Networking/Marketing Yourself
What does “networking” really mean? According to dictionary.com it means “a supportive system of sharing information and services among individuals and groups having a common interest”. To me it means talking with people and finding out how I can help them, for when I help them they in turn help me without me even having to ask! Every place I go I am talking to people in every walk of life. I never know in measurable terms what impact I have on people’s lives, but I like to think that I leave a trail of positive energy in my wake. This energy has provided me and my businesses a lot of “things” such as cash in the form of no interest loans, good-will, free advertising, moral support, referrals and lifelong friendships with very interesting people!
I “network” with everyone I meet. Not just with people that have a “common interest” with me. For example one morning when I was running my Hotel I was working in my office and two gentlemen walked into the lobby to use the washroom. I popped my head out the door and saw a very shall we say “artsy/mountain” man. I asked him what he was up to that morning and found out that he was looking for a house to buy in the Claresholm area. As we talked I found out that he was paying $1100/month rent for a trailer in the Calgary area and wanted a place in a small town. I was able to help him out by selling him MY house as I had just bought another one that we were planning on renovating and eventually moving into. I was planning on listing it eventually but I didn’t have to because I had simply struck up a conversation with a guy that had to pee!
Another thing I like to do is promise small and deliver big! Everything is perception. If I told you that it was going to cost you about $400 for me to write your business plan and it actually end up costing $350 how would you feel compared to if I had initially told you it was going to cost $300. I know that I would feel a lot differently because of my “perception”.
Remember that no matter where you are or what you are doing you are always marketing yourself.
What does “networking” really mean? According to dictionary.com it means “a supportive system of sharing information and services among individuals and groups having a common interest”. To me it means talking with people and finding out how I can help them, for when I help them they in turn help me without me even having to ask! Every place I go I am talking to people in every walk of life. I never know in measurable terms what impact I have on people’s lives, but I like to think that I leave a trail of positive energy in my wake. This energy has provided me and my businesses a lot of “things” such as cash in the form of no interest loans, good-will, free advertising, moral support, referrals and lifelong friendships with very interesting people!
I “network” with everyone I meet. Not just with people that have a “common interest” with me. For example one morning when I was running my Hotel I was working in my office and two gentlemen walked into the lobby to use the washroom. I popped my head out the door and saw a very shall we say “artsy/mountain” man. I asked him what he was up to that morning and found out that he was looking for a house to buy in the Claresholm area. As we talked I found out that he was paying $1100/month rent for a trailer in the Calgary area and wanted a place in a small town. I was able to help him out by selling him MY house as I had just bought another one that we were planning on renovating and eventually moving into. I was planning on listing it eventually but I didn’t have to because I had simply struck up a conversation with a guy that had to pee!
Another thing I like to do is promise small and deliver big! Everything is perception. If I told you that it was going to cost you about $400 for me to write your business plan and it actually end up costing $350 how would you feel compared to if I had initially told you it was going to cost $300. I know that I would feel a lot differently because of my “perception”.
Remember that no matter where you are or what you are doing you are always marketing yourself.
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