Merge

In late July 2009, I made the call, literally and figuratively.  This time for something new.  Figuratively, it happened on a balmy Charleston night after reading a blog, when I asked my wife, "Would you be disappointed if I worked somewhere else?". Literally, it happened the following Monday when I called Adam.  At the time, I was working for one of the country's great organizations in the YMCA.  I had been there seven years, and figured I was a lifer. The back story goes something like this: Ten months prior my wife and I had our first child, and three months after that, we found out that my wife had a few blood clots.  So goes the saying, life intervened, and the thoughts of something new started trickling to the surface. It was time to make some calls.

I began my new venture at Merge in October of 2009, and immediately realized I had been living in a bubble.  Seriously, I worked for a community based organization, saw roughly 1,000 people a day, and had no idea what else was out there.  So I decided to reach out.  I'll be honest, I'm not great at it. I hesitate some, and fumble more, but I do it everyday.  Not because I want more clients for Merge (although that would be great), I just want help, and hope I can help in return. I hear, "So, who are you and why do you want to meet?", a decent amount.  Sometimes I don't even get that.  But more often than not people have been willing to sit down and see if the opportunity to help each other presents itself.  Usually it does, especially if your intent is right. 

I've learned a lot over the last year, but what really struck me is how open our community is to helping other people succeed, especia

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Networking has always been a "marketing" strategy of Merge and we've realized some results from our networking efforts. Recently, two different small companies approached me and asked for my advice on networking. Here's the collective advice I provided on networking:

1. Networking is not selling. I never go to a networking event looking to make a sale. Network to build relationships--whether it's a new or current relationship.
2. Network with Purpose. Have a plan before you go and know what you want to come out of the event with (two new contacts, meet a specific person, etc.)
3. All Networking Opportunities are Not Created Equal. Who are you trying to reach? There are definitely different levels of networking groups. Some are simply lead groups ("Hey, so and so would be good to call"), there are referral groups ("I'll send an introduction email for you") and then there are networking groups where the main purpose is not for leads or referrals, but nonetheless they happen. Think Rotary, the Chamber, etc. In my opinion, those are the best kind.
4. Don't Network. Serve. I no longer go to Lead or Referral groups. To me, they tend to have a hint of desperation--sort of like a dating service. They are usually full of salespeople and not the level of person I would like to meet (no offense of course). However, they are a great forum for you to practice your elevator pitch and to get used to meeting new people, how to give and receive referrals, etc. So do them for a short time. What works best is to join a committee, a Board or a service organization. My best "networking" comes out of serving along side somebody, getting to know them, sharing a common cause and then low and behold you end up doing business together, you refer clients to one another and before you know it, you not only have a go

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Twitter. "What are you doing right now?"

What do I care if I know what time you go to bed every night (I confess, I did a night time tweet the other day). To most it seems ridiculous.

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