Networking is one of the biggest revenue builders for the future of my business.  As a locksmith, I rely heavily on word of mouth referrals.  That makes up over 60% of my business.  To help me expand my networking business I looked for local groups to be a part of.  Got to admit, when I went to the first one I was very nervous.  I didn't know what to say, or how to approach people in the group.  I had to get out of my comfort zone.  So I stepped away from everyone for a moment, took a few deep breaths, prayed to God for some guidance, then went back inside and crushed it!  How?  I did not focus on me, I focused on them.  I learned alot that first day and it has really helped me increase my comfort level in approaching others.  Here is my advise for building networking confidence: 1. Look for networking groups in your area that you can relate to.  Like minded businesses, causes you are passionate about, community service organizations, etc.   2. Don't feel that you have to commit to everyone and everything.  Just visit the group and start talking to others.  You will know pretty quickly if this is a group you can relate to and want to come back to. 3. Always carry a ton of business cards with you, and practice a 15 second elevator speach you will tell people when they ask what you do.  Make it organic!  It needs to sound like you like what you do, not a sales pitch.  Keep it simple and brief. No one likes to hear someone going on and on about themselves. 4. Networking is about building relationships, not about poaching for business.  When I meet people in a group setting, I ask about them and what they do.  I listen carefully for items of interest that I think are a value base for me.  I collect their business card, and ask if I could reach out to them in the near future to learn more about what they do.  Then I follow up with an email after the meeting thanking them for their time and request a 1-2-1 meeting with them to learn more about what they do.  (quite often at their place of business) 5. When I meet with someone for a 1-2-1, I let them know that my whole business is built on referrals, and I am meeting them to learn more about what they do and how best to refer them.  Make the meeting all about them.  Don't worry about not talking about you, that time will come.  Once they realize you sincerely want to know them, and refer opportunities to them, they will want to know more about your business and look for ways to refer people to you.   I make it a point to meet with one new person each week for a 1-2-1 and go visit at least 1 networking group each week as well.  This has resulted in me becoming a resource for other business and all of my customers.  Now whenever a customer or business owner needs a service, they reach out to me first to see who I know and recommend!  This has been a big game changer for me as it has kept me top of mind for both the customer and fellow business owners.   Remember, build the relationship first, help them and let them help you.  Its all about paying it forward.  It is how our business has been built and how it continues to grow.  Our motto is based upon Proverbs 11:30 "The seeds of good deeds become a tree of life"  It is on our work truck, website, and all marketing material. I hope this was helpful to you all. Many blessings to everyone. Ernesto  At Home Keys Locksmiths ... View more

Online communication has become extremely popular for many of my customers, with some preferring to keep it online, and others looking to make it a starting point.  In either case, customers have become accustomed to instant results.  They assume that if they fill out a form, submit it, responses should be quick.  If not, they keep searching online until someone responds to them.  With this understanding, I take the following steps: 1. Read the entire request so you understand the scope of their request, and respond as quickly as possible.  I have text alerts for thumbtack leads on my phone and typically respond within 10 minutes to most leads.  TT allows you to save responses to use again, so I have a few of them saved to save time.  I include several questions in my response to encourage dialouge. Then I just make a few small changes and send.   2. The speed and content in which I get a response from the customer tells me a great deal about their comfort level in online communication.  If they take a long time to respond, or give incomplete answers to questions, they are probably going to need to take communication to a different method.  If they respond quickly, and completely, then I know this customer is comfortable with online communication so I continue online straight through to scheduling the appointment.   3. Based upon either of these customer types, once I feel I have their attention through online communication, I offer them a choice in how to communicate as we move forward.  If they are slow or incomplete responders, I ask them if they would prefer to talk to me directly so that we can better understand how to assist them, and offer my phone number as well as ask for theirs. If the customer is very comfortable with online communication, then I keep it online until I secure the appointment.  Once secured, I ask them for their contact information for scheduling purposes and share mine as well.  Then I ask them if they would prefer a call or text for further discussion, or keep it on TT.   Doing these three steps has helped me tremendously on TT.  The customer always feels like they are in control, communication stays fluid, and I close more deals in my market.   I recently had a customer make a request on TT, which I responded to in 6 minutes, however, another pro responded in 3 minutes.  Communication was slow at first but I kept persisting, giving details and being patient with the customer.  After a few back and forth communications on TT, I realized the customer was going back and forth between the two of us to see who she wanted to use.  I kept it on TT while filtering through her questions, then she came back with a request for me to assist.  She wanted to keep it on TT so I honored her request until she was ready.  I secured the job then she asked me to take offline to texting.  When I arrived and completed the job, she was very grateful and thanked me for staying in communication with her on TT.  She told me that at first she was talking to another pro, but he would not take time to answer her questions on TT, and kept pushing to close for an appointment and taking it off line.  Then she said "you took the time to answer my questions and respect my wished to communicate online so I felt much more comfortable with you, that is why I chose you".   Hope this helps you all, as it has done for me. Cheers Everyone! Ernesto At Home Keys Locksmiths, serving Central Florida     ... View more

Tharon, Congratulations on winning the contest!  God really does provide and your willingness to share this good news is a strong testimony of your faith.  Thank you for sharing and for being part of this group.   God Bless you and your family   Ernesto At Home Keys Locksmith ... View more

Oh my goodness! Thank you!  The decision was tough with all the great suggestions.  I am honored to be selected.  This is an awesome forum with lots of very nice people helping people.  I look forward to learning and sharing with all of you.  Mekell, thank you for putting on this contest.  It was fun and insightful. Cheers everyone! ... View more

Great Contest!  For all you pros out there that have hestiation in your life, here is a good read for you: 1. Feel the fear and do it anyway by susan jeffers. 2.  This book is a must read for anyone who has doubt and procrastination, or suffers from paralysis by analysis.  I had no idea how much internal fears affect the way you handle situations in your life both for work and personally.  This book taught me that fear is a normal part of life, and do not hide it, deal with it.  Confront it, release it, then take action to live the life you want to live.  You are free to succeed if you ae willing to let go of fear. 3.  I think all of us, in any kind of business want to break through things that hold us back.  Read this book and you will find good ways to get past your inhibitions, which will help you grow.   I hope this helps.  You all are awesome!  Have a great day! Ernesto At Home Keys Locksmith Serving Orlando and surrounding counties in Central Florida ... View more

Thanks everyone!  So glad to be part of this awesome group.  Hope to be able to share what I've learned, while learning what I can from all of you.   ... View more