What Mr Clever Clean Taught Me

I’ve just moved home and so am having to get all the things done that need to be when you move into a new house.

One of those is getting the gutters cleaned.

Not knowing anybody where we’ve moved to, I Google’d all the local people and read their websites to determine who I liked the best.

NOTE: if you’re a good marketer ,whether you’re the best or not, your website would look like you’re the best for this exact reason 😉

Anyhoo… I booked in with Mr Clever Clean (who’s owner is called Mark) and he came around yesterday.

We got on like a house on fire and by the time he left I had contacts with all the local services and recommendations on the best pubs and restaurants.

If that had been a business deal it would have been called “networking”.

My approach to “networking” is simply to make friends and enjoy their company. Business comes later, if at all. Getting to know someone is the most important thing, if it turns out you can both mutually benefit from some kind of business deal then great. If not you’ve made a friend.

Networking is under-valued online. It’s always been considered crucial in offline businesses but never so much for online businesses.

After all, you don’t need to network online do you? You can pay for traffic, do SEO, you don’t need anybody else!

No you don’t. In theory.

But you’re never going to be really successful if you do that. You’ll need the help and support of others to truly grow, that’s just how business works.

In fact you can build an entire online business almost overnight with nothing but a good network. 

The best way to do this is to contact websites that are leaders in your niche and offer to write for them for free. Getting high quality content is a constant battle for most websites and having someone provide it for free is huge value. It’s a great way to connect and build a relationship that shows you know what you’re talking about and are prepared to give.

And don’t forget… go to networking events.

I’m not talking about the pitch-fests that sell tickets for hundreds, or even thousands, of dollars a time. But local free networking events or the handful of big-ticket events that take place each year where you’ll really meet the people who can make a difference to your business.

If you’ve been writing for someone then it’s a good idea to ask them which ones they’re going to so you can meet them in person.

Never underestimate the importance of meeting people face-to-face. 

Michael

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