How do you plan to fill the seats?
Watching the sports news is rare for me. I was going to switch channels, and the interviewer asked the new Maryland college football coach what he was going to do to “get butts in the stadium seats” he said he was going to “get out there and network and let people see him in the community.”
Well, well! I had also saved the November 28 Washington Post Jobs section, because on the front page, above the fold was an Advice article about “How to put your best foot forward. Uncover the hidden job market by networking.”
So glad everyone who is “in the know” seems to agree with me. Author of the November 28 Washington Post article recommended ‘growth-oriented method of networking.’
Rather than, “do more, be more” and using the bird shot scatter method of using your business cards as playing cards, dealing them out across the table in the ‘fan out’ style of the Vegas card dealers, what I have found, and it seems the other experts in this field concur with me on is developing the art of listening. The art of giving first goes a long way in being remembered, being Memorable. For it is an art.
There is protocol that can actually be learned from business etiquette coaches about “making your manners” about town and being remembered as someone others would like to do business with, and should do business with you.
I don’t think you need to be looking for a job to learn the importance of studying your colleagues and their fields of expertise, especially if you want to provide a service or a product to them.
When I raced horses, this came in very handy in order to compete. I studied all the other competitors as best I could based on past track records before I got to the post to “do business with them.” It may seem like a stretch to use a horse racing analogy, but for two of the ten years I raced steeplechase horses, I was the top woman jockey in Virginia using this method. Studying everyone and their tactics, horses, track record of prior success. I brought home the “most business” (wins) by learning everything I could about the other guys before I went to ‘do business’ with them.
The same Washington Post article talked further about ‘Getting Connected.’ Well, we’re coming full circle here aren’t we?
The funniest thing I just noticed is that this article leads with a quote from Laura Labovich, owner of Aspire! Empower! Career Strategy Group in Bethesda MD, who was still in my phone contacts from, Networking! She is quoted as saying, “Network into companies in advance of the job.” Amen networking sister! We just got a chance to do a quick phone visit, and it’s a true testimony for keeping contacts, even though both of us have moved on and have both broadened our horizons.
Which is another way of what I used to teach in networking (and I do now more through speaking and blogging) is, “Develop the relationship before you need it.” You never know when you’ll need it. It’s like developing the relationship with the bank before you need the money. Even banks like dealing with friends over strangers, someone they already know and trust.
AND most importantly, based on being able to reach out to Laura just now after we’d lost touch for awhile is: it is important to keep the contacts and keep in contact. We may change addresses or jobs, but its’ important to keep the contacts, they are our “life line” in the circle of career building.
So there you have it! It also reminds me of a speech I wrote to graduate the Capital Speakers class with and join the club, called, “You’ve got to get yourself some girlfriends.” (It’s a woman’s club, it works for men too)
The gist of it was I live and love to connect (business) friends; they are like charms on a bracelet to me. I love to share them with others, but it has to be the right others, in that, they have to be worthy of matching the friends together so that they will cherish and protect the relationships as I do.
That’s what makes me the Business Matchmaker. It is who I am and what I do. Its what I wake up in the morning to do. Who may I connect you to?
cj said,
July 22, 2011 at 3:20 am
I’d like to do just that,…”put booties in the seats” for my entrepreneur training seminar tour. Love connecting and training winners LIVE! Online is good, connecting with others live is so much better:) Thanks for what you do.