Expanding your network

When most people hear the phrase, "Expanding your network", many think of friending people on Facebook. I have come to the conclusion that one's network is far wider and far more powerful than a list of names on Facebook, MySpace or LinkedIn.

This past Monday, I had to take Charley, my brindle-coloured French Standard Poodle, to see the vet. The only times that one visits medical/veterinary people is if you or your pet is sick or you need a refill on a prescription and the doctor/vet needs to re-evaluate your condition before letting you pop more pills.

I took Charley in because he constantly shook his head as if something was stuck in his ear. I looked inside, didn't see anything, but certainly smelled the tell-tale odour of an ear infection. I arrived at the vet around 10 AM, and the place was packed out with dogs (and cats) of all shapes, sizes and breeds. Some were pretty aggressive and others were just the cutest things you can imagine. I typically, tend to keep to myself, not wanting to intrude into others' space, but the marketing class I attended this past weekend taught me that every encounter with another person is an opportunity not only to make friends, but to expand your network and to grow your business. While this isn't a new concept to me, it is one that decided to embrace with a certain amount of fear and trepidation. I can work a crowd of 30+ people without batting an eyelid, but chatting and becoming friends with random strangers, is another matter entirely.

The woman to my right had a sweet dog who had been neutered the week before, but his stitches had come out. The poor thing had a helmet around it's head that was meant to prevent it from getting to the stitches, but apparently it hadn't worked. I made small talk with the dog's owner, but she clearly didn't want to talk and her body language demonstrated it. You can take a horse to water, but you cannot make it drink. A woman with the cutest baby came in with her Mom and dog and sat down next to me and she started chatting almost immediately. We totally hit it off.  I learned that her husband is an opera singer who loves singing Wagner (he needs headshots), their baby was a mere 2 months old (needs beautiful photographs) and they want to have a family portrait taken.

I had my iPhone with me and showed her a few photos that I keep on there and she loved them, but it would've been better if I had a bigger screen like my iPad.  Consequently, I now carry business cards and my iPad wherever I go. I gave her a card and invited her to contact me (need to be more pro-active and get her information so that "I" can contact the other party) right as Charley's name was called to see the vet.

What did I learn? Just because one person says "no" doesn't mean that everyone says "no". People have so many things going on in their heads, at work and at home that they may not be in the right place to be receptive. Consequently, don't sweat the small stuff and move on. Building your network isn't "friending" someone, but it is "being a friend" to another person and genuinely showing interest in their lives. If an opportunity comes to talk about what you have to offer, that's great, but if not, that is also fine because we shared our humanity together.