Course 2: Sculpting Your Value Proposition
Module 6: Build Your Network
Industry Pro Video: Lloyd Princeton
I’m Lloyd Princeton, and I am the principal of my own consulting firm, Design Management Company, which
is a firm dedicated to the professional and personal development of the architecture and design industry. And
it’s unique because I’m not a designer but I am a businessman, and my objective is to help people grow their
businesses. Business is business. It all runs the same. Profit and loss statements. You need to deal with your
bankers, you may need to borrow money, you may need to buy real estate, you probably need to advert... You’re
gonna need to market yourself somehow, whether you’re utilizing social digital media, print media. However it’s
gonna be, video, which is incredibly popular. These are all necessary things.
My chosen profession for the last two decades has been the world of interior design and architecture. But even
within the world of interior design, there are many different subsets and specialties, from residential to contract,
people who do offices, people who build hotels and schools. And then there’s the architects. And they all have
different showrooms, they have different magazines, they have different trade shows. They have different
educational programs that they follow with some overlap, but there’s definitely levels of specificity. So because I
know that information people, come to me to help them sift through it and figure out how to get to where they
wanna go as fast as possible.
If you wanna influence people, ask them what you can do for them, not what they can do for you, and you will
be amazed that when you call on them and need something, they’re gonna make it happen for you. That’s what’s
gonna get you the job interview, that’s what’s going to get you the job. That’s what’s gonna get you an invitation
at the house party where you’re gonna meet your next contact, which is gonna get you that script reading, which
is gonna get you whatever it is that you want. It is all connected that way, and it’s not always obvious. So you have
to have faith that it’s gonna work.
I’m not a huge collector of people in the sense that I just wanna collect the name and have it in my database.
I wanna know who you are. And it is that depth of knowing who someone is is what will enable you to call on
them one day, or them to call on you one day. And that is who is gonna open a door for you that’s gonna make a
difference.
There’s a true art form to being in front of people and to getting them to want to talk to you. And one thing you
need to really remember is to not be too sensitive about it, is that everyone is busy. If they’re successful, they’re
busy. They’re really busy. They’re too busy. So if they seem like they’re hard to get in touch with, if they seem
they’re not returning your phone calls, it has nothing to do with you, they just don’t... The truth is, is they don’t see
the value of what you’re bringing to them right now and they have no reason to be responsive. So that creates a
challenge for you. And unfortunately, it’s not a simple answer as to do one, two, three. You need to figure out how
you’re gonna get in front of that person in a meaningful way.
One of the things that I have found very effective in getting through to people is to try multiple avenues of
approach. I phone them and leave a message. It amazes me how many people will say, “Well, I called you.” And I
say, “Did you leave a message?” “No.” “Then you didn’t call, as far as I’m concerned.” Two, follow up with an email.
Leave a voice message and then send an email. And if you don’t have their email, figure it out. It’s easy enough to
do in this day and age. And then if all else fails after that, then I follow up with a piece of mail, something physical,
tangible, whether it’s a handwritten note. If it’s a marketing brochure, you follow up with that. Because you’ve now
hit them three times, and that’s what it takes before they go, “Who is this person? And do I really need to be in
touch with them?” And they may still ignore that. But then when you reach out for the next round of phone and
email, then you will actually potentially get a response.
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Course 2: Sculpting Your Value Proposition
Module 6: Build Your Network
Now, it may not be the response you want. It may be, “We’re not interested.” But at least you’ve opened the door,
you’ve gotten a response to it. I will often ask people the minute I get them on the phone, “Do you have time to
talk to me?” And be prepared that they may say, “No, I’m busy right now.” And if they say that’s the case, ‘cause
this frequently is the truth, then you go, “When would be the best time for me to be in touch with you?” You’re
now asking for permission from them when they should get back to you. And then they will probably tell you the
truth, they’ll say, “Call back on a Tuesday morning before 10:00 AM,” You better call back Tuesday morning before
10:00 AM. It’s very important. And by the way, as much as people seem to enjoy text messaging and do things like
that, you need to communicate with that particular person in the manner in which they wanna be communicated.
And if it’s text, fine. If it’s email, fine. If it’s phone, messages, fine. Whatever it is that they require, do it because
that’s the format that they wanna receive things in.
One of the best compliments I’ve ever received after I’ve worn people down from years of reaching out to them,
and I’ve tried for years sometimes to close a deal, they go, “You have been so persistent. I just wasn’t ready, and
then you finally got to me when I needed it.” ‘Cause remember, unless you’ve got the product or service that
someone needs at the time that they need it, they’re simply not interested in speaking with you. No matter how
nice you are, no matter how interesting the product is, no matter what the deal is, it’s gotta all be in alignment, and
that just is the right place at the right time. Some people call that luck, and I would say it’s probably more a matter
of persistence and diligence.
Networking, and I use that word very cautiously because I think it’s become a dirty word like sales, but I have
news for you. We’re all salespeople. We’re selling ourselves. If you wanna date, you’re packaging yourself so that
person wants you. If you want a job, you’re packaging yourself so that they hire you. We’re ultimately all selling
products and services. We sell ourselves day in, day out. And there’s a true art form to being in front of people
and to getting them to want to talk to you. It starts with a simple hello. I’ll say hi to anybody. And nobody gets to
walk by me, even in the streets of New York, without me at least acknowledging who they are and that they exist.
And isn’t it great when you make someone smile and they say hello back?
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