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I’m cleaning my room to the loud sounds of Moxy Fruvous. Good start to the New Year.
Despite having my own house, my desk and computer are in my bedroom (at least until that magical day when I FINALLY manage my garage->studio conversion), so cleaning my room is an epic task, ‘cause it involves all the paperwork that naturally accumulates on desks.
And business cards that naturally accumulate around me, nagging me with business-card-sized guilt.
There’s this thing, apparently important to business success, called networking. I should be really good at it — I meet people. Lots of people. And I talk to them. And by the end of a plane flight, or a bus ride, or a long line in the grocer store, I have their life story, their professional interests, and their business cards.
And then I take the business cards home, throw them on the desk, and forget why I had them in the first place.
I suspect the difference between “networking” and “Just liking to talk to people” is that the former involves being good at follow-up. And perhaps seeing people for what they can do for you, instead of just enjoying their company in the plane/train/grocery line.
I’m not good at networking.
Despite having my own house, my desk and computer are in my bedroom (at least until that magical day when I FINALLY manage my garage->studio conversion), so cleaning my room is an epic task, ‘cause it involves all the paperwork that naturally accumulates on desks.
And business cards that naturally accumulate around me, nagging me with business-card-sized guilt.
There’s this thing, apparently important to business success, called networking. I should be really good at it — I meet people. Lots of people. And I talk to them. And by the end of a plane flight, or a bus ride, or a long line in the grocer store, I have their life story, their professional interests, and their business cards.
And then I take the business cards home, throw them on the desk, and forget why I had them in the first place.
I suspect the difference between “networking” and “Just liking to talk to people” is that the former involves being good at follow-up. And perhaps seeing people for what they can do for you, instead of just enjoying their company in the plane/train/grocery line.
I’m not good at networking.
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no subject
Date: 2013-01-01 09:53 pm (UTC)From:If you help people out on a regular basis, they will spread the good word, which is what networking is all about. Of course, you still have to be selective, and pace yourself. So, if you meet a bus full of people, it might be that you simply improve their days by telling them all a really cool story. If it turns out one or two of them could really use a bit of graphic design work, then you can say, "Oh, yeah, I do that." But then let them make the next step. If you run into someone who represents a non-profit that you'd like to support, think about donating some design work to their organization.
The more people you meet, the more opportunities you have to encounter an opportunity like that. But, you want to make it about their needs and their projects. Help them succeed (without giving away the home world) and they will typically repay you by giving you more business!
It's actually all too easy to start doing this. The hard part, the part that makes it seem daunting, is learning how to not offer help to those few people out there that will suck you dry, and learning how to draw a line.
So, I'm not talking about giving your time and energy away. I'm talking about being bolder about offering your services for a fair price. Some services are free, are loss leaders, or are more fun for you than for your audience, and others are your bread and butter.
no subject
Date: 2013-01-01 09:54 pm (UTC)From:no subject
Date: 2013-01-02 09:52 pm (UTC)From:That kind of mnemonic may help jog your memory when you stumble on the card later.
(I've done something similar with the Notes section of the friends list on SWTOR. Otherwise, I'd forget everyone who wasn't the alt of an actual friend.)