A few weeks past I was at a mastermind meeting and the very brilliant business women I was speaking with said, “…still to this day with all the types of advertising I have tried and tested, by far the biggest return for my business has been the relationships I have built within my community, hands down.” In an age of social media, online marketing to the masses, and video entertainment, what had brought her paying business not just exposure, was a relationship. As a solopreneur or busy service entrepreneur taking care of clients, how much time do you invest in seeking, creating, and developing relationships in your community that will support the growth of your business?
Connections Build Your Business
As entrepreneurs we often get into patterns of doing it alone or doing everything ourselves and forget the power of leverage of networks by merely connecting with other professionals in our industry. The other day I stepped out of my comfort zone and made some cold calls to high profile businesses where I had no specific contact and had to explain exactly who I needed to talk to and why I was calling. The response was open and helpful and they put me through to the right person who then gave me their email so I could send them more details. Within days I had heard back from both places and appointments were set for the next step. These are two new connections that will now open much larger opportunities for exposure, growth, and excellent experience.
Since I had a very specific mission, on the same day I had emailed a colleague I worked with decades ago that I knew was now at a company that could also benefit from my service. So, I sent her a LinkedIn message and within days she had forwarded my request to the right person and again by the end of the week appointments were set. There was this excited energy of optimism and surprise realizing I did not know any of these people beforehand, or have any specific contacts, and now my business would be expanding to three well known organizations that will absolutely open even more doors for me. What you do not know, is that doing this was a push for me, it was something I had to do in order to complete a leadership coaching program I am in and honestly it may not have happened if it was not a requirement.
What I am trying to tell you is that I know making new connections is uncomfortable and a push and you will need a specific goal or target market when you do this. However, when you do this and you get a positive response that opens a new door of amazing new possibilities, you will have a feeling of exhilaration as to the potential for growth in your business!
Your Business will Thrive in a Community of Connections
For all of you entrepreneurs running your own business and doing the daily grind by yourself, you need to step outside your own four business walls and embrace the community out there ready and waiting to help you grow! Making connections in your community whether it is online or off will drastically increase your reach. Attend events, send a LinkedIn message, connect over coffee, join a Facebook Group, create your own community! Whatever you do get out there and connect with people so they get to know you, they can learn what you have to offer, and you can serve them by making a deposit of value into their life or business.
What will you do to make more connections in the next week and month? Share your commitment below!
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