Networking Now:

When I ask people what they think the No. 1 trait of a master networker is, most people think it’s that master networkers, above all,  give referrals to others.

However, according to a survey of more than 2,000 businesspeople from four countries that was published in Masters of Networking, a book I co-wrote with Don Morgan, the No. 1 trait of master networkers is that they follow up on the referrals they are given. “Giving referrals” didn’t even make the top five!

The reason for this top ranking is that if you present opportunities to someone who consistently fails to follow up successfully–whether it’s a simple piece of information, a special contact or a qualified business referral–it’s no secret that you’ll eventually stop wasting your time on that person.  He’s an embarrassment to you as the referral giver and to the prospect, who ends up wondering if he did something wrong.

So if you strive to be a master networker, always remember: When it comes to business referrals, following up is not an option; it’s a life-or-death requirement.

Curious what the survey revealed to be the remaining top five characteristics of a master networker?  Come back next week to find out!

This entry was posted on Thursday, November 5th, 2009 at 6:00 am and is filed under Networking, Networking Education, Networking Prep, Referrals. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

4 Responses to “What Is the No. 1 Trait of a Master Networker?”

1. uberVU - social comments Says:
   November 5th, 2009 at 7:00 am

   Social comments and analytics for this post…

   This post was mentioned on Twitter by bnieagles: Networking Now: What Is the Number-One Trait of a Master Networker?: When I ask people what they.. http://bit.ly/2kK2Dz…

2. What Is the Number-One Trait of a Master Networker? | Networking Blog Says:
   November 5th, 2009 at 7:00 am

   [...] Read the original here: What Is the Number-One Trait of a Master Networker? [...]

3. The RainMaker Maker Says:
   November 5th, 2009 at 7:45 am

   With your permission, I’d add two qualifications to that follow-up. After you follow up, report back to the person who made the referral. Thank them for the effort even if the person referred never took or returned your call. The person making the referral may know something about reaching the person referred that you don’t know. The ‘thank you’ encourages more referrals.

   Second, the quality of the follow-up contact. Pushy, inneffective questions, wasting time, dodging direct questions, sales tricks and lack of confidence can be quick turnoffs that kill the referral as well as the source.

4. Trusted Referrals™ – Connect to MORE Business | Inquisix » Blog Archive » Follow-up Follow-UP Says:
   November 5th, 2009 at 9:21 am

   [...] Misner posted on his blog – What Is the Number-One Trait of a Master Networker? this week and I thought, “Absolutely [...]

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