Why You Should Always Be Networking

I took a liitle trip a couple of weeks ago and stopped in to visit a very successful friend of mine while I was there. He ushered me right into his office while in the middle of a phone call. He was talking to a friend in San Fransisco that had 1500
42 inch Plasma TV's he wanted to sell right away.

My friend hung up with him and said, "We'll go to lunch, but first I have to sell these televisions."

He pulled down a Rolodex, and it was huge, maybe the biggest I have ever seen. He laughed, and said, "I have four of these, and over 23,000 contacts. I have a card or information on every person I have ever dealt with, and I make a quarter million in mundo on the side just referring, or selling stuff like this without ever touching the merchandise. This deal should take about five minutes."

He pulled out a card, laid it on the desk, and started dialing.
"I haven't talked to this guy in 3 years," he said.

"Mr.Chang please," he said.

"Whose is calling please?" came the reply.

"Mr.Bean Sprouts."

"One moment please."

"Chang."

"Two order stir fry pork and tofu with black bean sauce, and make it snappy!"

Then there was a lot of laughter, how you beens, and then, "What you got?"

"1500 Plasma screen TV's. All or nothing. Here's the price, including shipping. Still using American Express? Okay. They ship today. Always a pleasure to do business with you. And work on the eggrolls will you, they were a little greasy. Sayonara."

"Now that's what I like," he said. "Now I can take you somewhere nice, and maybe we'll get a massage after."

Over lunch he told me that in his first sales job he was taught by a 76 year old veteran of door to door sales. One of the things he taught him was to make a friend of everyone he ever talked to, and get their contact information, even if he didn't make a sale. The old guy taught him that if he made a friend, he would be able to sell them something else down the road.

Over the last 20 years, my friend estimates that that piece of advice, which he implemented and took to heart has made him over $4 million dollars. This money is over and above what he makes in his job, which is considerable.

He calls it his slush fund, which he uses however he wants to.
All his job money goes to the family. This is his fun bucket, and he uses it for recreation, like our lunch and massage. And by the way the massage was great! I need to do that more often myself.

This fun bucket was created solely out of networking. Not to mention all the regular income it helps generate.

Contacts are like good blood cells. The more you have, the more you make. Lose your contacts, or fail to develop some, and you won't be in the sales game long.

Somebody always needs something. And sooner rather than later.

• tags:
• Networking

• Article Word Count: 502
• |
• Total Views: 181
• |
• permalink