Friday, June 24, 2005

Create your own challenges

You do not need Buzzoodle to create challenges. It just helps. I go to many events and business get togethers. This morning I was at one where there were eight people. Everyone gets a few minutes to talk and it is usually very sales oriented. While it works, it is often hard to refer people because you are looking for a lead to a specific sales for them. The Buzz Networking philosophy is different. I gave each person in the group my card with my buzzoodle ID on it. I challenged each of them to pass it on to someone, and then pass it on to someone else, spreading an interesting story about me and our organization. It is a chain card, basically. What is in it for the other people? I told them if I get 10 responses (measured by the challenge ID on the buzzoodle card) I would take them to lunch and we would spend that time going though my outlook figuring out who they want to meet that I know. I still got some great referrals that may turn into sales. More importantly I know Guy Shirk ( http://www.buzzoodle.com/theguy.buzz ) was going straight to a large real estate firm and he was going to spread our stories there. He is not selling me, just talking about me. That makes all the difference. It is much easier for him because I gave told stories instead of talked about what we sell. While the typical sales person wants to convert sales quickly, the Buzzoodle way is to build buzz, build awareness, and change the way your staff thinks about you outside of work. It lays a broader, stronger foundation that sets you for future success. By the way, you can find out more about this group by buzzing ron at http://www.buzzoodle.com/ronfink.buzz