Business Card Funnel

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FIFTH FUNNEL: BUSINESS CARD FUNNEL

Let’s dig into the Business Card Funnel. So this one is fun and easy.

SUMMARY:

  • Part 1: You are Given a Card
  • Part 2: Accept the Card with Grace and Hold it with Respect
  • Part 3: Connect with Them
  • Part 4: Follow up Email

THE PROCESS:

Part 1: YOU ARE GIVEN A CARD:

  • These are pieces of gold you have sitting in your desk and you’re handed from a show they saw you as a hero. I’ve already talked about how amazing it is when people are sitting in the audience and actually see us on stage and the projections they have about us in their head. The stories they tell themselves about who we are and what our life must be like.
  • Now it’s time for you to show up with humility

Part 2: ACCEPT THE CARD WITH GRACE:

  • HOLD IT in a way that they’re not used to seeing something like that being held. Either in one hand in a cup, or in with one hand on each side of it.
  • READ THEIR NAME OFF THE CARD and use their name at least three times in the conversation you have with them.
  • REMEMBER SOMETHING AND NOTE IT ON THE CARD. This might have to happen if you collect a whole lot. You may even have a pen on you and just make a little note on the card, something they like, where they were born, some laugh you shared, it doesn’t matter what it is, you’re just going to note something on that card.
  • TELL THEM THAT YOU WILL CONNECT WITH THEM SOON. That’s a huge important part of this. Tell them that you’re going to connect with them soon.
  • If they say anything nice about you or your performance, ask them if you can quote them on that?

Part 3: CONNECT WITH THEM:

  • Use the telephone, their numbers on there, they’ve given you a business card, take them up on it and use the phone.
    • Mention the one thing that you noted on the card.
    • Find out what they’re working on. Is there something that you or your network can help them with?
      • Inquire about possibilities. Your past experience is a treasure. Trust me on this. Your past experience is a treasure to someone who may have an event one day, who may have whatever market you’re working in. All the experience you have rolled up on you is something that they don’t have in their network yet. So now they do and you’re giving them that connection. You’re giving them that new arm of their network.
    • Approach this with curiosity and let the call naturally end.
    • At the end of this phone call get permission to follow-up with an email. “Really nice meeting you, do you mind if I follow up with an email?” So simple, so conversational, so exactly how you would say it to anyone you met and cared about and respected and weren’t trying to sell to. So keep that mindset in place.

Part 4: FOLLOW UP EMAIL:

  • We’re not aiming for a sale. Reminder, anything from the card or the phone call, that’s what goes into this first email. Did something come up for you from what you had in the business card, or what you had discussed in the phone call? What came up that you could mention, add more value to in this email, perfect.
  • Ask questions that show you care. Go back to that networking question and you’re moving towards being an advisor at this point.
  • You’re going to discover something about him, or them, or her, whoever this is, you’re going to find out something that’s going on in their industry – some work and that you see the industry and problem through different eyes. This is one of the biggest gifts that I’ve been able to give people who were in “real jobs” is the perspective of someone who works at a lot of conferences, who’s been around the world, who knows different layouts and plans, so being able to offer a perspective through different eyes.
  • Continue to invite them to connect with you in different ways. All this stuff is very fast. This is not a long process for each business card, this is a connection and this is just assessing is there something, is there a fit here, and is there a possibility for you to expand your network in this way.
  • Invite them to the LinkedIn, the fan page, continue the conversation over there. Introduce them to people in your network.

BIG PICTURE – BUSINESS CARD FUNNEL

  • Part 1: You are Given a Card
  • Part 2: Accept the Card with Grace and Hold it with Respect
  • Part 3: Connect with Them – say their name at least 3 times
  • Part 4: Follow up Email – Do What you Said – get back to them with something fun, interesting, memorable…