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151 Quick Ideas to Get New Customers

   94

Networking

Jack had tried several times to get past the gatekeepers

and reach the president of a successful restaurant chain to talk

to him about his unique flat-rate maintenance program for their

commercial heating and air conditioning systems. He could of-

fer the company a better service at a better price, but he couldn’t

                                   get through to the president.

                                   One Sunday morning at

     Assignment                    church, he overheard an-
                                   other parishioner mention
    Do your homework to            that he knew the president
find out who your colleagues,      of the restaurant chain.
coworkers, friends, and fam-       Jack approached the man
ily know. Almost everyone          and asked him if he would
knows someone who could            introduce Jack and his com-
be a prospect.                     pany to the president so he

                                   could tell him about Jack’s

                                   great service. The very

next morning, Jack got a call from his friend telling him that the

president was expecting him to call, and would welcome set-

ting up a meeting to discuss how Jack could help them get

better service at less cost.

                   Epilogue
Who do you know who could open a door for you?

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