Severe Summer – A Different Approach
As advocates of Strategic Conversations, we believe it is important to get feedback on the market as well as your business by communicating well with others. In this process for businesses, we encourage an organized program where one person is in charge of contacting key stakeholders – customers, prospects, suppliers, industry experts and employees – to get both a big picture feel and more feedback on your business as well as industry trends.
With everyone worrying about business and putting off vacations in favor of staycations, this summer is a perfect time for individuals to have these conversations, as well and look for new ideas on how to grow their businesses. Whether you are an attorney, consultant, banker, business broker, or financial advisor, the summer represents a great time to re-connect and get fresh information.
How do you go about it? We all have contact lists, whether in our Google or Outlook directory or LinkedIn or a CRM or sales force automation database. Here’s an approach I’ve taken recently:
- Review your contact list from A to Z, thinking carefully about each person. If local, is this someone with whom you’d like to re-connect or exchange ideas? In this difficult time, you might be surprised to see how many people are willing to collaborate to help one another to make progress.
- Make a Top 20 list of contacts.
- Pick up the phone, send an-e-mail, or text these acquaintances you haven’t seen in a while and whose business acumen you respect.
- Invite them to meet by asking, “Hey, Betty (or Bob), it’s been a while since we’ve connected. How about grabbing breakfast or a cup of coffee and we can brainstorm about each other’s business? We can talk about what you see in the market and what I’m hearing, and see if we can help one another.” The other person will see it’s not just about getting, but also about giving.
- Prepare for the call or meeting. Have an observation or two to share about what you’re seeing in the other’s person’s market, or a general observation about developments – like the impact (or not) of Twitter, which companies are dying, surviving or thriving in the market, or just some good, thought-provoking questions for your coffee mate.
In general, people are more available to meet or talk in the summer because organizations postpone events until September. So don’t underestimate the importance of networking in a down economy. Reach out, brainstorm, and those new revenue-generating ideas are sure to follow. Mike Oleksak 2009
