Who Are You?

When you meet someone new do you classify them as to whether or not they will become your customer or not? Do you just look at them as a prospect or not? What happens when they don’t meet your possible prospect rating? Do you cast them aside as no one whom you can gain from, or do you try to build a relationship with them with the aim to try to help them find whatever they need?

Recently my wife and I have been searching for a new home. We want to return to Sacramento where we formerly lived and have tried to locate a home there through various means. We have researched houses through the internet, worked with a realtor, attended open houses, and driven by possible homes just to check the neighborhood.

So far we have yet to find the home that we want, the one that “calls our names”, the one that is the one we want. For various reasons we have had several possibilities fail to succeed, but we will know it when we find “the home”. Our realtor in California has been very patient with us, and we appreciate their assistance and patience.

During our search we have met other realtors who are very different. Obviously they are not representing us as the buyers, but they do have a vested interest in helping us. Building relationships with others, even total strangers, will pay off in the end and will bring success to everyone involved. This is a basis of Gratitude Marketing and should be practiced by all of us.

We spoke with one realtor who represented a builder of homes, and we understand that her first responsibility is marketing the homes of her employer. However, we spend some time discussing her offerings with her, discovering that she did not have any possible homes in her current inventory and would not for several months. We asked her if she knew anyone who might have anything that would interest us, and she could not have cared less about our inquiry. She could not recommend anyone who might be able to assist us in any way.

As we practice Gratitude Marketing we meet many people who will never become our customers. However, we should attempt to build relationships with them and discover what they need. If we can help them realize the solution to their need, so much the better. If we must refer them to anyone else who might assist them, we have helped multiple parties. If we cannot directly assist them resolve their need, maybe some advice might be the solution. Whatever we can do is better than no help at all.

It does not matter how short lived a relationship may appear, Gratitude Marketing may have a lasting effect on us. The person who you show gratitude and assistance to on one day may be the one who calls you months or years later with information that may bring you great success. The more that you help others who are not your immediate prospects, the more that their assistance in the future may impact you. Make every contact count in some manner.

Please leave me your comments, and let me know your experiences with referrals, or email me at Jim@SOC4Now.com, or call me at 360-314-8691. Your attitude towards your networking partners is one of the main aspects of Gratitude Marketing.