What you decide to attend, and how you show up, have a direct correlation to how many opportunities you realize. Too often we choose to skip an event because we aren’t interested in the topic, or we don’t think the other attendees are people we want to meet. This means we are missing out on opportunities we can’t even imagine.
But what if you decided to explore more events? What if you attended more events with the sole goal of meeting new people? I submit you would find opportunities to collaborate, gain referrals, or gain business friends. All of these are valuable for your business.
True story:
Bonnie decided to attend a luncheon so she could support an organization and a long-term business colleague. The speaker topic wasn’t of interest to her. So, it wasn’t a meeting she would have considered going to if it hadn’t been for her desire to provide support. It turns out that she met two people who might be good for her business.
Imagine if she had decided to forego the event! She would have missed out on those connections. Think about the events you decided to skip. Is there the possibility you missed out on connections? Possibly.
Consider what you want to accomplish in your business. Then identify what you need to implement in order to achieve those results. Take a look backward to what has worked in the past. Follow the trail all the way back to the genesis to discover what worked for you. Then, repeat those activities. We don’t have to complicate the process. It really is as simple as repeating what works. When you do the research, you will find that networking has a direct impact on your results. You may be surprised to find there were events you really didn’t want to attend that turned out to be great.
One mistake a lot of people make is thinking the only reason to attend an event is to find prospects. The truth is there are so many other people who could have value for your business. When we focus on prospects, we miss out on all of the opportunities to connect with the people who can have a positive impact on our success. Moreover, when we are in the mindset of looking for prospects, we telegraph that we are in sales mode. No one likes salespeople, so not only will we NOT find prospects, we will alienate everyone we come in contact with.
Opportunities abound if we are open to seeing them. It requires that we shift our mindset and our expectations. The rewards are unlimited. So, give it a try. Attend that meeting you aren’t thrilled about. Stay open to just meeting people and learning about them. See what happens!
Open To Opportunity
