The ABC’s of Networking

One of the very first songs we learn as kids is the ABC song.  A, B, C, D… You just started signing it didn’t you?  That song is important because it shows kids that things they think are complicated are actually as simple as…well ABC!  For mortgage professionals networking with others is just as easy.  There isn’t a complicated routine or formula to meeting people.  It’s simply the process of turning strangers into acquaintances, and acquaintances into friends.

The very first thing you should do is make a list of everyone you know, even if you barely know them.  Then you are going to label them:  A, B, or C.  A-list people are close friends or family.  Someone who would immediately come into your house and grab something out of your refrigerator.  B-list are acquaintances and people you don’t yet know on a deeper level.  Maybe you’ve done business with them before, or at the very least had interaction with them of some kind.  C-list people are strangers.  They are people you have never met, whether you know who they are or not.  It could be a potential referral partner that you’ve identified and haven’t met yet, or just a neighbor you need to go by and say hello to.

Once you have your list, it’s simple.  Find ways to interact with or meet the people on your C-list, so that they are on your B-list.  You then build relationships with people on your B-list.  Interact on social media, go to coffee or drinks, or sit next to them at industry events. There are literally dozens of ways you can get to know someone better.  At some point soon they become a friend, and you’ve successfully added to your A-list.

People do business with people they like.  By turning strangers into acquaintances, and acquaintances into friends, you’ve indirectly built your business through a larger social circle to refer from.