A referral is the easiest thing to ask a network for, and it is rarely the most valuable thing a network can give you. That was the thread running through Friday morning at PROs: three speakers, three completely different industries, and the same underlying point about what happens when you actually use the people around you.
Here is what we learned.
Going Beyond Referrals with Didier Malagies
DDA Mortgage
Mortgage Broker
727-421-6757
didier@ddamortgage.com
www.ddamortgage.com
Didier opened with a challenge: you need to think about your network in different ways. Most of us walk into a room already scanning for the one thing we came for. He asked us to widen that.
- How can your network benefit you?
- Who can help you be more productive?
- Who can help you with your marketing?
- Who can take things off your plate? What services can you use to put more time back in your day?
- Who can you call, not for business, just to connect? When you connect, things happen.
It Is All the Same Thing
You still have to call. You still have to post. You still have to come to the meeting. Didier's point was that those are not three separate jobs competing for your week. They are one job wearing three different hats:
Connecting and reconnecting is what matters.
And he closed with the line that stuck with the room: your game is your game. Nobody else can run it for you.
Twenty Years in the Shop with David McKay
Black Sheep Customs
Automotive Restoration
727-946-1550
mckaysauto@gmail.com
David gave us the car business from the inside, starting with the detail that explains the rest of it: he was working on motors at twelve.
- 25 years in dealerships
- 20 years owning his own shop
- A 2,200 square foot addition built out with a four car garage
He also introduced us to his partner, Judi.
From General Repair to Custom Builds
Black Sheep started as general repair and moved into custom and restoration work, which is where David's attention is now:
- Hot rod builds
- Wrecked vehicles brought back
- A car he is rebuilding with his son
A 1936 Chevy is one of his favorite rebuilds to date, and there is a 1957 Corvette in the shop right now. What came through was not the inventory, it was that he genuinely loves all of it.
What to Do After an Accident, with Hanna Branch
Retamar & Millian, P.A.
Paralegal
813-200-5894
hbranch@retamarmillian.com
www.retamarmillian.com
Hanna told us quickly how she ended up in Florida, then did something smarter than a presentation: she started a game.
We took a fun quiz on personal injury and what everyone in the room actually needs to know, including the two questions most people get wrong:
- What do you do right after an accident?
- What do you do if you do not feel good days later?
Kevin was the winner.
Her closing point is worth repeating: bring her the problem. If her firm cannot help with it, they know who can.
Final Thought
Three speakers, a mortgage desk, a restoration shop and a law firm, and one shared idea underneath all of it. The value in a room like this is not the referral you leave with. It is the person you now know well enough to call.
Looking forward to seeing everyone at the next PROs meeting.