(Read the whole ‘Becoming a Connector’ series)

At CMA, everyone is here for good solid reasons; community, learning, self development, friendships, beers…that kind of thing. But there’s one thing in particular that I’d like to explore in this short story and it’s the art of ‘connection revenue generation‘. I started learning about this technique whilst studying Derek Coburn.

Martin has been a member of CMA for a year now, and I’m confident that he is going to stick around as a customer for a long time. Why?

In the past year I have made connections for Martin that have generated over £10k in revenue for his business, and we’re just getting started.

So, even though Martin is a customer and spends money with CMA, the revenue generated for Martin’s business far outweighs the expense.

Martin’s bond with CMA is strengthened, there are now trust elements to our relationship that go far beyond that of normal business connections. Martin’s belonging and place within the community gives him ownership. Quite simply, If another business comes along with a similar offering to CMA, Martin’s not going to be interested. Martin is fully invested and CMA is his community, not mine.

In Networking is Not Working, Derek Coburn calls this the Ultimate Tiebreaker:

“By doing something valuable for my clients, namely getting them more clients, I could effectively eliminate my competition. Actively helping clients grow their bottom line is the ultimate tiebreaker.”

This isn’t just about Martin and I…If you want to keep your customers for a long time, and you want to add more value, find ways to connect them with people that will help them grow their bottom line.

Become an revenue generator instead of an expense, and by doing so you will:

• Grow your clients business
• Retain your customers for a lifetime
• Connect your best clients with each other
• Increase your own revenue

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Let’s dig into how I do this…

Martin is the owner of an SEO and website development company based in England. Over the course of my business career I have found it particularly tough to find someone in this space that is not only technically proficient, but also delivers results. Martin does both, and he’s a super nice guy too.

In order to make valuable connections for Martin, the first thing I need to do is have a solid understanding of his business.

I arranged a Skype call with Martin and I interviewed him for 30 mins.

This technique is straight out of Networking is not Working by Derek Coburn. I used these questions to help me understand Martin’s business:

• In your own words, describe what it is that you do
• How would identity a potential client for you based on what they are saying? What kind of problems would they be having? How we would they verbalise this?
• Are there any ‘triggering events’ I should be looking out for? What events are happening in people’s businesses that would make me think of you?
• What would you say is your biggest challenge over the next 6 months?
• What would you say is your biggest opportunity over the next 6 months?
• On average, how much will a client spend with you on a monthly or annual basis?
• How do you get most of your business right now?
• Is there any one person or organisation that refers business to you more than others?

I documented everything in an Evernote file. Not only does this help me when I need to refresh my memory, but I can also pull from my notes when I make introductions for Martin.

I’m now armed to spot ideal clients and connections for Martin, and more importantly, I know what he’s not looking for. In other words, I’m not going to be connecting him with people that are going to waste his time. It’s about quality, not quantity.

When it comes to making great introductions there are a few simple rules:

• Only commit making introductions if you are fully confident that you can follow through
• Understand your clients business better than anyone else, and so well that you can identify the best opportunities for them
• It goes without saying really, but you both need to be really good at what you do, or this strategy doesn’t work

How does this impact CMA?

Unless I really fuck things up, Martin is going to be a lifelong customer of CMA.

It’s not about keeping score, but Martin is now in a better position to spend more money with CMA, and he’s regularly referring new members to CMA too.

Now that I am able to create revenue for Martin, I want to find ways to 10x that income for him by connecting him with more people.

What can Martin do?

Martin is now in a great position to do exactly what I’ve done with him, but for his own clients.

1. Interview his best clients
2. Connect his clients to each other
3. Help them spend money with each other
4. Become an revenue generator instead of an expense

And it’s possible for you to do this too…

“When I first joined CMA and had chance to speak to Chris on the phone, I was a little surprised at how many questions he asked. He wanted to understand all the ins and outs of my business. Chris was also interested in my personal goals, and where I wanted to be. It wasn’t until later I realised how effective that kind of discovery was.

I now try to incorporate this style of thinking with my own clients, which works great. The more I understand about them and their business, the better service I can deliver.

Ultimately, Chris wants the members of CMA to be successful, and as a by-product that leads to his success. What he’s created is an inspired group of people, who are working towards their ultimate goals. Thanks to Chris, I’m much closer to mine.”

Martin Huntbach, Jammy Digital

Your turn

1. Aside from the service you offer, what are you doing to grow your clients’ business?
2. What could you be doing to help strengthen your connections with your clients?
3. How can you do to become an income generator rather than an expense?

Let me know what’s on your mind in the comments section below.

Read the whole ‘Becoming a Connector’ series

DFTBA!

Chris.

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