Making contact

AS mentioned in last week’s column my dad used to say it’s not what you know or whom you know that counts, but who knows you.

He didn’t need to add that how they feel about you will determine how they remember you and whether they want to continue a friendship or business relationship with you or not.   That was a given.

However it’s also important to understand that not everyone is going to like us. As Michel Euesden says about her and her hubby, like Marmite, you either love them or hate them. In a political election a 51% vote is considered a landslide, but it still means 49% preferred someone else! We can’t please everyone and we shouldn’t try.

Likewise perhaps we shouldn’t try to “sell” ourselves to everyone, blurting out what we do and exchanging cards that will not be valued, if we’re just pitching our own story and not making a connection.

Very few cities have this amount of networking events, which have sprung up through an international community trying to thrive under the sun. A city big enough for so many but small enough to know what’s going on and who’s who and what’s where.   

This is where recommendations come in. If you made a good first impression and then a second and a third, contacts can come from anywhere. Just this week whilst talking with two separate companies I recommended to each that they contact the same person to collaborate and complement what they do.

I’ve interviewed this gentleman on the TV several times and bumped into him at various “networkings”. He is always friendly and polite and once he has briefly described what he does, when asked, he just enjoys himself and the opportunity of meeting new people.  He isn’t over friendly or over pushy and because of this, and the level of professionalism in his work, his is the first name that came to mind.

There are many events along the Costa del Sol and they are a great way to meet like-minded people, perhaps even clients but you’ll only know for sure if they are right for you but taking time to get to know them.

People might not remember a name but they will remember how you made them feel.

When guests come on the show I encourage them to be themselves. There are many companies competing for the same audience, so be yourself and let the chips fall where they may.  If you are empathetic, listen to hear and not just wait to say your piece, perhaps you’ll be the first person they recommend to others or with whom they make direct contact. 

Hugs and happiness xox

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