You probably spend a lot more time networking with customers than you realise. However it’s good to spend a little time thinking about how you’ll do the networking and what you want to achieve so you can get the most out of it. Here are 9 tips to help you make the most of the time you spend networking with customers
Why you should network with customers
- Find out what your customers want
When you’re networking with customers it’s a great time to hear about what they’re doing in their business, what’s working and what isn’t. The more you understand about your customers business the easier it will be to find solutions that help them, and most of the time customers will only tell you what they think you need to know to do your job. If you can get a more in-depth knowledge of their business and what they’d love to be able to do, you’ll be more able to help them achieve their goals. - Find out what your customers need
During casual conversations with your customer is when you’re most likely to hear about issues they’re having in their business that they might not tell you about during day to day conversations. It’s an ideal time to hear about those things that your customer might not think is within your sphere, but in fact is a perfect fit. Or, you may find yourself inspired to create new products or services that help fill a need you didn’t realise existed. It also gives you an opportunity to be able to recommend other businesses that could help. - Conversations build rapport
While working via email, messaging services and occasional quick calls is possible, convenient and most of the time the best way to go, it doesn’t really build rapport. For that you need a conversation. Sometimes, a phone conversation will do that, but a lot of the time they’re just revolving around the job at hand with no small talk. Taking some time to network with your customers gives you the opportunity to build rapport with them so that they not only appreciate your business skills, they like you as a person.
How to network with customers
- Talk on the phone
If both you and your customers are super busy, maybe an occasional phone call is the best you can manage. The frequency will depend on the customer. I’ve got some customers who like me to touch base weekly, others who would find that intrusive and prefer conversations monthly, or even less frequently. It’s just a matter of finding the sweet spot for your customer. However you end up doing it, it really is necessary to build rapport and keep up with your customers business needs, so make sure you put a reminder in your CRM. That way you’ll also be prompted to make a few notes about the subjects covered in your conversation. - Catch up with them at networking functions
This is another great way to have a quick catch-up with a customer, and it’s the one I probably do the most as almost all of my customers are people I’ve met while networking. When you’re catching up at networking functions you won’t have time to spend on in-depth conversations or details about business systems they might need help with. It’s pretty much entirely a relationship building catch-up. Still, there’s nothing wrong with that, and it gives you a great opportunity to see if there are issues that require further conversation, at which point you suggest either a coffee/lunch meeting, or a visit to their office to talk about their needs. - Take your customers to lunch / coffee
I’m a big fan of the coffee catch up. Mostly for the coffee and chocolate delicacies I usually manage to fit in, but also because I prefer face to face conversation over the telephone. I think you can get a far better level of conversation in a relaxed coffee shop or café than you do over the phone where focus is usually split between work and the phone call. It also makes the meeting seem more personal and caring when you both make the effort to get out of the office.
Things to keep in mind
- Watch what you say
It’s really important when you’re networking with customers and having more casual conversations that you are careful about what you say. If you blab about another customer or are less than discrete, you’ll lose trust. It can be tempting to have a bit of a gossip, but if the person you’re gossiping about is one of your customers, then there’s no reason to expect that you’re not talking about all your customers that way. There’s nothing wrong with telling one customer how you’ve helped another customer, you should just be able to do it with discretion. Don’t say anything about a customer that you wouldn’t say to them, and never say anything you know they wouldn’t like you to say about them, unless you’re happy to lose them as a customer. - Don’t be overly self-promotional
The point is to find out what’s going on with your customers, not to tell them about yourself. Make sure to ask lots of questions and listen to what your customer is saying. Don’t be thinking about how you can sell to them, just listen to them and unless they have a dire need that you can solve, don’t try to sell your products or services. If you do have an ideal solution for them, just mention it in passing and send them an email with more detail when you get back to the office. Be just as quick to recommend someone else who can help as you would be to recommend yourself. - Be a connector
Take every opportunity to connect your customers with other businesses that they would work well with, and also to recommend business you’ve worked with in the past. Being the go-to person when your customer needs something is a great way to cement a positive relationship. It also helps you build relationships with the businesses you’re recommending. One note on recommendations though – make sure that any business you recommend will do a good job. If you’ve never worked with them before, make sure you let your customer know that “Bill is a customer of mine” or “I know Jane through a networking group and she’s lovely”. Because recommending someone who doesn’t do a great job won’t win any brownie points at all.
Remember, networking with customers is a great way to build a good relationship, and a good relationship plus good service equals lots of referrals. What more could you want?
