As a business owner, you must have at least some basic networking skills as people don’t work with companies, but with people. In this quick tips episode, Mari-Liis Vaher shares the GAINSx concept (originally created by Dr. Ivan Misner) which is an acronym for six parts or ideas that you should focus on when meeting someone new: Goals, Achievements, Interests, Networks, Skills, The X-Factor (your Why).
PS! Feel free to practice your networking skills at our monthly complimentary Mastermind meeting HERE.
Today we want to talk about networking. There are some people who really love it and some who totally hate it. Regardless, if you are a business owner, you must have at least some basic networking skills as people don’t work with companies, but with people.
So, if you’ve been struggling with what to talk about when you meet new people or how to approach others in networking events, then what we share today can be very helpful to you.
We want to introduce you to a technique that comes from the GAINS profile, created by Dr. Ivan Misner. If you have already heard of the GAINS profile, you might be a little surprised by the way we at Powerful Marketers encourage you to use it. We will explain the GAINS profile here in brief, but we also encourage you to read Dr. Misner’s book “Business By Referral”.
Adding to the GAINS-profile, we at Powerful Marketers have come up with an upgraded concept; called GAINSX which is an acronym for six parts or ideas that you should focus on when meeting someone new. So, instead of just asking what they do or where do they work, dive a bit deeper and ask the following questions.
- Number 1, Goals: What kind of goals and ambitions do you have? Where do you want to be in 5 years?
- Number 2, Achievements: What are you most proud of? What are the biggest wins you’ve had in business either this week or this year or in general?
- Number 3, Interests and Likes: What are your interests and hobbies? What do you care about in business and in life?
- Number 4, Networks: What does your network look like? Who do you hang around typically? What type of referrals are you looking for?
- Number 5, Skills: What are you good at or known for? What are your biggest strengths? With what problems can I come to you?
- And finally, X – Your Why: What is your why? What motivates you every day? What puts the spark in your eyes?
This is a great concept, for several reasons. First, when you want to be more effective in understanding the people you network with, GAINS provides a common framework for you, so you’ll always know what to say. What else is great is that the GAINS model can serve as a communication structure that you can use for social interactions as well. If you’re an introvert, you tend not to enjoy opening new conversations and relationships, and that’s not exactly beneficial to your networking. But if you use this structure, you allow yourself to open up and generate interest in yourself.
This will take you from feeling uncomfortable about starting a conversation to having a clear way to begin a successful interaction where you’re mostly gonna be in full control of how the situation progresses.
So, remember this structure: Goals, Achievements, Interests, Networks, Skills and the X factor or the Why.
If you want to practice networking, then the easiest way is to jump onto one of our monthly virtual Mastermind meetings at Powerful Marketers. They are completely free and we always have such amazing and supportive business owners and marketers from around the world. So, you are guaranteed to learn, find new connections and be inspired!