Hot Air Balloons & Networking

This morning, I opened my back door and noticed something different in the crisp newness of the day....the skyline had somehow changed in that there were not one, but three Hot Air Balloons in the distance, two purple and one yellow. I realized that these were the "marketing" vehicles (no pun intended) for Curves International based near our neighborhood and therefore it made a tad bit more sense, but in considering this phenomenon of giant balloons carrying people up in the clouds with hot air, it reminded me of some people when it comes to networking and even myself on occasion, in my younger and more infantile days.  When mixing it up with a group of people, whether at a social event or business meeting or informal business mixer- you have those people who are trying so hard to fit in and chameleon themselves to everyone else and thus eradicating their brand and why they are there in the first place. It does no good to mimic and/or mirror your peers to have them accept you as a friend...yes, part and partial of mixers is to meet new friends and establish a "social" identity with a key group of peeps. However, the main purpose should be to establish your brand thoroughly enough without being cheesy that when your industry is mentioned in a board room or office cubicle somewhere, those people you mixed it up with will automatically think of YOU! That is called DOMINANCE! Your brand name, identity, business card, online footprints should be so strong and viable that people can't help but consider you in their repitoire as they seek partnerships and associations and someone to HIRE!

The next group of people at these events are the ones, who like the Hot Air Balloons, do their best to puff themselves up so much that other people just want to vomit. You know the type, the guy who is annoyingly talking about his or her own product/service until your ears bleed and frankly, no one asked him! Now, if someone asks & you have a 30 second elevator schtick , then by all means let them have IT- in a polite and vivacious discourse but leave the company brochure language to those backroom editors in the marketing department....no body wants you to vacillate your Yellow-Book advertisement...come on people! Now, if there is still silence after your 30 second commercial and people are engaged... you should then shift gears and tell stories of how you started your business or client experiences because, that way you are redeeming yourself by entertaining through this ancient, oral tradition. No one wants to hear about you, your product or your company the entire time and I guarantee if you start blowing a lot of needless hot air, then you will rise higher than those balloons and what will greet you will only be empty, lifeless clouds. There ain't no one in the stratosphere but you, buddy, so keep it real and down on the ground where potential clients, potentials friends reside....it also doesn't hurt to ask questions to other people too...establish espirit de corps in that you want to ignite passion for your brand by being a good listener and creating interest, genuine, not forced, interest in what they are saying and relate to them. People in our culture today can see through the wannabe Billy Mays and Shamwow Guy....they may be good for selling on TV but my guess is that if they were doing that your next function, that would be sitting in a corner by themselves, testing out their latest product on your house or business.

The bottom line: Engage not Enrage


Be Genuine, Be yourself and don't try to mimic other people. You have been given certain skills and abilities that are unique to you. You should corner that niche  market and dive in head first because when you are real with people, they will appreciate it much more than a used car salesman or over-bloviating neophyte, or newbie.  Pace out your message and eventually people will remember and call you.

Few Bullet Points to Remember:

• Get Business Cards.....from other people!
  
• Give your Business Cards Out
• Network with everyone even the caterer and/or host
• If food is served, try to get yours early and set it aside to eat later (It's not glamorous to pitch your pitch with spinach in your grill, I'm just sayin')
• If Alcohol is involved, limit yourself if you become sloppy with your diction or over aggressive like the anti-Garfield character, Odie
• Be genuine and show authentic interest in other people and their Brand
• Always Be Closing (ABC) In that you are always selling your brand, but don't convalesce to a Infomercial, make sense?
• This is Huge: FOLLOW-UP (Email those people you had solid conversations with and connect with them online via Twitter, Facebook, Blogging, etc...)
• Promote their brand in your Social Media outlets...@ mention them on Twitter, suggest your friends to become a FAN on Facebook, etc  This is the old principle of sowing and reaping but be patient, you often don't reap in the same season that you sow. (ie- you don't plant corn one day and then have it as a side dish with dinner the next)

So, remember those Hot Air Balloons (of course you remember, you are smart and clever, why else would you be reading this blog? ;) So when I left the house this morning, one(the balloon) had landed in a field and one was in the middle of a residential neighborhood on a main street. And the other one was long gone, no where to be found....so here's the deal(meaning here's the lesson to be learned) After touching the limits of the sky, one came back to earth and landed where the people were and one got lost (probably in the ionosphere) and one landed in the barren area of land where the only things to network with were mud-clods and weeds. If you find yourself becoming that person who puffs up too much and you desire to come back down, be the balloon that lands among the people...it will make your next trip a whole lot better....because in the next trip, you can take them with you!

Continued Success,
@theButterLife
Matthew A. Butter
www.thebutterlife.com
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