Woo Your Crew Part Deux – Why Time isn’t Your Nemesis

“Lost, yesterday, somewhere between Sunrise and Sunset, two golden hours, each set with sixty diamond minutes. No reward is offered, for they are gone forever.” ~Horace Mann

Funny thing about time. They say it waits for no man. It seems to expand and contract. Like it has a pulse and a life force of its own. Seems like when you’re doing things you love to do (vacations, time with friends & family) there’s never enough.

When you’re itchin’ to gain new business, build your network and blog on a regular basis, it seems to travel at warp speed. Yet, when you’re waiting in line at the grocery store, sitting in traffic or waiting for a raise…time can seem to stand still.

What triggered this random tangent? Seth Godin’s recent post, It seemed important at the time . Here’s what got me:

“Last week, I was running from one meeting to another in the city when I passed an old friend on the street.”No time to talk, sorry!” I said as I hustled off. When we connected by email a bit later, he said he hoped I had a good meeting, and that it was worth the hustle. I couldn’t remember where I had been headed. It seemed important at the time.”

Thanks to Seth’s honest and open sharing, I got to thinking about networking. And how sometimes we forget those folks we already have a solid relationship with. It’s as if we’ve already “hooked ‘em” so to speak. But if we’re in the business of “wooing” – be it future customers, prospective clients, potential business partners or fans – we need to take a moment and remember that both old and new, serve their purpose.

Those thoughts led me to Take Your Time, by Tara Kachaturoff over at 90daynetwork.com. Tara’s tangent refers to our instant gratification nation and general drive-thru neurosis. She’s a little hot under the collar (and rightly so) about this – “I have to have it NOW” mentality. Tara “gets” that networking takes time.

“Relationships are not built in one meeting or even several; they are not built by exchanging business cards, emails or telephone calls. Instead, they are nurtured over time, through careful cultivation and care. Don’t expect immediate results. Consider any friendship or meaningful relationship you currently have; it wasn’t built in a couple days, weeks or months. The same thing applies to building business relationships.”

Relationships are like gardening. You gotta plant seeds, LOTS of them. You gotta water the seeds. Make sure they get enough sunlight. Once they begin to blossom and grow, the work doesn’t stop there. Nope. You gotta keep those buds clean and clear of clutter. Just like relationships. Constant communication and clear channels are necessary. If funky stuff emerges you gotta take time to talk it OUT!

It takes TIME. In order to have a lush and full garden one must continuously nurture and support all that’s been planted there. Sure, there are some plants that are stronger and more solid, they might need a little less attention, but if you were to ignore them, they’d surely wither away. Building a solid foundation and maintaining regular communication is all a part of tending to the garden of our network.

As serendipity would have it, a happy-accident led me to discover Joyful Jubilant Learning, where I happened across Developing Powerful Partnerships. It shares several tips on relationship building and networking for the greater good. Here are a couple:

5. Partnerships are a process, not an event.
We are on a journey together and we may never reach a destination. I like that idea. Much like growth in any area, I believe we develop daily, not in a day. I think one of the best people that I’ve seen accomplish the “relationship geek” thing is Phil Gerbyshak. He has been able to transform his online connections into real life interactions. I think that’s cool. He is continually engaged in the process of nurturing relationships.
6. The partnerships that we build on here will be more challenging to maintain than to start.
…It will take much more concentration a few months down the road to keep our vision sharp, our focus clear, our communication open, and keep on meeting our objectives.

So what are our take aways today?

1.Stop and smell the roses, and take a moment to greet your friends, associates and compadres. You never know when you’re gonna need ‘em.
2.Contrary to popular belief, we don’t live in a completely McDrive thru world (yet). So you’re gonna have to chill and build your network one link at a time, one conversation at a time, one post at a time.
3.Serendipity can lead us to really cool people, who in turn can help support us, our businesses and our lives (if you have any doubt about that see Phil G’s blog).
4.Longevity of relationships and building successful networks take time and nurturing, just like a good garden.

Plant those seeds. Water them. Give them plenty of light. Support them and nurture them. One never knows which conversation you have today will take root and bloom tomorrow. (I’m partial to bamboo…it’s know for spreading like wildfire!). Now get to wooing your crew!

Brand passionately,
Kammie K.