We’ve all heard the saying “your network is your net-worth” a million times. At least I know I have. We have heard it so much because it is true. My favorite spin on it is “the more hands you shake, the more money you make” that’s an old car business saying. By using the facebook friend suggestions function, you can grow your network quickly.
Knowing that you need to grow your network to continue to generate leads for your business, have you ever thought about giving to get? By giving to get, I mean giving referrals to the people you would like to get referrals from. The undeniable law of reciprocity says if you give to someone, the scale of “I owe you one” is uneven and the mind must balance it out.
So here are a few ways to use facebook friend suggestions to grow your own referral network.
Method #1: The next time you go to an offline networking function, take the business cards you get and instead of calling or emailing, friend them up on facebook. Start a FB chat with them in the next few days [this makes you different then the others that only call and email] and ask them what kind of referrals they are looking for. Look through your friends list and suggest 1 or 2 people you know could help them or vice versa. They will forever be grateful. After you have done this, check back in with them in a week and see if anything became of it. This also gives you the chance to ask for them to return the favor. With a little patience you will consistently grow using this technique.
Method #2 Another great way to easily give referrals in facebook is by @tagging a friend’s name that provides a service, on a live post. For instance, if you post “I’m looking for a plumber who knows a good one?” and I comment with: “call @John Smith, at 214-555 5555” this alerts my friend that they have been tagged in a post and they can immediately respond in most cases. Again follow-up with your friends in a few days to see if anything came of it. If I did ask them to suggest a few friends for you as a favor.
Method #3 This one is cuts right to the chase. We all have friends on facebook that will give us referrals as soon as you ask them. Start a chat with a couple of them and simply say (if you talk like me) “hey homie I hope you are crushing it. Hope pfffft I KNOW you are crushing it. Any way I was thinking of a way we can both get a few new referrals. Go suggest some friends for me on here that could use my services. YOU KNOW HOW I DO IT. If you want me to do the same “no prob” thanks in advance” This is a direct approach but I’ll bet you a buck, you have never just asked you A-List friends or connections for a friend suggestion/lead/referral. “Kno ‘m sayin mane?” There you have it! Three super easy and cool ways to connect, not only yourself, but your friends too. And they will love you forever because of it. Truth is, you will love them forever too if they do it right. This video will show you step by step how to suggest friends and where to find the “suggest box” it’s not exactly easy to find.
Between you and your 2 best facebook friends, I’ll bet you are sitting on at least $10,000 of annual business and you are missing out on it. So now you have an easy way to expand your network and generate leads from facebook. It really is that easy, you just have to be the one to take initiative. If you are looking to know more about how to use facebook and other social media sites, to generate an endless stream of leads for your business, click the POSTfuser icon to set up a free social media marketing strategy session with ME!
