Let’s not beat around the bush, we have a desire (need) to measure everything. What was my ROI on the latest ad? How many cold-calls must I make to get a positive response? 3 out of 4 dentists approve of a specific toothpaste! Look at baseball and the “cyber-metrics” that have invaded America’s game! Oh, exactly how big was that fish?

That said, why not measure the effectiveness of your Networking activities? So, what do we measure? How do we measure it? When do we measure it?

For me, before I can even think about pulling out the yard stick, the down-maker, the calculator, I need to define my purpose and my expectations. After all the metrics we take and analyze have to be made against a baseline.

Let me back the bus up. By education, I am an Engineer; a numbers guy. I believe that in order to succeed you need to know mathematically what the goals and expectations are. Establish the goals and measure away!! Measure actual against theoretical.

Sounds pretty straight forward. Ah, this works if and only if you ignore the human element, emotions, and personalities. It works in a “lab” or controlled environment.

Play with me for a few minutes. Your goal is to connect to as many Realtors as possible. You assume that they have access to the people that you “NEED” to grow your business. What are the Realtors looking for? They are looking to expand their customer base. Good guess! Do your expectations align with theirs?

Play further…Throughout the year, you encounter 4 people seeking the services of a Realtor. Ahhh, on your electronic Rolodex, your CRM,  you have connections to 125 Realtors. Who is the lucky one to get your referral? On the other hand, your Realtor “Networking” partners have access to a total 1,250 clients, each of these is a potential customer for you. Wow you have 4 leads, they have 1,250 leads; 10 leads each. The balance scales are way out of balance!! Now what?

I think the answer is easy. It is made even easier when you and your Networking Partner(s) discuss expectations up front, day one.  Lay those expectations out on the table early. Review them often, share progress regularly.

Food for thought. You may be a valuable asset to your networking partner. You may be the “GO TO” guy to help his client solve a problem. By solving a problem, your networking partner becomes a hero (small h,) to their client. You provided value to that relationship. Now how do measure your effectiveness? How do measure your value? How does your networking partner measure your value?

The AC Trash Hauling & More Team obviously wants to grow our client base. We also want to grow our relationships with our Networking Partners. This creates a win-win-win for all involved.
 

So, we return to the initial question, “How Do You Measure Your Networking Effectiveness?”

Our answer is to help others, give to others, and grow relationships. Throw away the scales, the ruler or yardstick. Go out and build relationships with clients and networking partners!! Some things in life were not designed to be measured!!e body content of your post goes here. To edit this text, click on it and delete this default text and start typing your own or paste your own from a different source.

Just a reminder, we provide our trash hauling services to the following communities and surrounding areas.

Noblesville, Carmel, Fishers, Westfield, Sheridan, Zionsville, Broad Ripple, Cicero, Castleton, Lawrence, Tipton, McCordsville, Fortville, Greenfield, and more upon request.