While pulling out of the SAR parking lot this morning, something caught my attention. Across the street at Home Depot I saw a cluster of men huddled together waiting to be picked up for work. These guys are in the construction trade, and their game plan is to stand around for hours to hopefully get hired for the day by a local contractor.
I know there are reasons why these guys do what they do, but it really got me thinking. If we’re not intentional about the way we do business, we could easily fall into the trap of “standing around”. Sometimes the idea of marketing can feel risky, so we feel paralyzed by fear and instead sit back and wait for the phone to ring. Or we build a stylish website and then expect the site to now do all the hard work of bringing in clients. Or we employ some impersonal spammy email marketing plan and think it’ll bring home the bacon.
We do all these things, but if we don’t make meaningful connections with others online and in person, then we’re really just “standing around”.
Business is all about building relationships and trust with people. If you want business, then be intentional about meeting others, nurturing relationships, being authentic, and being resourceful to those you meet along the way. Standing around might work to some degree if you’re lucky, but there just might be a better methodology out there.
What do you think?