I just got into Austin for Perry Belcher & Ryan Deiss’ “Traffic & Conversion Summit”, and I’m looking forward to meeting some new people, as well as having a beer or two with some guys I’ve known for a while, but haven’t met in person, yet.
One thing that I’m NOT looking forward to is watching business owners make a DRASTIC mistake with their attempts to get new JV partners… going up to people they’ve just met and asking, “Hey, will you promote my product?”.
Of course, it’s usually not done in such a blunt fashion, but you probably know exactly what I mean.
While it’s been a while since I’ve attended a marketing event, one thing that’s happened time and time again, for me, is that people who know that I work for John will come up to me and will immediately ask me if I think John might be open to promoting their product(s).
Although I understand that networking is probably the best aspect of most Internet marketing events, it’s important to understand that networking is more than just walking up to someone and jamming a business card in their hand, while asking the other person to promote their product.
The key to getting that JV is simply this…
MAKE A FRIEND
That’s it. Make a friend.
To me, it’s really very simple. When you’re dating someone, you don’t walk up to them and ask them to marry you, right? You simply want to get to know them first, and if all goes well, maybe you’ll go out on a date.
That’s exactly how you want to approach people at a seminar who you are interested in doing business with, or anyone, in general…
1) Introduce yourself and show GENUINE interest in the other person!
I’m talking about really caring about who the other person is and what they’re all about. What type of business are they in? Where are they from? Do they have kids? You get my drift. And I’m talking about being REAL with them… not acting like you’re interested in them just so you can get access to their mailing list.
2) Listen to what they have to say!
Pay attention to the things that are important to the people you meet, and find some common ground where the two of you can talk about things that interest both parties, or at least shows that you have some things in common. Look for cues in that person that they also enjoy talking with you, and if there seems to be a connection of some sort, continue your conversation or come back later to talk to them, again.
3) Offer to help them in some way!
If they’re talking about some specific goals they’re having difficulty reaching, and you know of a resource that might help them, let them know about it. Actually spend the majority of your time with the people you meet eagerly thinking of ways you can help them, while expecting NOTHING in return. Nothing.
For example, when I meet people, I’m excited about hearing what they do and what makes them tick. It’s in my blood. I’m on a mission to give them at least one nugget of info that will help them in some way… even if it’s just some words of encouragement that helps put a smile on their face if they’re experiencing some difficulty.
John has always taught for so long that you should always give, give, give because if you do so, people will line up in droves to help you in a time of need, or in business, they’ll heed your advice if you recommend a certain course of action.
It all really comes down to building relationships. As long as you think about making a friend, everything else will follow… including gaining more affiliates and JV partners than you ever imagined.
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
It’s so true man.
As an affiliate manager myself… you get really tired, really quickly, of the people who fain interest for 5 minutes just so they can pitch you something they think would benefit us to promote.
I always find it funny that they think they know what would be good my our business within a few minutes… it comes off like a sleezy MLM pitch that screams DESPERATION instead of win-win JV.
So people, please, slow it down and listen to what Andrew is saying!
-James
We recently discussed this in my mastermind group and pretty much came away with the same thing. The big thing we decided was to provide value to that person/people in some way. Look for a way to provide value before going and then offer it in abundance.
Looking forward to more posts from the inside.
OOPS… I just mentioned this in a comment on another post, but I made a big mistake thinking that I just didn’t have any comments, when I actually had 5 or 6 to approve in my account. I had it set to notify me when someone sent me a post, but I just realized the email addy I had in admin wasn’t one that comes to me. DOH!!
JAMES and JONATHAN- Amen brothas!! You’re right on with all of that. That’s exactly why I created this blog… to bring some of that stuff to light, so people like us, who are affiliate managers, product launch managers, JV brokers, and so forth… as well as people who are simply looking for ways to get more JV partners or improve their own affiliate programs can learn from our experiences.
Thanks for commenting, and feel free to continue doing so.