I consider myself lucky. I am able to count my true friends on the fingers of both hands.
Sure, I have several hundred network ‘friends,’ cyber contacts and ‘likes’ out there although while I sit here enjoying the first cup of tea of the day I’m struggling to add to that true friend count … although the toes are always optimistic 🙂
It’s a fact, that this handful of true friends is indeed my family, direct family and partners in fact. These are the people who understand me, know my ambitions well and know where my passions really lie. My family have spent time with me, grown with me and experienced life as we see it.
So why am I sitting here, supping tea and dwelling on where my true allies really lie?
I‘d met James earlier this week, he introduced himself through a mutual acquaintance as a ‘utilities expert.’ James explained that he was ‘giving networking a go’ as for the past few months he’d found business pretty slow.
It turns out James had signed up with to promote his utilities solutions in support of his other, ‘main job.’ He was looking to add to his income.
Sure, even I could understand this. We’re all in business for a lot of different reasons, working to provide a better standard of living for our family is as good a reason as any, right?
James explained that he was unable to offer a lot of time to promote his new business as his main job kept him ‘busy’ although he was hopeful that any time he went out networking he was going to ‘get lucky’ and find some business and after all, if it didn’t work out, he’d simply ‘throw in the towel.’
I asked James to give me an idea of what he was passionate about, not to tell me he was in the job for the chance of business, is this what he told his family? If it was, this was likely why he had found only limited success …
I’ve suggested to James that he treat his network with the sincerity that an extended family deserved. People like to do business with passionate people, with those who they know and who they trust. I asked James who he trusted … family, right?
Build your network and look after them as you would an extended family …
Show passion and get lucky.
‘people buy from people.’
CharlieKenny.me 