Matt Geier
[Editor's Note: This is a guest post from Matt Geier of The Sales Corner Blog]
When I was invited to be a guest author on High Velocity Blog, I was surprised by the invitation. It was simply unexpected. After all, it was me following up with the person in my network as to how they were doing. Low and behold, after some brief conversation, I’m asked for my guest authorship for High Velocity Blog. Wow. I say that, because you just never know what’s around the next bend in the road. It’s times like this, I’m constantly reminded of how important relationships are to someone, and how they can and will help you through your business endevours, each and every day.
With the invitation to write blooming over me, I took a breath and sat back in my chair to mull over the question. I had to think what to write about. I’m always flowing with ideas on various subject matter.
When an opportunity like this happens, as an entrepreneur, what you do or have been doing for others, becomes interesting in a lot of ways. The interest is then translated into some form of value to those around you, the people in your network, and the people in the networks of your customers and other relationships. People want value in their relationships. This is important.
When you have an opportunity or subject to talk about or an idea spread around, or something meaning fully to do with others, you should. Hopefully what you do, has value to that person or prospect. If not, you might be beating a dead horse. But if it does, and if you are doing something good, throw out the word and build on it with others. By building on your ideas, with others, you create a network of needed individuals to help you grow your business.
I have clients ask me what I think of their ideas, or concepts, or their next product visions. I’ve helped many people launch their ideas online, and grow their networks to get them visibility. Sometimes it’s the form of websites, articles, or just spreading the word to their network and my own network of people. Sometimes it’s just being there for them to answer those “stupid” questions a lot of people I know would scoff and discard as someone looking for a handout.
I like handouts. It’s how I started my business.
Most of my clients meet me after they have discussed something with their family or people in their exsiting networks. Often, our family and closest friends are the people that know us best. They are also the ones that will not hesitate to criticize and condemn us when they think we are off on the wrong foot. Sometimes they think we are challenging them, and their own visions, and sometimes they take an aggressive stance toward us.
I wonder how many of you have had an idea that could have turned into the next multi-million dollar project?
I wonder how would you know if you never took the time to get your idea off the ground running after you talked about it to others?
I wonder what you can do to get your ideas out, and get others opinions on them, and then continue to grow those ideas and build a network for yourself full of valuable relationships?
So what can you do to help get noticed and start a network of like mindedness? Here’s a few things you can do to help create, expand, and retain your network of “like minded individuals.” By enacting these ideas, and continuing to give them constant tlc (tender loving care), you will find yourself in a valuable network of people that want to hear from you, and people that will seek you out when they need something. Today, you can start to build your own business, grow your own network, and find your own valuable people that want to hear what you have to say;
Start a You Tube Channel;
You Tube has presented a way for the common business or houshold to let people in their doors. People here are “real” and want others to pay attention to what they have recorded! You’ll find it all. Hopefully after you read this, if you’re not there, you will be!
Start a Twitter Network;
People ask me what to do with “this Twitter thing” and I simply tell them it’s a “Micro Blogging” tool for them to communicate to their audience. Depending on what you do, may depend on how you use Twitter. The important thing is to use it, and use it actively if you want people to pay attention to you.
Start a Facebook Network;
If you’ve grown up with Myspace and Linkedin, are you on Facebook? Do you have your business there? If not, this is another place you should be active! Facebook users are growing. The ways you can use Facebook are becoming more valuable to it’s users with such invents like Facebook Ad’s, Fanpages, and more.
For now, we will let you ponder these things.
Perhaps you’re doing them today.
How is that working for you?
Remember, there’s always a room to go to, or an area in your business you can focus on. Find out what are some areas in your own “business” you want to focus on; then do it!
Just like we were doing when we followed up with our network to see how they were doing!
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