By Jeff Beals
The American philosopher Henry David Thoreau once said, “I went to the woods, because I wanted to live deliberately. I wanted to love deep and suck out all the marrow of life.”
As professionals we need “to suck out the marrow” of our business lives. We must lead active, deliberate careers that are externally focused. That means you turn off the laptop, step out of your cubical and get involved outside the office.
As long as you don’t over-commit yourself – burning the candle at both ends, so to speak – being involved actually makes you better at your core work.
People who join professional associations, who get involved in their place of worship, or who engage in community service learn more and meet more prospective clients.
In any given office, there is at least one person who is active in the community or profession and seemingly knows everyone. It is no coincidence that such a person brings in a lot of business, finds great publicity opportunities for the organization and, in turn, earns job promotions.
Simply put, involvement leads to success. You must be out there seeing and being seen. You have to do it perpetually, so that your personal target audience knows about you and remembers you.
Use your time wisely. If you have family or other commitments in the evening, use your lunch hour for networking and personal branding activities. Ambitious professionals should not eat lunch by themselves more than once or twice a week; it’s simply too important of a networking opportunity to waste.
The fact is, in order to stand out, you need to be seemingly “everywhere.” As much as you may desire to go home and watch television after work, you need to spend a little more time working, showing up at events. While you don’t have to drink until your liver gives out, you do need to be a man or woman about town. Sometimes you have to stay out late at a cocktail party where important prospects have gathered. Sometimes you need to get up early and meet a member of your personal target audience for coffee before you both start work.
It’s not easy, and it comes with a price, but successful professionals are seemingly everywhere.
But being everywhere does not just mean showing up and socializing with people you already know. There’s a difference between socializing and networking, and this ebook is designed to explain that and show you how to turn your socializing into networking, which is far more valuable.
Just like anything else in life, you need to network deliberately with discipline and a defined purpose. If you do that, you will be much more effective.
Remember, if your commitment to networking is half-hearted, your results will be only half-baked!
NOTE: This article is actually the first chapter of my brand-new ebook, “Goal-Based Networking: Turning Your Socializing into Profitable Relationships.” It’s free, so download your copy now by clicking here: https://jeffbeals.com/free-ebook2.php
Jeff Beals is a professional speaker, sales consultant and award-winning author, who helps professionals enjoy greater success through effective sales, marketing and personal branding techniques. He delivers energetic and humorous keynote speeches and workshops to audiences worldwide. To discuss booking a presentation, go to JeffBeals.com or email at info@jeffbeals.com or call us at (402) 637-9300.
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Here’s Why Should You Choose Jeff Beals as Your Next Speaker:
“Jeff is sure to deliver an engaging and motivating speech! He cleverly ties together his stories and makes the speech end with a punch. Being the closing speaker is tough, but he stepped-up to the challenge and hit a home-run. Due to the high ratings and overwhelming response to re-watch his speech, we are planning on using his video during our NextGen watch party.” – Megan Dotson, Senior Client Success Consultant & Event Director, GovLoop, Washington, DC
“You brought great value to our event. The workshop was a huge experience for our attendees by giving them the opportunity to improve their work in the critical environment in which we are living today. Your talent as a speaker and your qualities as a person made the difference during your time with us. I would certainly recommend you to anyone who asks.” – Ana Paula Costa, Educational Planner, Febracorp, Sao Paulo, Brazil
“A couple of my Dean’s Fellows recently said your presentation two years ago about building your personal brand was their best experience at Creighton.” – Dr. Anthony R. Hendrickson, Dean, Heider College of Business, Creighton University
“Our corporate partnership team had great takeaways regarding how to network smarter while also understanding the importance of our personal brand to current and prospective partners. Jeff does a great job weaving in real-world examples and how you can apply his teachings to growing your business and building long-term partnerships.”
– Jason Booker, Senior Director of Corporate Sponsorships, The Kansas City Royals Major League Baseball Team
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