Welcome to 2010; Even though we are a month down. Scary, isn't it!
Most of us have survived the Christmas, New Year and School holiday season and are back to work, for a rest! The desk is full of pending work, our computers full of unanswered emails and then there are the hundreds of voice-mail messages we have been left!
Another thing we all do on January 1, in the wee small hours of the morning, (if we are awake and/or capable), is make our New Year’s resolutions. Lose weight, get fit, give up smoking, drink less; yes you have heard them all before. But how many of us make a New Year’s resolution in relation to our business or job? If so, do we do this with the serious intent to achieve our goal?
We all know that goals are an important part of our business life. We must set goals that are relevant; remember the rules? Goals must work under the S.M.A.R.T. Principle.
S Specific
M Measurable
A Achievable
R Realistic
T Timely
So when I set my goals, I thought of what I could be reasonably expected to achieve in a few major areas.
Now there are 3 major areas of my business life. Job one, my business. Job 2, my flying, Job 3, MBN. Easy!
For each 1, I have 2 – 3 goals that I want to achieve and feel I can and I will share one or two with you.
In respect to the challenges that business owners often face, having tough and difficult days is a common one. Having the challenge of cleaning up my study at home, I came across some notes I had taken from a personal development course I had done a few years ago. One of the big notes I had written was “Work to turning your worst day into your best day”. This I must do! Goal number 1.
Well, it did not take long for me to get my opportunity.
Last week I returned from holidays; to a desk full of quote requests, many messages and a daily routine to slip back into. The day started well, when, due to my late arrival at work, one of our vehicles broke down. A staff member called in sick and a client for a big job was continually changing the specifications of their function, which did not match the layout map they kept giving me. And they wanted it done straight away! What a way to return!
The pressure was mounting; my temper was rising and I finally decided that I should just call it a day and go home.
As I packed up and was walking out the door, a customer came in to see the showroom. What could I say? Put my bags down and off we go.
About 15 minutes later; pick the bags up and grab my car keys? Where are they? I'm sure I had them in my hand. 1 hour of searching and still no luck so had the customer picked them up by accident? Who knows, but my only option was to ring my wife, have her pack up the kids and drive to work with my spare set of keys. Oh my day was just getting better!
After spending more time searching and finally getting home, (a very quiet trip and with the honour of being Mr Unpopular), I walked in a broken man. As I did, my lovely wife asked me if I bought the fridge bag home that she had put my lunch in! A wave of heat went through my body as I am good at leaving the bag in the fridge at work, (often with my lunch still in it). I had thought to put my car keys on the bag so I would not forget it. Yes, I am putting in for the lead role in “Dumb and Dumber” if it becomes a musical.
My wife, to her very big credit, (not sure how I would have reacted if the “shoe was on the other foot”) began to laugh. She reminded me of the times I had ridiculed my Father for driving to work one day, catching the train home and then reporting the car stolen, or my mate who lost his car at the shopping center, only to have the Police find it for him parked in a different spot to the normal place he parked, and how this was up there with them.
What could I do I laughed as well and then sat down to watch one of the best games of tennis between Murray and Cilic. My day was back on track and turned around. It can be done and my positivity had returned.
When things look bad, look for opportunity. In all bad there is good; it just takes a keen eye to find it and turn the entire situation around.
I have also adapted this to my networking.
Several people say to me that they do not spend much time on networking in any one spot. They “work the room” and then move on. How many times have you said, “there is no point in going as I won't get anything out of it and I'll just be wasting my time”? Admit it; we have probably all been guilty of this.
But is that what networking is about? I beg to differ.
One of my MBN goals is to develop the relationships I have.
Networking is not about working a quick sale, but developing relationships with people so that we can move forward and hopefully help each other out for a mutual benefit. This relationship can take time, but they generally lead to prosperous outcomes and are that not what a relationship should achieve Positive outcomes!
I want to develop my business relationships to help others and build my brand; because that is what you are doing. By networking with other business people, you build your own brand. You may not directly be able to do mutually beneficial business with each other, but if you have developed a relationship, you develop trust and respect, which will ultimately lead to building your brand awareness.
We do not meet our husband, wife or partner and within the first date, commit to spending the rest of our life together – do we? (Well maybe it has happened once or twice!). Well the same goes for networking. It is not common for us to meet another business person and instantly decide that we are going to do business together forever. We develop a business relationship, which maybe one of nothing more than on a social level, but by being at the forefront of their mind and having their trust and respect, they have just become your best advertisement. A “word-of-mouth” referral. And the cost? A lot cheaper than advertising.
So think about your networking and set yourself some goals. You need to develop your business relationships to help build your brand. So act now with the following steps:
1. Get a note book
2. Write down 2-3 networking goals
3. Grab that pile of business cards
4. Look for someone you have previously met and said we should have a
coffee sometime
5. Pick up the phone
6. Call them, make a time and organise it
7. Make a follow up meeting, maybe at the MBN February event (Had to
put this in didn't I)
So enough of my lecture, but think about what I have said. Make 2010 a year of turning bad days into good ones and the year where you build those networking relationships and ultimately grow your personal and business skills and brand awareness.
We have a great number of exciting events coming up this year and I look forward to meeting with you all at them soon.
Happy networking
Dave King - President
Melbourne Business Network