Entrepreneurs network round-the-clock

Are you one person at work, one in your neighborhood, one in church and yet another when you are a customer?

If you answered “yes” you are like most of us. We have clearly defined lines between the roles we play. That is healthy in that it gives us a break from work.

If you are an entrepreneur, you do not have that luxury. You must be “on” at all times. The simple fact is this: Whether you are aware of it or not, you are your business.

Consider the following comments:

“She goes to my church. I’m not sure what she does for a living.”

“I saw that Realtor in the post office yesterday. He was yelling at the clerk. It was awful. We all had to wait in line. I wouldn’t buy a house from him.”

“I asked her about joining our service group. She said she doesn’t have time.”

All of these comments may be unfair to a certain extent, but I have heard all of them and more. People judge quickly and often harshly.

You might ask, “Even at church?” If you believe in your product or service, you should be happy to say what you do. But I am not suggesting mingling up and down through the pews with your business card in hand.

Let’s look at five ways that you can network all the time:

1. Put your best foot forward. I know a landscaper who has a terrible lawn and sickly looking hedges. His wife shrugged her shoulders and said, “He works on everyone else’s garden but doesn’t have time for ours!” He could have used his own home as a demonstration showplace. Instead, it was a negative.

2. Become a joiner. At the minimum, join one service organization. I call this passive networking. Merely identifying yourself once a week to fellow-minded businesspeople is great public relations.

The argument I always hear is “I don’t have time!” Mine is always the same: “Make time!” If you want to be a mover and shaker, you will need to be seen and get involved. The more people you know on a personal basis, the more people will think of you when they have needs.

There’s another great reason to join: It is fun, and you will feel more a part of your community.

3. Be available. If a local university calls and asks if you would like an intern, say yes. If a charitable organization wants an item for its silent auction, contribute one. If your service organization needs a speaker, volunteer.

In other words, use your expertise for good in the community. It will help you and it will help the community. One caution: Do not sell in these situations. Just say what you do and let your expertise speak for itself.

4. Don’t be afraid to talk about your business in nonbusiness circumstances. Notice that I did not say sell. I said talk. It is intrusive and obnoxious to sell all the time.

Years ago, my husband and I went to the Valentine’s Day dinner for his religious service group in Santa Monica, Calif. Making small talk, I said to the gentleman (and I use that term loosely) sitting next to me: “What do you do?”

A simple response would have been great. Instead, I heard: “I sell ABC insurance. We have automotive, life, property, disability and long-term care insurance. How can I help you?”

Sinara: “Well, we’ll keep that in mind if you’ll just give me your card.”

Pill: “Here’s my card, but I wonder if we could just set up a time to meet with you and your husband.”

All this guy had to do was tell me what he did.

He suddenly became so focused on himself that he never asked one question about us. For all he knew, I sold insurance.

Because of his pushiness, I would never see him – about anything.

I have since had conversations with people about business at church, at clubs, on vacation and on planes. The common denominator about people I would consider doing business with is that they are passionate about what they do, but they don’t force it.

5. Don’t act like a jerk; the walls have ears. We live in a very large small town. You cannot afford to make a negative scene in a public place and assume that the word will not get out. This seems to be a very obvious point, but having observed some odd instances, I had to include it.

Be careful what you say and to whom you say it. A few years ago, I received a call from a local business owner asking me about speaking to her national sales meeting. I quoted her a price. She became very defensive and said, “Well, I wouldn’t be a very good steward of my company’s profits if I spent that much money on a speech!” She became more and more insulting. I reminded her that she had called me for information, which I had provided. She hung up in a snit.

I will never buy one of her products after her rudeness.

You may be busy. You may be distracted. You may be tired. But everyone who calls is a potential customer.

The bottom line is this: You are networking all the time, whether you know it or not.

Sinara Stull O’Donnell is a professional speaker and writer through Springfield-based SinaraSpeaks. She is the author of “Be The Star Of Your Life: Are You Ready For Your Close-Up?”

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