Morning. Happy Friday. It’s Friday. It’s Friday. Got to love a Friday. Today I wanted to give you a really quick networking tip that’s full of lots and lots of courage. And this is sparked by a coaching call I had yesterday with a client who [inaudible 00:00:19] a lot of networking and use lots of words that kind of make you feel really icky and negative about networking, like it’s those old-school go to somewhere and hand out 15 business cards and, “Hi. Can I get some business from you?” That kind of thing. So we talked a lot about different ways you can network, and they don’t all involve going to networking events. And one of the tips I wanted to share is something that actually comes from a place of a lot of courage, because you have to be courageous to reach out. And like confidence, courage is one of those things that the more you practice it, the more you do it, the more you are.
So my tip was just pick up the phone… Actually, you don’t even need [inaudible 00:01:05] phone. Phone, email, LinkedIn, Facebook. Reach out to someone you know and ask A, you could go with, “Is there anything I can help you with at the moment?” Say you’re doing X, Y, and Z in your business. Don’t say anything about what you want. Okay? Do the reach-out from that point of view. Is there anything you can do to help them, because you see they are doing X, Y, and Z? It makes them feel good because you’re showing that you’re paying attention to what they’re doing and also makes them feel, “Oh, yay. She wants to help me. He wants to help me.” That kind of thing. It’s a really good…
And the more you do that kind of thing, the easier you’ll then find to be at an event, that again is not necessarily a networking event, it could be a book club, it could be a nightclub, it could be anything, and you’re going to be having a conversation with someone and you can hear what they’re saying they do or they need or such, and you go, “Oh, can I maybe help you with that? I know…” Or, “I know somebody that could help you with that.” And start that ball rolling and it really, really increases your network.
And the second one on that was actually a part of the conversation we had was don’t forget that if you’re in a service-based business in particular, it’s a bit icky to just ring someone and go, “Hi. I’ve got something I know you really, really want and we should really, really work together.” It’s a bit in your face. Okay? And not many people want to actually do that kind of thing. And a lot of people will hear that and go, “Back away. Back away. Back away. It’s going to be something icky.” So my suggestion for that is calling someone, emailing, messaging, whatever feels best for you and most comfortable for you at the moment, because when you go to the next step, that’s where the courage steps in. So make the connection something that’s really comfortable to you. Okay? But [inaudible 00:03:01] say to them, “Hey, I’ve just my idea I want to run by you. Can we catch up for a coffee or a chat?”
Simple. There’s no expectation. There’s no, “I really want your business.” Have a conversation with them about what it is you’re doing, your idea, et cetera. And at the end of the conversation, they may go, “Oh, wow. I’d love to talk to you more about that.” [inaudible 00:03:22] into work. They might say, “Oh, my gosh. My Auntie Lynn, she’d love to talk to you about that.” Another interesting in. So don’t networking. Just my thoughts for you are networking doesn’t have to be scary and it doesn’t have to be about those big events. It can just be being really cool to the network you actually already have, because they will help you get out further and it will help you get more courageous and more confident so that when you are in situations, when it is a cold situation and it’s someone you don’t know and you need to talk about those kinds of things, you’re courageous enough and confident enough to actually do it. That’s what it’s all about.
So reach out to someone today. If you’ve got an idea bustling in your head or a business that you’re doing or something you want to sell or something you just want to talk about or a dream you want to get out of your head, to share that with someone in your network is fricking awesome. And it really, really, really will get that phew [inaudible 00:00:04:21], that muscle going. Okay? So happy Friday. And don’t forget. Pick up a phone or email someone and reach out and say, “Hi.” Bye.