Effortless Networking

My sister-in-law in India is starting a business. Last week she asked me if I could help her find some books with some technical information.

I replied saying that I had a client (based in the US) who is an expert consultant on the topic. Would she be interested in talking with him instead?

Well, here’s the email reply I got:

“Thanks Didi….YOU ROCK!!

I’ve written to Tom, asking him how much he would charge for a consultation on this project. Am now waiting for him to get back to me.

Hopefully I can get this ball rolling soon. Am very excited. Hope he can help!”

And you know, this email made my day! (I know, simple things make me happy.)

So why am I sharing this story with YOU?

To make two points:

1. First, this is an example of business networking in real life — outside business mixers and networking groups.

   You have no control over when such opportunities will show you. But when they show up, and you can act on it, it really makes a difference to all the people involved.

   My sister-in-law is clearly excited, my client Tom will be happy to get new business I’m sure, and as I already mentioned, it made my day to connect these 2 people.

   Also, even though I didn’t gain anything tangible in this interaction, I gained something very important (besides personal satisfaction): goodwill — with 2 people.

2. Second, I was able to refer my sister-in-law to Tom because I have a good understanding of exactly what he does.

   I know it sounds obvious — but think of how many times someone has told you what they do, and you have no idea what it means.

   For instance, many years ago at a business mixer, a gentleman told me that he runs a “full service print shop”. When I heard this I wondered, what does “full” include, and does that mean there “partial” service places? And why would a business offer partial services?

   My impression is that most people in such situations don’t ask for clarification (although if you did, that would be an great way to start a worthwhile networking conversation).

   My point is, if you’re not clear about what a person really does, how can you recognize an opportunity to refer business to him or her?

So I’m curious to know: what has been your experience in this area?

A few weeks ago, I wrote about Jeremy’s success story — how he generates new business primarily through word-of-mouth referrals.

This week, let me share Sandy’s success story.

Sandy Dellinger is my hair stylist. One of her other clients referred Sandy to me.

And the main reason I asked this person who her hair stylist was, was because she had such a nice haircut!

Sandy and Jeremy have 3 things in common:

1. Neither of them “network”, yet both generate new business primarily through referrals.
2. Both let their work speak for themselves.
3. Both have very happy clients that refer new people to them.

Here’s Sandy’s perspective about why she is successful:

Most of my clients are referred to me by my very loyal clientèle.

I offer a referral discount to my clients who send me a new person.

Word of mouth is the most effective advertisement. Very satisfied customers are very attractive people, and every unique hair style is my advertisement of my skill.

Here’s Sandy’s real secret:

I go back to Sandy because she not only gives me a good haircut, she also makes me feel special.

For instance, recently Sandy watched a TV show just to examine a haircut from various angles — because she thought that style would look good on me!

If you’re in the Lancaster, PA area and want Sandy to style your hair, you can contact her at 717-299-1313.

And my closing question for you is this:
What do you do to make your clients or customers feel special?

I found out about VersaScapes Inc. from one of their past clients. We hired them to make our front yard presentable — which they did.

And when I found out that Jeremy Poague, owner of VersaScapes, gets most of his clients through referrals, I had to interview him! Here’s what Jeremy has to say.

(By the way, if you’re in the Lancaster, PA area and want any hardscaping services, call Jeremy at 717-799-4314 or email him. He’s great!)

How do you find new clients?

Among other things, I truly believe in doing quality work and having good customer relationships. The better value I can provide, the better chances I have for referrals.

I am always looking for ways to improve the uniqueness of my work and to improve efficiency of my work.

With that being said, word of mouth has gotten me where I am today. While I was in high School, many saw that I did good work for an affordable price and the word passed quickly.

I rarely use fliers and stick mostly to business cards and more recently yard signs.

How would you describe your business?

VersaScapes Inc. was officially created at the beginning of 2006 with the intent to provide a wide variety of services, including the seasonal maintenance of a property, adding new garden additions and new looks, fencing, decks, water features, and most importantly emphasizing on hardscaping.

Many people do not understand the term hardscaping.

I often refer to this as outdoor living since hardscaping can really add to the life of a property and enhance the appeal of an environment for people to enjoy. Hardscaping comes in the form of patios, walkways, retaining or garden walls, rock formations, fire pits, and much, much more.

I haven’t personally had the opportunity to do this, but I once saw a doghouse built out of wall blocks, which was very neat and pretty detailed. The options with hardscaping are almost unlimited. With a little bit of creativity, it can be viewed as a form of art.

What separates me from competition is the need for perfection, or close to it for that matter. I really want the customer to believe they are getting great value from my service. Many others will claims this as well, but if I were to take pictures of some of my competitors work and compare it to mine people would see a big difference.

One of the differences in hardscaping is that I expect my work to look the same as when I installed it, many years down the road.

Most people are deterred from having a paver patio or walkway installed because they have seen what they look like in 2-3 years. The type of clients I prefer to deal with are those who are serious and truly care about there property, someone who I can prove to that they will be making a good investment and are truly going to receive good value.

I often get a lot of people who are looking for the cheapest guy on the block. I believe that you get what you pay for. I am not saying that I am the get rich quick type. I believe you must work hard to reach your goals. I have low overhead, which helps keep the price desirable, but at the same time I have done research on what the competition charges, so I make sure I give more for less. That doesn’t mean I am the lowest priced. I would prefer to say that I am middle priced, but provide above average value.

What do you do to encourage referrals?

Each season poses different obstacles. Each season has a time where business slows. I naturally push for referrals during those periods.

Once a client gets to know me, they will discover that when they give me referrals there can be great benefits.

Each and every referral must be treated independently since some jobs pay better than others. In some cases I send gift cards and other times I discount a clients next bill in order to show appreciation.

How did you get started with your business?

When I was about 5 years old my father started a business in the nursery, landscaping, and lawn maintenance business. He had many large contracts with industrial parks, commercial plazas, apartment complexes, and some residential. We had a large variety of services that we provided.

I grew up learning much about many aspects of the business. I was no older than 6 when he turned me loose on a decent sized John Deere riding mower. [When I was older] I answered the phones and took orders on a regular basis.

When I was only in the 11th grade, a friend and I decided to do something similar to what my dad was doing. (My dad’s health had taken a toll on him and had decided to take a break from it all. Once this happened [his business] ceased to exist.)

By the use of fliers, made on the home computer with poor resolution printing, we managed to get a few jobs. My short term partner soon realized this isn’t his niche. I was on my own before graduation.

A bit about Jeremy

Jeremy and family

I am 25 now and it has only been 7.5 years since I started landscaping as my own boss. However, only 2 of the most recent years have I been full-time. I have a hardworking wife of 3 years (who had to endure me being in Iraq for approximately 7 months), 2 dogs, and 2 cats. My wife and I had been together pretty much since the 7th grade, nearly 12 years. Currently we have no kids but one day hope to have 2.

From the time I was 15, I worked as a reptile rep at That Fish Place, I have been a cook and a server at Ruby Tuesdays, a United States Marine (Veteran of OIF II and still currently in the reserves), a business admin student at HACC, and a steel worker at G/S/M Industrial Inc. I am just a few credits away from having an Associates Degree.

I have many talents and hobbies in many other areas, not just landscaping. As a kid played many team sports, including soccer, track and field, and some baseball and football. I haven’t played team sports in awhile but currently am a volunteer coach for the Under-14 Girls soccer team in Lititz.