Posts Tagged ‘Networking’

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If you think about it, we’ve become fairly reliant on a relatively unproven means of communication and wealth called the Internet. I’ll explain…

Humans have been around for a long time. This isn’t a post discussing exactly when, but regardless of who you talk to it’s been at least thousands of years. In that time technologies have come and gone with their times. Long ago, Egyptian times, we used papyrus for writing, for messages to be written on, delivered by a court courier and often saved in the database of all Egyptian databases, a pyramid.

Then people discovered different ways to make papers and inks. They were more cost effective and easier to produce. Enter the growth of literature, the Bible, organized religion, and government.

Fast forward to 2008 and 90% of the US population has broadband in their home. Which is absolutely mind-boggling! I remember logging on my first time when I lived in Colorado. I was all of 10 years old and we had a 56k connection with PeoplePC. You know who I’m talking about. Like AOL they built their business off of subsidized agreements. AOL’s agreement gave you free email, chat and browser as part of your internet connection. People PC on the other hand gave you the same plus a subsidized desktop computer.

It made computing cheaper for the masses.

Oh but that first time with the dial tone and the computers talking through whatever little speaker is on the motherboard.

That was the beginning of the Internet Age. It’s been all of 12 years and I like many of the people I know base our entire livelihoods around it.

But the Internet is not your only means of communication and business. It’s not your livelihood nor is it a lifeline. It’s a tool. Your network is your business. I’ll say that again for clarity: your NETWORK is your BUSINESS.

If I lost all my possessions, was living on the street, and had to start completely over, I could get back on my feet in a few weeks. I would begin calling my contacts, making new business plans, seeking work and putting the pieces back together.

Only recently have I truly began understanding this principle but it’s gotta be one of the best I’ve ever learned or can ever teach.

I’ve built a network of people that I truly love. These are the people, friends, that I’ve met through business, school, and in coffee shops that I love, and we mutually want to see each other to succeed. The networks of today are the tribes of thousands of years ago. It’s that group mentality that drives each of us. We group with like-minded people in order to accomplish goals.

The hunter tribes and nomads of humanity’s early life worked together. They hunted in groups, lived together and helped everyone inside the group survive. It seems to be something that a majority of people have forgotten in our time.

More people now than ever, live on their own in single room apartments, which is absolutely insane. We live in a different society now but those social groups, those networks, those connections operate in exactly the same way.

Working together is easier than working alone. Your business will grow as will each of those in your network. Great things grow out of groups because of the combined resources of many. The more people you know and can work with, the better off you’ll be.

So I want you in my network. I want to see you succeed, to be able to love you, and work with you in my business. Drop a comment and let me know what you’ve done to grow your network.

There’s a reason that guy came to you (or you went and got him, but they still picked you!) It wasn’t because you blew them away with your coding knowledge or reasonable prices. It wasn’t even because of that cool logo you had designed by your sister-in-law.

Businesses will hire you because you’re human. They want that perfect combination between what they perceive to be the nerdy geek needed to complete the job and the cool mac dude that knows how to befriend everyone.

All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy…

My mother works for a construction lien company. Their “computer guy”, I’ll call him John Doe for argument’s sake, created and operates the company website.  I couldn’t tell you how he was hired other than assuming it went like this: the owner’s friend highly recommended his sister-in-law’s husband without really knowing how good he was or if he would be a good match for the company.

Needless to say, I have a fairly low opinion of John Doe as he’s performed well for the work, not the business. Yes, they have a functional website and it’s also fairly attractive. He could have done much better for them though. The work is average and I’d hope that they’re not paying more than an “average” pay for it.

It’s not because of the average work that I have a low opinion of this man. He’s just an example of the average good worker. Which means that he’s perfectly acceptable to the “average” business. But when we’re looking to achieve excellence, and trust me, most businesses you work with are attempting the feat, you have to perform as an excellent individual - not a good, hard worker.

Businesses are made of people. In a lot of situations the person is the business. Take a look at a lot of the professionals in any field and you’ll see names as brands rather than brands as names. It’s the difference between Louis Vuitton and CARP (China’s Average Retail Product). If you’ve ever tasted carp, trust me, it ain’t pretty. It’s grainy and full of garbage that you don’t want to eat. There are much better fish in the sea.

All this comes back to say that businesses prefer working with people. If they wanted robot with no personality, they could just as easily outsource their work to India and pay half as much for the same result. And to be honest, a lot of those Indians have better personalities than many of your “average” workers.

John Doe is that robot. He works from home, by himself, and most likely has no social life. He has odd mannerisms that tell you he is socially inept and doesn’t know how to deal with people. He definitely knows how to deal with computers. Businesses are a “tiny bit” more than just a computer.

Your client doesn’t want a John Doe, or a Chinese knock-off. They want the Louis Vuitton and Swarovski of the web world. It honestly probably makes little difference if the actual work is done by you or an Indian outfit as long as it is done well.

The client won’t see all the work that is done behind the scenes. What they see and want to know are good and kind are you. They want to be able to put a friendly name and face to the business they are working with. A face is something identifiable, a personality, a thought or idea, a kind smile.

Show them that face and personality. Become more than simply a service that they’re using. Make them your friend and associate with them. Businesses want to feel like they know you and have developed a relationship with you. That’s exactly the same thing as you want because that means trust in your brand (and continued work!)

Be friendly and compassionate and show them that you’re someone to be had as a friend rather than an acquaintance.

Networking is the only reason I continue to receive freelance work.

I don’t cold call. I never could call a business/person and just starting selling myself. It feels like I’m pimping myself out as something to be bought and used rather than a service or product separate from me. It’s not me and I don’t want to be presented as such.

I also don’t apply to job listings anymore. It’s too much of a hassle considering the often low ROI that is often attached.

Why Network?

Networking takes time. True. It could also result in that one job that gives you the most pride.

When you network, you’re putting forth that extra effort that you wouldn’t have otherwise through either cold calling with a rote sales pitch or sending a standard CV and resume to potential clients. You’re showing that potential client that you see them as more than simply a paycheck that you either want or need. They see something special in you.

The client wants to know that you are there to take care of them. If they wanted someone that was simply able throw together a website they’d be looking for the cheapest provider possible. In most cases that turns out to be an Indian company where they can outsource the project.

As a freelancer, you’re most likely looking to earn more than a minimum wage job. Show you’re clients that you deserve to be paid what you’re asking by becoming personable in your networking techniques.

Profitable Habits

Your most profitable asset is your voice. What you say to someone will ring louder than any business card or email.

So use it!

If you’re going to the coffee shop to get some work done, talk to people. Pick out someone that looks like they own or operate a business. Pick out the ones that are using crackberries (blackberries) or dressed in business attire.

Yeah it seems weird but it takes a little guts to make real connections.

They will see you as different but approachable. This degree of approachability sets you apart from the crowd. You become a friendly acquaintance that you can sit and enjoy a coffee with rather than a greasy-haired salesman.

After you talk about what they do for work, tell them what you do and begin the networking process.

You may or may not get a lead from this particular person, but you have left a mark. It’s almost like you’ve branded them as your own. They’re going to be loyal to your name because they’ve gotten to know you a little bit in an informal situation and feel more comfortable with you.

The next time they hear something about your field (website design, writing, etc.) or they’re talking to a friend that needs that type of work, they will think of you!