Two principles govern successful, diplomatic pressure: First, ask how the person wants to be leaned on and couch the pressure as if it's for the other person's convenience or benefit. Rather than telling the person that you will check up to make sure he delivers, clarify that there will be a next step by asking what that step should be: "How about if I check back with you in a couple of days to see where things stand?"
Any time you're tempted to say, "I'm going to," substitute something collaborative: "How about if we?" or "What's our next step?" or "Would it make sense if we?" If you really want to be direct, try the AAA technique - "Ask for Alternatives Accommodatingly". This approach forces a choice between alternatives: "Would it be better if I follow up with the commission directly, or would you prefer that I touch base with you first?"
The Kiss Principle: Keep It Simple, Stupid:
When you're past the secretary and your prospective contact is on the phone, it's time to throw your pitch. Let's freeze-frame your delivery for an instructive run-through.
The Ice-Breaker:
You are identifying yourself and your referral source, explaining the purpose of the call, and, most importantly, qualifying the contact, that is, telling him why he's of potential value and what he's supposed to know:
"Mr. Wellington, Fred suggested I call to see if I might get a little informal advice and counsel from you. Fred tells me you have real expertise in multilevel marketing and have spent a lot of time both investigating who the players are in that industry and developing your own organization.
I recently resigned as Regional Sales Manager for Data Specific after they carved up my territories into a crazy-quilt, I've decided, at age 46, that it's time to think about looking into new and more autonomous approaches to sales and marketing. Fred said your experience and perspective might help save me a lot of wasted time and energy.
What I was hoping we might do is sit down for a few minutes, at your convenience, and chat about multilevel marketing. I'm curious to know where the industry is going and who the reputable organizations are. I'd also welcome any feedback you could offer about how well my background and skills would translate into the multilevel marketing field."
The "Decompression":
This is one of the most important steps in the process, yet many networkers do it awkwardly or not at all. You must give a sincere reassurance that your request is low-stakes and time-limited. Since so many black-hearted networkers are guilty of false and deceptive decompression, you may want to consider a "double decompression":
"Let me emphasize that my purpose in asking to meet with you isn't to hit you up for a job. I know that a lot of people are asking for these networking meetings to get in the door and then they go into a full-court press and ask for employment. I promise I won't do that to you and I wouldn't embarrass Fred by acting inappropriately toward someone he was good enough to refer me to. At this point in my job search, I am trying to gather information and get a clear image of the marketplace. If you know of any specific opportunities, of course I would be interested. But I'm not calling with the expectation that you have or know of any openings or opportunities."
Scheduling:
Face-to-face meetings are best if you can get them without being overly aggressive. When you are exerting subtle pressure, the key is to ask about the person's preferences and cast your suggestions in terms of the convenience of the contact:
"I was hoping we might get together for a short meeting. I see no reason why it would have to go longer than 45 minutes. As for scheduling, it would be completely at your convenience. I could drop in on you at your office if that's best, meet you some place after work or perhaps hook up for breakfast. What would work best for you?"
If the contact describes himself as really jammed up right now and suggests that a particular date would be a good time to meet, you can both defer and counter-press by putting a gentle time-frame around your request:
"If that's the first time we could get together, that's fine. But because there is a multilevel marketing conference in St. Louis in three weeks, I was hoping we might squeeze in a quick meeting before then, so I can go in better prepared to evaluate what I hear there. I don't want to make a pest of myself, but I would be grateful if I could grab a short stretch of your time before the conference."
If a timely face-to-face meeting isn't possible, your first fallback position is to ask whether the contact will network on the phone. Don't assume that because the person is on the phone with you, now is the time to launch into your two-minute drill. Again, ask the contact's preferences:
"Fred told me how busy your schedule is, and I can certainly understand if it isn't possible to meet personally. It would still be very helpful to me if I could have a couple of minutes of your time on the phone. Do you have you time to talk now, or would another time be more convenient for me to call you back?"
Secretaries 1, Networker 0:
The secretaries of the business world will often succeed in screening you away from their bosses. Instead of agreeing to a set time for you to call back, they will insist: "I'll have Mr. Wellington return your call" or (worse) "I'll give Mr. Wellington your number." If you don't hear back from Mr. Wellington in a couple of days, you can try a follow-up call or two, but don't keep hammering with call after call. Over persistence can be a major turn-off. If you don't hear back from Wellington, try a brief letter that explains who you are and what you want.
