When you meet a new contact with whom your brand values, or purpose chime, it is a good idea to take some time to strengthen the new connection, not only by making connections on social media platforms and swapping business cards. Remember that each new connection might lead to new opportunities, or even joint ventures. Consider it as a chance for business propagation.
When a propagator wants to create a new plant which can benefit from the strengths of two plants in combination, he will select a reliable rootstock onto which he will graft an offshoot of the plant which he wants to replicate.
I was reminded of this process recently when I met Katie Redfern of meaningful recruitment. We’d first encountered each other a fortnight earlier, when we had each given “inspirational “ talks at Wellnesshq’s networking coffee morning in June. We arranged a follow-up meeting to find out more about each other’s business story, and met over a relaxed coffee, during which it became clear that we might be able to help each other in the future.
When you begin to develop a new business contact by grafting their strength onto yours, it will take time. You can consider your own core skills as the rootstock; your new contact may be the scion from which you can take an offshoot (idea) to graft onto your established roots. Together you may produce a new fruit.
If you have questions or suggestions about this mantra, please contact me by email: [email protected], or via my Facebook page.