Relationships start with you. I know that we preach and testify publicly that it’s all about the follower, but at the beginning, it’s about you. But it’s not about how you can be like everyone else. It’s about your mindset, your goals, your persistence.
I smile as I write this because I am actually creating this article beside one of my mentors, Mark Traphagen, and it brings me back to what he said to me all those months ago at dinner when we first met in person.
You have to go out and build your own connections
Smart man, and even smarter advice. As I watch as this marketing genius taps on his keyboard in a rush to get an article to MarketingLand.com, I can see the wheels turning in his head.
As you know, MarketingLand.com is not a shabby website. It was an opportunity that was created by him through relationships, and he furiously attacks the job with vigor.
But the statement he made to me has always stuck. In a sense, he’s responsible for all of these relationships and marketing I do, and is probably entitled to 50% of the revenue, but don’t tell him I said that. However there is a certain procedure for building relationships you should heed to…but first….
Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained
The lazy person wants what he can’t have, but has no desire to do it.
Let me give you an example of what I’m talking about.
When I’m home, my wife makes the dinner, cuts the potatoes, boils the macaroni, and makes all of the necessary preparations that go along with a wholesome meal. When I’m by myself in a hotel, I DO want those things, but a Hungry Man dinner will do.
I can just pop that frozen thing in the microwave, wait a couple of minutes, and start eating. Yeah, the meat is sometimes cold in the middle and the potatoes may still have ice on them, but for some reason, I can be satisfied with that for a meal.
Don’t get me wrong, I would eat the better meal, I just don’t want to take the time to do all of that to create it.
Don’t believe me? Go to a college dorm room and open the refrigerator. You will probably see (a)nothing, (b)half eaten piece of pizza, (c)rotten ketchup and some peanut butter that has penicillin growing on it.
Why?
It’s because when we’re by ourselves we tend to be lazy.
The lazy person wants to succeed. They want to have everything that life has to offer, but they have something inside of them that prohibits them from ever attaining their tasks.
This pertains to you.
Relationships Are Not A Kick In The Pants
Not at all. You’re doing all the right things, you’re being conversational, you’re actually friendly to people, but your desire outweighs your ability. This is where you can become complacent in business. Going about the day “business as usual” like you don’t have a million things to do anyway. And I realize there may be things you need help with, and if that’s the case, get it done!
Remember, relationship starts with you.
I know there’s a ton of things you need to be doing. There’s your HootSuite account you have to manage. Inside of that there’s countless social media accounts from clients and others (including yours) that you have to mull through. Pretty soon you find yourself out of time.
People want to be friendly. It’s not in our nature to be unfriendly towards each other. However, if the conversation isn’t started by you, then you will never get the opportunity to build that friendship that may result in an article at MarketingLand.com, or a new job you’ve been wanting.
I met a guy today that wanted to talk to me like I was some kind of authority. It made me want to laugh a bit. I was really trying to help him in his quest, however, since he wanted to save face with me, he didn’t want to admit that he needed help. All he kept saying was “I know that game”.
It’s not a game. It’s just general life.
I’m not here to show you how to squeeze the last dollar out of a person. I’m here to show you how to cultivate an acquaintance into a solid bond so later you can enjoy the benefits of the opportunities that come from that relationship.
There have been some discussion of proper etiquette on Google Plus and that’s what I really want to address next.
When To Tag
I’ll admit that Google Plus is my favorite platform, so let’s discuss the mode of tagging on this site. Some people like it, others say not to do it. When is it a good time to tag people and how does this relate to connecting yourself to people on G+?
Here’s something one of my beta members said today about the tagging method.
My opinion on tagging??
Do it until the person tells you otherwise. I think that it’s ok to tag people on G+ when you’re sharing something they’ve done. Some people will tell you that many don’t appreciate it, but who wouldn’t like to be mentioned for a work they’ve done? It’s all up in the air, but when it comes to me…watch the video below
See what I mean?
The tagging option does allow more people to see who you are and be introduced to other people in their niche and I believe that the “Plus Mention” is a great way to connect everyone together. Just make sure you’re using your manners and not mentioning people just to be mentioning them. That’s not cool and it won’t score you any points with the person you’re bothering all the time.
Ripple Relationships
One of the best ways to lose out on a relationship or a faithful follower is the fact that some people ARE afraid to tag others on social media. Therefore, you miss out on the opportunity of getting to know that person. However Google Plus has an effective method you can use to find out who these people are when they share your posts.
Using Ripples in this way is a great way to find those people that won’t mention you because they simply don’t know to, or are afraid of making someone mad. There are other ways you can use Ripples to track different things, but this is the main way that I use it because it helps you connect with people. As long as you’re keeping your circles managed well and understand who goes where when you add them, it’s a fairly easy process.
Final Thought
It takes some cultivation on your part to build the relationship. Digging around in various places across social media to find that person that will eventually become the perfect brand evangelist for your business takes some time. These relationships bring more opportunities for you, which in turn leads to more exposure for you that brings you in front of the radar of some very important people.
I know you want success. You wouldn’t be here reading this, trying to figure out what you’re going to do next on your way to the finish line if you didn’t. So I want to tell you this: remember the people around you. Those are the one’s that will help you succeed. Don’t be lazy with things! If it needs done, do it! Use the tools around you that will lead you to these people too. Take advantage of everything in your reach to broaden your horizons on social media because if you don’t take action, they won’t take action later.
Wade Harman
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