Take A Tip From Meeting Planners To Go Beyond Networking

From Ron Sukenick

To go beyond networking, I've found, we need to go beyond what's expected in the normal course of establishing business contacts. The value of good business relationships has never been higher. Good relationships bring business to you, bad ones drive business away. The concept is simple; putting it into practice beginning with the very first interaction is simple, too, but we need to work at it.

Dr. Ramon Avila, professor of sales and marketing at Ball State University, teaches that the WOW factor in sales means not just fulfilling, but exceeding customers' expectations. That's exactly what I believe we need to do to go beyond networking - we need to exceed expectations.

I read a wonderful article in Professional Speaker magazine, titled "Inside the Mind of Meeting Planners". As I was reading the article, I realized that the expectations meeting planners have of professional speakers are the same things business people should be doing in building strong business relationships.

Here are just a few of the things Corbin Ball Associates, meeting technology professionals, said they expect of the speakers they hire:

Absolute reliability.
Absolute integrity.
Quick responses (to e-mail and phone messages)
Be very clear about billing - no surprises!
No prima donnas, please. Be easy to deal with.

Aren't these exactly the qualities you'd look for in someone when you're beginning a business relationship? Be all these things and then - go beyond and exceed expectations!