I wear my PowerCore name badge to functions like a Chamber of Commerce get-together. People will ask, "What's that?" while pointing to it. "That's one of the keys to building my business," I tell them. After giving them a 30-second description of PowerCore, I ask, "What's your favorite way to get new clients?" 

I discovered how effective this was at a Brookhaven Chamber of Commerce meeting at Costco. The person I chatted with is a business attorney who joined PowerCore. 

In meetings that don't have a formal structure, everyone is working to make connections. Randomly passing out business cards has not worked for me. Using my name badge as an ice-breaker does. I know that if I can make just one connection during an event, it's a success. 

Last week I was touring venues to hold a large workshop series and the owner mentioned his business is new to the area and that he had recently joined the chamber hoping to draw interest in his venue. I took that opportunity to invite him to join PowerCore! I listen for cues in conversations with business owners that they are growing and/or looking for ways to expand their business. 

I ask for permission to invite them: "I would like to get you to visit my networking team. Would it be ok for me to email you an invitation with details?"

This gets buy-in from them for later, since they've already said 'yes' to me inviting them. The Emory Team is fantastic, so I'm confident that visitors will see the value of the Team once they are in the room. So my focus is on getting over the hurdle of getting visitors into the room. Asking for permission to invite them helps lower that hurdle a bit.

Additionally, as a technology professional, I'm a little more actively aware of SPAM and other unwanted types of email, so asking for permission moves my communication out of the 'unsolicited' category.

When conducting carpet cleaning business, I typically get to spend more time with a person's individual attention than most professions. Once we have learned a bit about each other the question ocassionally comes up, "How do I market" my business. I usually start with the age old saying that "their is no silver bullet in marketing", but then I share that the easiest and most affordable way to market my business is to have other professionals invovled with doing it for me, by developing a referal network...and then I explain powercore. When the question isn't specifically asked of me, I take another really simple approach. When customers open up about what they do for a living, I will usually ask them "how do you identify, find clients, and market your business". Business owners are almost always exctited to talk about their business. I do NOT ask them the question to put in a "plug" for Powercore, but rather because I genuinely want to learn something I might not already know. We do, however, usually end up talking about Powercore. At that point, people usually tell me how much easier someone is to "land" that has been refered vs. someone that they have to sell to. It really is a simple conversation. 

I ask "Is your business in growth mode?"

When they say "I would love more clients," I invite them. 

If they say - "Yes, wow, I'm scattered, smothered, and covered" I probably won't invite them in this conversation. Initital PowerCore membership comes with a time committment: adding the once a week meeting, the mentoring coffees, Orientation Essentials and Information Monday - when someone is already stretched, this just isn't possible.

This week I've been emailing with someone a visited, has a big project over the next six weeks, and will revisit joining the first of April. I believe that's wise.

I'm never offended when someone says they're not interested. It's not my job to make up their mind, it's just my role to invite.

With the current real estate environment being slower than normal, I'm being asked "how is business?" I don't even have to ask a question right now. I respond by explaining the steady stream of clients I have coming in every month. This begins a series of questions by the person, and I get to explain PowerCore and how it helped grow and sustain my business for well over a decade.

In "normal" real estate years, I would simply ask "how are you growing your business this year?" Usually people will answer the question, and then ask me the same question back. Then I get to go through the same scenario above where I begin anwering their questions about PowerCore.

I always hold off on mentioning the time of the meeting until after they are more interested in attending and finding out more. I never lead with "PowerCore is a weekly 7am meeting." 

I ask people whether or not they're happy with the current success of they're business. It gives them an opportunity to actually think about it. And you can tell if they're comfortable thinking about it, giving you a chance to follow up with a suggestion of how you might help them. It's a natural question because I'm interested.

"Besides word of mouth, what are the types of marketing that you do for your business?"

This is a question that I ask of every business owner that I meet with. It's natural because this is part of my process to understand how they have tried to grow their business either currently or in the past. This typically opens the door to talk more in depth about the types of marketing that small businesses will hire me for but also for me to talk personally on what I have done to build my business. And PowerCore is an easy introduction from there since it is something that I have been a part of for over 8 years. I also hit the objection of the early morning meeting head on by letting them know that it doesn't interrupt my normal day and I can always make my Wednesday morning calls as scheduled. 

I start with a direct question - “how do you get new clients?”   I’m sure I read heard that somewhere and it fits well with getting to the point.  Besides it always leads to a conversation that allows me to tell my PowerCore story.   

I didn’t want to join PowerCore but I needed help with marketing.  Once I joined, I realized more benefits than just referrals from the group.  I learned to talk in a way to promote my business.  I was encouraged to constantly think of my clients success stories because my clients don’t necessarily have before and after pictures.   They have before and after memories of their ability to be active and enjoy life.

