In last week’s blog I made a reference to “Who do they know,” as I suggested that you keep in mind how making the right first impression on someone could lead to a referral, even if the person you’re talking to doesn’t end up doing anything with you. This week’s post takes a look at that from a different, cautionary, perspective.
Until the traffic on I-4 got worse over the last few years, I used to tell people, “It’s a small world after all, as they say just an hour to the east of me over at Disney.” (The drive takes noticeably longer these days, I’m sorry to report.)
The fact of the matter is, it IS, in fact, a small world after all.
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The more that you network, the more frequently that you attend events, the deeper you go into meeting people in your industry, the more you’re going to see how many people know the same person or people. It’s not necessarily “the Kevin Bacon game,” but that’s not a terrible comparison to make here.
I’m not saying this is a part two of last week’s blog, but I’m also not saying that it’s not a part two.
Even if you start with The Golden Rule as your foundation, meaning, think of the personal and not the business side, you should never be okay with telling someone off or being dishonest or acting unethically. If you think you can get away with something, (a) that’s a negative posture to operate from, but (b) it will probably still come back to haunt you in some way. A lot of people talk about karma, and whether you believe in it or not, why run that risk?
I love (love) living in Tampa and am a huge booster for this city and the greater Tampa Bay area. I know it’s not, say, New York or L.A., but it still has a big enough feel to it. I recently heard that someone said that Tampa and St. Pete have to stop thinking as two separate areas and present as Tampa-St. Pete. The longer I live here (more than 20 years) the more I’m still amazed at how many people I end up discovering that know someone else that makes me (a) wonder, “How does that person know that person,” but (b) realize, no matter how “big” I think Tampa (or Tampa-St. Pete) is, it’s a small world out there.
Imagine, then, with all the traveling that you see me do and all the podcast interviews that I record, when I realize that this person over here knows this person over here!
If by this point you think I’m overdoing it and that perhaps I’m exaggerating, here’s an exercise you can do.
Go on LinkedIn and pick, say, a half dozen people you’re connected to. Now look at Mutual Connections. See?!
Similarly, go on Instagram and look at five or six people who you’re following and then look at Followed By and the Mutual column.
If your reaction to all of this is “Uh oh,” then it’s time to do a self-audit. Ya’ know that expression that gets thrown around a lot, that people like to do business with people they “know, like, and trust”? That last one will be huge if someone can easily find out from someone else something about you that’s going to lead them to not trust you. Then they probably won’t like you, and they won’t want to know you (and certainly won’t do business with and/or refer you).
Check yourself the next time you’re considering something that’s not nice. Sing in your head, “It’s a small world after all” and see if that puts you in check.
What challenges are you having in your creator career that you need some advice with? Take advantage of my more than 20 years working with folks just like you from around the U.S. – indie music artists, authors, podcasters, entrepreneurs, small business owners and more. Call me and let’s chat about something you are struggling with so we can keep you moving forward. I’d welcome the opportunity to keep you inspired.