When one is networking, one is getting the word out. It’s outward bound. You need to shape that word and guide its flow. It could be the letters you send out, referrals, your web site, your blogs. It’s not just those things, of course. It’s the smile on your face, the attitude you project, the attitude you feel. It’s also who carries the message, so choose your referers carefully.
Somewhere, somehow, in the outer reaches of the universe, the word meets a need. Someone picks up the phone, writes an email, finds money in a budget. That’s where marketing ends and sale begins.
And then it’s all about closing with a deal.
The trick is to recognize that you can shape the marketing a little bit. The sale, even less — although we all know sales people who can undo a done deal!
Acknowledgement to Barbara Bix as the origin of some of the thoughts here.
