One of the best things that can happen for your business, is getting introductions.
For example, a while ago I had a friendly chat with an entrepreneur, who introduced me to a friend.
Once I spoke with that friend, it took about 30 minutes for her to hire me for a paid speaking gig.
No selling required – she brought it up, simply because I was the fortunate recipient of the right introduction.
And it’s perfectly natural to ask for an introduction, when you’re having a quality conversation.
But, there’s a right way, and a wrong way to ask.
Most of the time, it’s “Do you know anyone who…?”
No matter how you finish that sentence, it’s the wrong start.
Because it’s a binary question, meaning the other person will look for a yes/no answer.
“Hmmm… do I know anyone…? Sorry, can’t think of anyone just yet. I’ll let you know”.
Instead, consider asking: “Who do you know, who…?”
When you frame the question that way, it’s not binary, but open.
The result is that the other person will start flipping through their mental Rolodex.
“Well… I know James, Jim, Jill, John, Janet, Julia – oh wait! You should totally talk to Julia!”
People will be happy to make an introduction, because it makes them look good (after all, the most valuable person in a network is the connector).
Your job is to make it easy to make an introduction, and you do that by asking the open-ended, non-binary, “Who do you know?”
Which reminds me:
Who do you know, who is a good egg, and would totally benefit from 1 on 1 live training on ethical selling?
