Even though today is yet another holiday, with all due respect to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., it’s time to start taking action and stop using “it’s the holidays” as a reason to continue hibernating. As warm and fuzzy and tempting as that sounds, it’s no way to be productive and get ahead.
Besides all that, if you just decided to sleepwalk through the holidays, you missed out on some golden opportunities to stay connected with a lot of individuals that you might struggle to otherwise do so.
If you listen to my weekly “Now Hear This Entertainment” podcast and/or read my weekly blogs regularly enough, you know that I am a huge advocate of networking. More times than not I am preaching the value of establishing and nurturing contacts. But then there’s the challenge of staying connected with those people – especially those who are out of town. How do you stay connected with all these folks when you don’t see them on a regular basis?
There are lots of ways, actually. In no particular order, here are some examples of how I do it.
Don’t let my mom read this one, but, while Christmas is supposed to be all about spending time with your family, it gives you a great excuse to contact someone (text message, email, greeting card) to send along wishes. It doesn’t have to even reference doing business together. It simply keeps you connected.
On a similar note, find out when their birthday is, and then do the same. You can also add Facebook to the list of, “But how do I send them wishes, though, Bruce,” and it’ll even give you a notification – if that person has their birthday on their profile – in case you don’t know when it is. Here’s a tip, though. Find a way to work birthdays into a conversation and then ask, “When is your birthday, by the way?” Talk about someone you know whose birthday is coming up or just took place, even if it’s a family member or friend that they don’t know. It’s a good way to break the ice and get the date you want to know from them.
January 1st I spent on my phone texting up a storm, wishing all kinds of people Happy New Year. That was great because you don’t have to wonder, “Hmm, does this person celebrate it, though.”
The official Instagram account for “Now Hear This Entertainment” only follows accounts of people who’ve been a guest on the show because it allows me to keep up with what everyone is up to. (I “surf the feed” once every 24 hours so that I’m always caught up.) I make sure that I comment on posts and/or I send a direct message to people, and thus, am staying engaged with them instead of getting forgotten about.
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Today begins NAMM’s “Believe in Music” week. I downloaded the event app and – yup, you see where I’m going with this – immediately started brainstorming, ‘Who is likely on here that I’d normally see at the on-site version of the Winter NAMM Show that I can send a connection request to,’ and then proceeded to do so.
Last week I texted someone that I did some work with/for as an independent contractor from August 2017 to February 2019, yet we have made sure to stay in touch. I admire him and his work and his depth of knowledge. We got on Skype just to catch up, and immediately thereafter I made a phone call to someone that I know books speakers and paid it forward, so to speak, by making a recommendation that resulted in, "Yes, absolutely, Bruce. Tell him he can speak next month (insert particulars here)." It was equally enjoyable to relay the news and get the excited response. And, by the way, this is precisely what I had in mind when I published a blog on this site three months ago that I titled, "Making Introductions with No Ulterior Motive Just the Right Thing to Do."
If you’re still stuck for "WHAT am I saying to them," scan through their recent social media posts or read their latest e-newsletter and see if there’s something you can help them with (even if it’s just a referral and not something that serves you directly) or congratulate them on. There’s also nothing wrong with a good old fashioned, “Just checking in with a Hello and seeing how you’re doing.” Not to exploit a bad situation, but in light of the pandemic still going on, it’s still reasonable that you’d contact someone and say, “I hope you’ve been staying safe and healthy?”
Bigger picture, though, are you seeing the pattern here? Think outside the box a bit. Yes, Facebook and Twitter are two of the likely first thoughts you have but go deeper than that. When the world does open back up for business, you’ll be better for it.
How have you been staying connected with the contacts you’ve wanted to continue a relationship with? Tweet those efforts to me via @NHT_tweets or share them in a post on the Now Hear This Facebook page or on my LinkedIn account. Of course, you are also welcome to email me as well. Plus, I’m here if you are struggling with your music career (or your podcasting) and am happy to do a private, one-on-one video consultation with you. Book a session with me and let’s get you back on the road towards your goals.