March 2010
Golden Nuggets of Networking Wisdom
This months Golden Nugget comes from an excerpt from the book, Total Networking.
Bruce is the author of Total Networking which can be purchased from Amazon.com or the
CFL website: www.clientsforlifeconsulting.com
YOUR TOUGHEST CHALLENGES
Strang · er (n)
- a person whom somebody does not know
- somebody who is new to a particular place
- somebody who is not a member of a particular organization or group
Encarta® World English Dictionary
Whether you’re 1, 2, or 3 on the preceding page, it’s a tough situation to be in. And it’s just as tough to approach a stranger under almost any circumstances.
We’d all rather talk to people we already know. We all seem to forget that our best friend was once a stranger.
The excuses for avoiding strangers abound. Why bother? She probably can’t help me anyway. He seems a little “put-offish.” What would I say to him? How can I trust him anyway? What could he really bring to my business? They seem deep in conversation. I don’t want to seem pushy.
The list of excuses goes on and on…and they’re easy to fall victim to. It’s just easier to avoid the whole situation. Total Networking demands that you do not avoid it. The rewards far outweigh the risks.
But…the list of excuses may also mean your view of the situation is distorted. Total Networking does not have to be about you! This is your opportunity to be a giver, either directly or as a facilitator.
Someone at your next networking meeting can use your help. But you say to yourself “He owns a trucking company, I’m a book editor. No connection.”
Such an excuse conjures up the old saw one that you should never assume. It “makes an ass of u and me.”
There may be no direct connection between the two individuals above (unless the second person wants to publish a book about trucking), but consider: Who do you know that needs trucking services? What new business owner do you know who’s struggling right now and could use a mentor who’s been successful? Know someone who knows a tire salesman? Have a terrific management book you can recommend? Have a friend who does signage? Any good ad agencies you’re familiar with?
If you need more examples, you’ve already missed the point: Total Networking is a contact sport! Get in the game. Take the challenge. Dare to win! And dare to help others to win, too!
You already talk to strangers all the time. Your car breaks down out of town, and you have to trust a stranger for the name of a mechanic…and then you trust another stranger to fix your car. You’re waiting on line at a restaurant and ask someone who’s leaving if the food is good. You trust his judgment. You ask a sales clerk if this is a good gift for your wife or your husband, even though they’ve never met and never will. You contact a handyman, haggle over price and then trust him to do the job right.
Turn the situations around, and you could just as easily be the mechanic, the one leaving the restaurant, the sales clerk or the handyman.
Take those examples and use them to pump up your business.
The negatives to approaching a stranger may include his telling you to “get lost.” She may have nothing to offer you on either a business or personal level. He may turn out to be a taker rather than a giver. There’s simply no rapport between the two of you. The new group or organization you tried doesn’t have the potential you thought it would.
That’s several conversations wasted and a few evenings or mornings lost.
Now let’s look at the potential pluses. A conversation with a stranger can eventually, or immediately, lead to any of the following:
- a future endorsement source
- a new client
- a new source for you to refer
- a less expensive and/or more service-oriented supplier
- a new distributor
- a new investor
It may be one of the tougher challenges you face as you make Total Networking a part of your everyday life, but the potential future gains are immeasurable!
“The pessimist sees difficulty
in every opportunity.
The optimist sees opportunity
in every difficulty.”
--Winston Churchill
Bruce Libman