A Networking "Chase Letter":
Dear Mr. Wellington:
I'm sorry we've been unable to connect by phone; let me explain who I am and why I was calling. In a recent conversation with Fred, I mentioned that, having resigned from my position as Regional Sales Manager at Data Specific, I am exploring the multilevel marketing industry. Fred immediately thought of you and mentioned that you had researched the industry carefully before starting your business and are a font of knowledge about trends, pluses, minuses and industry leaders in multilevel marketing.
I was calling to see whether we might arrange, at your convenience, a brief "networking" meeting in which I might get your views about the industry and the best approach for someone like me to research a career shift into multilevel marketing.
Let me emphasize as strongly as I can that my purpose isn't to request employment with your organization, nor do I expect that you know of any particular jobs or openings at this point. Fred suggested that, in just an hour of your time, I could learn a lot that would help me target and focus my efforts, get a little exposure, and perhaps come away with some suggestions about other people I would do well to meet.
I will follow up shortly by phone to see if we might schedule a time to meet. If it's more convenient for you to give your secretary some possible meeting times, I'd be happy to schedule with her and not trouble you further. I very much appreciate your help.
If these approaches don't work, you might try calling Fred back and mentioning that you're having a tough time getting Wellington to respond. Fred may choose to use up some of his valuable currency by leaning on Wellington, but you should understand that the renewed pressure may make Wellington a little testy, even if he does eventually agree to see you. If he's a valuable contact, it may be worth the extra effort, risk and obligation. If all this deft, tactful pressure doesn't pay off, put a big, black line through Wellington's name on your networking list.
Conferences, Conventions and Meetings
Gatherings of professional associations, fraternal organizations and community groups are veritable hotbeds of networking leads. Attend as many as you can, grab any and all attendance lists, collect as many business cards as possible and try to make a sincere contribution. In other words, your networking efforts at such gatherings shouldn't look like networking efforts, unless the sole purpose of the organization is to provide an opportunity to develop networking contacts.
One of the fastest ways to earn yourself a bad rap as a self-serving weasel is to try to work through a network meeting agenda with individuals whom you collar at a conference. Everyone attending a conference is out to maximize his exposure, and if you pin someone in a corner behind the relish tray and monopolize his lunch hour or break time, you'll make an enemy. Instead, exchange a few words of introduction, then ask for leave to follow up after the conference:
Mr. Wellington? Hi, I'm Richard Wright. I don't believe we've met, but Fred has lots of nice things to say about your knowledge of multilevel marketing. I've recently resigned from my position as Regional Sales Manager with Data Specific, and I'm taking a hard look at multilevel marketing. Look, I don't want to pull you away from the conference and colleagues now, but would it be okay if I followed up with you after the conference? I really would be grateful if we might arrange an informal networking meeting.
Face-to-face, in public, Wellington is far more likely to say, "Yeah, sure, give me a call" than to blow you off. He'll then probably forget all about meeting you, but you won't. After the conference, you can proceed with what we'll call "Wright's Revenge":
Secretary: Mr. Wellington's office. You: Hi, this is Richard Wright calling. When I was chatting with Mr. Wellington at the conference the other day, he said to give him a call to schedule an appointment. Do you have his calendar handy?
Requests by Letter:
If you decide you'd be more comfortable making your request by letter, the tone and length suggested in the earlier follow-up letter to Wellington minus the reference to the attempt to get through by phone are appropriate. The letter shouldn't be longer than about two-thirds of a page; write more and you confront the reader with a daunting challenge in just wading through it.
There's a common tendency in networking letters to include too much irrelevant personal detail and try to use the letter to work through issues that are proper topics for the meeting itself. About as many letters are too breezy and presumptuous as are too formal. Strive for a direct, conversational tone. Use strong topic sentences and active verbs. Basically everything your English teacher drummed into you in the seventh grade.
Getting contacts to warm up enough to spend some time with you isn't a matter of uttering ritual phrases or magic words. It's a matter of human nature. If you're pleasant, candid and sensitive to the other person's time and priorities, you'll get most of the meetings you want however and wherever requested. Then the real fun begins.
