From time to time, I come across new sales tools that are doing something innovative. In an effort to "spread the love" I thought I'd share a business networking website that caught my attention. It's called MyWay Interactive. I signed up for a free account this week, and I'm finding that it's easy to use and actually a lot of fun.
Most of us are familiar with sites like LinkedIn, Plaxo Pulse, and Facebook. These are great places to keep in touch with your existing contacts, but it's a bit more difficult using them to find new clients. This is where MyWay is different. It offers Sales Reps a simple way of exchanging leads and referring business to each other. For example, let's say you're looking for CFOs within the retail industry. Do a quick search for your target accounts and MyWay will return with a list of salespeople who already have relationships with the CFOs in these accounts.
Once you identify a salesperson who knows a contact you'd like to be introduced to, you can propose an exchange for one of your contacts. This is a ‘permission based’ exchange system so no one ever see’s your contacts unless you grant MyWay your permission to complete the trade. Thus your contacts are always secure in your private contact manager. In addition; once the exchange is completed you are now connected to your trade partner in a virtual chat room where you can discuss your new lead. This is when it's often useful to ask certain qualifying questions: What kind of budget authority does he/she have? Are they an influencer or final decision maker? What kind of initiatives is he/she focused on?
I've found that MyWay ‘warms up’ the lead much more than a site where you simply buy names and email addresses. Best of all, the service is 100% free.
I'll leave you with a few thoughts that will help you get the most out of this site, as well as other networking sites:
1. Always offer something before you ask for something
2. Always treat your referrals like you would treat your grandmother
3. Always show appreciation to the person who referred you. This means you also let them know about any progress you've made with the referral.
To check out MyWay, visit www.mywayinteractive.com.