A direct approach is natural for me because time is important to me and I show respect to others by not wasting theirs.

My FaceBook friend Jeremy has recently opened a wash and fold laundry business in North GA.  He was plastering his FaceBook page with requests for his friends to send him referrals.  I asked him if he'd like access to his own. "sales team" every week who could do even more of his referral work for him.  Then I sent him a link to the PowerCore website to see if he'd like to check out a team up near where he lives.

If you could change one thing about your business right now, what would it be? Most people will say something along the lines of "more business, more foot traffic, or more customers/clients". This leads to the next questions: "How do clients find you?" and "What have you done in the last year to build the business' reputation?". Most of the time the answer is... nothing. Now they are thinking about the changes they want to see and what steps they need to plan to take. I am a "fix it" type of person, and am always looking for solutions or an unique outlook on a situation. This question is natural for me because I can offer a solution: Powercore. 

Are you familiar with the US Army slogan: "In the Army, we do more before 9AM than most people do all day?"

After attending my first PowerCore meeting three years ago, that's exactly how I felt.

I am a morning person, I am grateful and I always want to pay it forward. So, this question is natural for me, and is the perfect conversation starter.

In talking with a business owner, I simply ask them "Do you need to widen your network so you can get more clients?"

This was one of the very reasons I joined PowerCore was to widen my network, so I know firsthand the benefits that provides.

Question 1: Are you looking to grow your business and help others grow theirs? 

Question 2: In my opinion it's the easiest question to ask that's affective. You can grow your business simply by sharing what you do and help others by introducing people you know or come across that may need other team members services which helps them. 

Question 3: It's very simple to ask or bring up during a conversation with a prospective visitor. 

"Are you interested in a networking opportunity?" is the question I always ask a potential visitor. It's a question that I can ask within the natural flow of a conversation and it keeps me within that natural flow. It isn't anything special or something creative that I've come up with. It's simply a yes or no question. By asking a yes or no question this prevents it from becoming a situation where the conversation is long winded and it becomes awkward to extend the invitation. Also, a yes or no question helps me to know if it's worth it to extend the invitation without forcing it.

• What question do you ask when you’re inviting a Visitor to our meeting?

How long have you been in business?  How do your clients find you?

• How did you come up with this question?

This is a question I would ask myself.  I always want to help others reach their goals.  Inviting a guest helps my guest and my team.

• What makes this question natural for you?

The question is natural for me because I am in sales and I need to find organic ways to expand my reach and showcase my credibility.

The invitation usually grows organically from a natural conversation about referral marketing vs. selling. If the person I'm speaking to expresses an interest in growing their business through referral marketing, I will introduce PowerCore to them. If they express further interest after I explain the early morning wake-up call, I invite them to join us for a meeting. 

This approach is natural because I'm often asked where my referrals come from.   I tell them through referral marketing.  When they ask me to say more, it usually evolves into a discussion about PowerCore.

For me, asking visitors to join is a conversation process and depends on how well I know them, but if its someone I just recently met I first try to find out their business goals and if they have heard of networking groups or are members of any other groups. I was completely new to the idea of a referral network group when I was invited, so my personal experience says knowing your prospective visitors previous experience or lack of can be a great jumping off point. Then depending on there answers I can go into an explanation of PowerCore and its benefits, then inviting them to visit with my team.

I just joined PowerCore, so I'll share how I was invited. My partner was a member when he first started his business, and he often shared how much PowerCore helped him grow his business. When I decided to start a business of my own, he encouraged me to join PowerCore to fine-tune how I talk about what I do, to make connections within a supportive community, and to generate more word-of-mouth referrals. I think asking a question related to any of those three reasons could be a good entry point to conversation with someone about visiting.

Having only been a member for a few weeks I have not yet had the chance to invite anyone to powercore yet.  However, I would ask them first if they have the capacity to bring on more business than they currently have.  If they do and are looking to increase their client base then I would explain to them what Powercore is and its benefits.  I would explain how effective Powercore has been for my business in just the short time that I have been a member.  This question will come natural to be able to relate it back to personal experience.  If I have not experienced something personally then the topic or question is very difficult for me to bring it up organically and speak on it with any sort of reverence or enthusiam.  

Hi,

Travis Jones, Metro Atlanta FiberSeal, I am to new to refer anyone, however, my introduction was classic.  

My referral, Leslie Pierce, told me her story of past advertising etc and her limited success using ads. Then she explained Power Core and how valuable the referral process is for her. Leslie piqued my interest and now I'm a member in Decatur.