable amount of great referrals. And he was well liked. Several people expressed their feelings.

With regret a member said, “I am sorry to hear that you are leaving the group – you will be missed. I wish you could have got you some referrals, but I just don’t know anyone in a school system and I don’t know anyone that needs 50 computers. I would have loved to have used you – you just bought a new printer last week.”

Others echoed this sentiment and indicated where they thought about using their fellow member.  “I would have loved to have got a replacement monitor from you”… “we would have liked to purchased our two new computers from you.”

The resigning computer salesperson was stunned.  Momentarily, he was silenced, when he was able to speak he instinctively replied, “I could have sold you any of that. In fact, a good part of my business is selling a single computer or an individual peripheral, like printers and monitors.”

The story has a happy ending, however. The member did not leave the Chapter. He did, however, stop focusing entirely on selling computers to school systems and did quite well asking for and getting referrals for a computer here and a printer there.

The moral of the story is that you should not get so caught up asking for that referral that will make your month (or year), that you forget that most of your success in business is achieved by making lots of relatively small sales. In fact, from week to week there are three general categories of referrals you should be seeking, graded as A, B or C.

• Grade A: This is the referral you realistically hope for when you have an opportunity to daydream about your business. That is to say that it is entirely possible that you could receive a referral like this, but they do not come around everyday and you certainly should not pin the existence of your business on them. From time to time, you should ask for these types of referrals as it is not beyond the realm of possibility that you would get one and so it is important that you let your network know that you would be interested.

• Grade B: These referrals represent the types of business and clients that you generally see from day to day and week to week in your business. A great majority of the time, you should be asking for referrals that fit in this classification.

• Grade C: These referrals represent the bear minimum type of business that you are willing to accept. In essence, when you ask for these types of referrals you are saying to your fellow members “although I am not going to build my business long term on these types of clients, I am willing to work with them as a means of establishing a relationship and hoping that it leads to more and better business down the road.” Like the Grade A referral, this should not be the focus of your periodic request for referrals. You should remind your fellow members, however, from time to time about these potential opportunities that you seek.

Although there is nothing wrong with asking for those once-in-a-lifetime referral opportunities, you need to make these requests sparingly (and the same holds true for those referrals you are willing to work for, but not overly eager to have).  Remember, success in requesting referrals is as simple as A,B,C.

Frank Agin is the founder and president of AmSpirit Business Connections and is the author of Foundational Networking: Building Know, Like And Trust To Create A Lifetime Of Extraordinary Success and Linked Working: Generating Success On The World’s Largest Professional Networking Website.
For more information go to www.frankagin.com.

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About Frank Agin

Frank Agin is the founder and president of AmSpirit Business Connections, an organization that empowers entrepreneurs, sales representatives and professionals to become more successful through networking and developing stronger business relationships. He is the author of a book entitled Foundational Networking: Creating Know, Like & Trust For A Lifetime of Extraordinary Success, and the co-author of LinkedWorking: Generating Success of the World’s Largest Professional Networking Website, which is one of the first books to set forth a strategy for being successful with social media websites.

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The sights and sounds of summer are arguably the best of the year. Ask most anyone and they will list summer as one of their favorite times of year.

If you ask why, you will get a variety of answers. Some will cite the long, sunny days filled with enjoying time at the beach. Others might mention backyard cook outs with family and friends. Still others will bring into the conversation an occasional round of golf.

The game of golf is unique in that there is something in the game for everyone. You can start playing when you are young and enjoy it until you are in retirement years. As long as you are able walk a few feet and swing your arms, you can play golf (not necessarily well, but you can still play).

You can play golf for fun, just passing the time as you chase that little white ball down the fairway (and through the sand, across the rough and sometimes into the water).  Or you can be ultra serious about it, working to push your handicap ever lower and lower. Or you can be somewhere in between.

You can play golf with friends and relatives, using the game as a vehicle to re-live old times and create new ones. You can play with those you know just a little in hopes of knowing them better. Or you can play it with total strangers, hoping to add these new acquaintances to your stable of contacts.

There are lots of ways to enjoy the game of golf (or be frustrated by it). There is the traditional game – one person maintaining an individual score over 18 holes. There is match play – two people pitted against each other, with the best score moving on to face another opponent. And, of course, there is the scramble format.

A scramble is usually played with a team comprised of four golfers of varying abilities. In a scramble format, each player tees off and the foursome decides whose ball is in the best position for the next shot. Each player on the team then moves his or her ball to that spot and hits again. Then the process repeats until the scramble team hits the ball in the hole.

What is interesting about a scramble is that these four very amateur golfers, on average, bring in scores of six to eight strokes under par. While the best professional golfers – even the likes of Tiger Woods – usually only score four or five under par in rounds where they win. That is right, a handful of self-proclaimed duffers can out play the best of the best in golf.

My point is that nothing beats a team. A collection of so-so individuals, each with a remarkable skill at one particular expertise (perhaps one driving, one putting and one with the chipping game), outplays the best of the best almost every time.

Always consider tapping into your network to get the job done. Tap into the advice of colleagues. Ask for the encouragement of friends. Use the experience of those who have come before you. Each of these will surely enhance your overall performance.

Individually, you cannot effectively handle every type of challenge and you cannot put forth the very best effort. Collectively, however, the combined talent and experience of your network is an unstoppable force. Nothing beats a team.

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About Frank Agin

Frank Agin is the founder and president of AmSpirit Business Connections, an organization that empowers entrepreneurs, sales representatives and professionals to become more successful through networking and developing stronger business relationships. He is the author of a book entitled Foundational Networking: Creating Know, Like & Trust For A Lifetime of Extraordinary Success, and the co-author of LinkedWorking: Generating Success of the World’s Largest Professional Networking Website, which is one of the first books to set forth a strategy for being successful with social media websites.

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