Net-working
At The Happiest Place In The World |
For those of you who do not
know the “NET” in BizNet Online does not stand for a computer network, but
for Business Networking. As in
developing leads, relationships, and customers.
Part of the BizNet
networking philosophy is that you can “Network” anywhere.
And in this case it even includes a trip to the Magic Kingdom of
Disneyland.
Now if you are thinking,
come-on, I’m on vacation! I’m
with my family. I don’t want to
talk shop! Well if that is how you
feel about networking, then you don’t understand what networking is all about.
Networking when it is done right is not about selling, or closing the
deal. It is about building
relationships. Remember getting
customers is not a hunting activity. It
is a farming activity. You didn’t
hunt down your customers and “bag” the deal.
If you take that attitude you can forget about repeat business.
But if you are a “farmer” and plant the seeds of a relationship, and
then nurture it. Cultivating it.
Giving it attention, then only when the time is right you harvest the
crop. You will get continuing
business.
Networking done right, can
be done anywhere. In this case even
Disneyland. Remember we said “done right”.
Because done wrong, your just a pain in the butt sales person.
And dealing with a salesperson on vacation is a real pain!
Doing it right is about building friendships, and folks tend to be
friendly when they are having fun. And
come on, who’s not having fun at Disneyland!
Now at Disneyland, what is
the one thing everyone does? Why we
all stand in line! So with every
fun ride comes the opportunity to meet at least two new folks. The one in front of you, and the one behind you.
So make the time in line more fun. Talk
to the folks around you. Where are
they from? What rides have they
gone on? And as you talk, you will
learn things about the folks around you. As
they talk about themselves, you may find a business connection can be made!
You may also find that nope, no connection there, but you had fun
talking, and the line seemed to move faster.
And if your time to get on the ride got there before the conversation was
done, no big deal. You may just see them later in the day.
Now I did this very thing
on a trip to Disneyland with the kids. To
say we had a great time would be an understatement. I was amazed at the incredibly “new” fireworks show they
came up with. Let me tell you, if
you have seen the fireworks show at Disneyland in years past… Well the new one
will blow you away. It is reason
enough to go to the park. In this
case the one in Anaheim, Ca.
It was a lot of fun telling
my kids about the rides that they were going on, I had been on when I was their
age.
In “ToonTown” most
parents find a place to sit and relax and watch their kids have an incredibly
fun time enjoying all that great silly fun “ToonTown” stuff. And what do folks do when they are sitting around?
They talk. And once again, you have a possibility to Network.
So remember wherever you
are, if you do Business Networking right, it can be done anywhere because it is
not about bagging a customer, it is about building a relationship, and that
takes talking to the people around you.
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Last modified: October 26, 2010