Who Do You Know, and Should They Help You in Your Business?
by Gerry Rose, Business Consultant

So, you are over 18.  You are on your own.  Having your own business has given you and your family an independence you never imagined.   Now you are at a point where you want to grow the business.  You read all the self-help books (even articles like this).  You have sat down with a number of advisors to get some information to help you move ahead.  After the self-help books, and interviewing some advisors, you may go to a seminar or two or more (one lady I know spent over $20,000 on seminars to grow her business and claims she received little or no return on her investment!)  The strategy below is the best strategy to grow your business, but it is so often overlooked.

Why do people overlook this strategy?  Simply, they are embarrassed.  We are embarrassed to ask friends, family, and business associates for help.  It is easier to ask a stranger to do business, or help us find new business to avoid embarrassment.  (Sometimes I am told it is easier to make a cold call than to contact a friend, associate, or loved one.)  The strategy is using your “Knowns.”

“Knowns” are the people who already know and love you.  Friends, family, and associates fit into your knowns.  Check “spell check” for the word “knowns”.  You won’t find it.  The neat thing about the concept is it works well when looking for all kinds of work.  If you are looking for a salaried management position to starting a business, up to and including growing your business, your knowns are your key to faster success.

Occasionally when I suggest this strategy, I see facial responses correlating to the magnitude of shooting them in the chest at point blank range with a 357-magnum pistol.  It is almost as if they are saying, “How can you suggest I embarrass myself with someone who knows me?  Asking for help makes me look weak.”

How about testimonials from some successful people who have used their knowns? 

·        One guy I know spent 20 years in industry.  He changed companies seven times.  Each time he used a headhunter or a friend’s referral to get to the next level in his career. 

·        A lady I know taught in northern California.  She wanted to move to southern California to teach.  A relative called a neighbor.  The neighbor was the principal of the school where the lady wanted to teach.  After a 15-minute face to face interview with the principal, the lady was hired.

·        Then there was this guy who moved a business from one part of the state to another, over 400 miles.  In less than a year, he was introduced to more than 1,000 target businesses.  In less than five years, his client base was nearly 7,000.

·        How about the mortgage broker who had worked in grocery chains for 10 years prior to getting into the mortgage business.  When we first met this young man, he was at the bottom of the sales system at the mortgage company he worked.  Thirty days after he started selling mortgages to the grocery store employees, he became one of the top producers at the mortgage company.  He sold to his knowns, people who already knew and loved him.

All of the above are due to family, friends, associates, and loved ones sharing information with their knowns.

So, what do you want to do?   Do you need a new job or career?  Are you looking to start a business or grow your business?  Tap into your knowns.  Your success will come quicker, and you will reward the people you know by having them be a part of your success. 

Gerry Rose runs INTEGRITY Networking Solutions in Oceanside, CA.  He works with business owners who want to attract the right prospects and generate more referrals.  More than 7000 oriented businesses have been presented the INTEGRITY Networking Solutions system in San Diego County.

Gerry’s stimulating presentation Unlimited Prospects, Unlimited Referrals is ideally suited for small business owners, home-based businesses, and independent professionals who want clearer direction and want to attract more prospects, develop dynamic systems, and strengthen their companies’ accountability.  Gerry conducts a range of keynote speeches from thirty minutes to full-day education workshops.

Weekly telecommunication classes and monthly education workshops are the cornerstones of developing strong referrals and prospects in this learning environment.  His latest book, Unlimited Prospects, Unlimited Referrals, is now available.  Also available are the books 101 Tips to Attract Prospects and 101 Tips to Generate Referrals.  Soon to be released will be Gerry’s next book Unlimited Prospects, Unlimited Referrals, Giving Your Clients What They WANT, So You Get What You WANT.  Gerry has nearly 30 years’ experience directing business owners how to grow their businesses.  He is a networking dynamo.  Those who know him will assure you that he does a great job of bringing people together—which is why he started IntegritY.

Involved with networking organizations since 1984, Gerry is an Accomplished Toastmaster, a member of Toastmaster International, and has chaired numerous chambers of commerce and non-profit organizations.