Paint-by-number kits first appeared in 1951. By 1954, twelve million kits had been sold. While there were critics, of course, ("It's too formulaic"; "It isn't really art"; "It's tacky") paint-by-number kits gave aspiring artists results they were proud of, and bought again. Richard Hess's portrait of President Lyndon Johnson as an incomplete paint-by-number work was even exhibited at the Louvre in Paris. The Smithsonian's National Museum of American History has a current exhibit about this universally accessible art form.
Imagine if you had the template, the numbers, to build a network. Here are four:
- Be visibly active in 3 different types of associations.
That's the number of people you need to be in regular contact with in order to get and give referrals. - Follow through 5 times with each person you meet.
This year's NASE survey once again found that 80% of all sales or referrals happen after the 5th to 7th contact.
Key Point: if it's about you, it doesn't count as a contact. - Make joining an association a 3 year commitment.
There is some real data showing that it takes a year just to build awareness and credibility. People want to do business with people they know, not someone they've just met. - At open networking events, have 6 conversations an hour.
Spend less than six minutes with a conversation partner and they won't remember you. More than 10 minutes, and you aren't networking.
Use these numbers to:
- generate referrals
- glean new clients
- scoop trends
- show your value
- build a reputation
- discover opportunities
Success is simple when you network by the numbers.
Contributed by Wendy Kinney, PowerCore www.powercore.net
