Network Your Way Out of a Recession

Taking advantage of your Chamber membership is one of the biggest tools in your recession-busting arsenal. A recent Facty article suggested it as their #4 tip, Don’t Stop Networking. For the introverted, like myself, this may not sound like a happy prospect. For you social animals, it may sound too easy…but is it a sound principle?

Let’s begin with common sense. During the throes of a recession employers may need to cut staff, but their essential operations may still require services from your unique skill arsenal. Make sure local business owners know what you can do for them. Venture for America insists a warm intro is the fastest and easiest way to worm yourself into a corporate lineup. Sharing business cards and striking conversations during Chamber functions is huge.

Go a step further. Think about businesses who eventually utilize the products your carry or services you provide. Let’s suppose you are a roofer. Basements may be geographically positioned 180 degrees from your piece of the housebuilding pie, but you both need the same customer. Work together sharing leads and supporting each other’s businesses. A symbiotic relationship offers something for everyone.

But don’t stop there. Think of ways you might actively help other Chamber members. Entrepreneur rephrased the topic altruistically: During recessions, talk to people about protecting themselves against an uncertain future via network marketing. Did you catch it? I had to read it twice. Shifting the focus from yourself to another benefits everyone involved in the conversation. Ralph Waldo Emerson is quoted as saying “It is one of the most beautiful compensations of this life that no one can sincerely try to help another without helping themselves.”

What does that look like? It means you’re not just handing out your cards to people, you’re introducing Chamber members when you see two businesses who need one another. Think of it as playing Cupid with the community. Preferring another business isn’t like keeping score or earning points. It’s a way to honestly and selflessly promote others in the Chamber, but somehow the good always finds its way back to you. There are online services that thrive doing this, but your membership within the Chamber is an even perfect opportunity to match other businesses with prospective clients. It doesn’t have to become your new mission in life but set yourself a goal…reach out to one struggling Chamber business a week.

Networking sounds like self-absorption on steroids until it gains this added dimension. Take a walk with your lighter side and see what you could do…and then watch the ripples work their way back to you. It just might be a sound business principle after all. Keep track of the milestones along the way.