Posted 01.28.2009

Maximize your membership in a leads group

Valuable connections can take time

By Cindy Rold

Brian, a coaching client in Ireland who is CEO of a large company, told me today that he is going to join a leads group. He asked what he could do to make sure it was a good investment of his time and money.

If you’re thinking of joining a leads group or if you’re already in a leads group, here are things you can do to maximize your investment.

First and most important, don’t expect immediate results. Building relationships takes time. You can’t expect to attend one leads-group meeting and walk away with referrals. It will take time for people to really understand you and your business before they are able to pass you good leads. Be willing to invest the time to get to know others.

Listen more than you speak. Listen well enough that you could describe the other person’s business as well as she can. Don’t just talk about yourself.

Seek to be interested, not interesting. When you’re interested, you’re listening, you’re engaged; you’re not worried about yourself and what you’re going to say next. When you seek to be interesting, your focus is all on yourself and what you’re going to say next and how you’re going to make an impression.

Ask first what you can give. Focus on the other person’s needs and how you can meet them. Think about what you can give – advice, resources, tools – not what you can receive.

Figure out how you can solve people’s problems, not how you can sell to them. Nobody likes to be sold to. Act like a trusted adviser, not a salesperson, and you will gain people’s confidence.

Visit the group before joining. Most leads groups invite you to visit twice before joining. Use those visits to find out more about the individuals in the group and the group dynamics. Think about whether you can easily give leads to people in the group based on the types of businesses they’re in and whether you respect and like them.

Make sure there’s a match between you and the others in the group. For example, if you only sell to businesses, it doesn’t necessarily make sense to join a group where the other members sell mostly to consumers.

View the group meetings as an introduction to others in the group. Make plans to get to know each member better outside of the group. This could be through breakfast, lunch, coffee, or sharing an activity you both enjoy.

Someone in my leads group decided to use my services only after we talked on the phone one day about our businesses. We had been in the same group for over a year, and she said it wasn’t until that conversation that she understood my passion for my business. That passion attracted her.

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Last updated on Jan 21, 2009 at 12:50 PM

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