Are You in the Twilight Zone?

Today I’m going to jump right in and ask a question that should make some of you a little uncomfortable. Do you have a set schedule or routine when it comes to your networking events? Do you keep doing the same things month after month to network and get to know people?

Yesterday we talked about how it would seem strange to see a star like Bono come up and introduce himself, then ask you to attend his show at the American Airlines Center here in Dallas. Well the same would be true if we were to see Will Smith walk into the same coffee shop each day and tell the same five or maybe ten people about his new movie and expect it to sell out theaters nationwide.

Using both of these methods to get your message out is like holding an event in the old Amway center in Orlando (they imploded it last week, in case you didn’t know). If you are using dead ideas to get the word out about your business or your dream, you have already set yourself up to fail.

Think of a RockStar who spends sometimes as much as a year on the road, going from town to town, playing in front of a different crowd each night. He can’t always use the exact same things he used the night before to keep the crowds going. He has to think on his feet sometimes to get the crowd to react to the show because every crowd is different. Each of us is different and we need to have a different way to approach different people.

The idea of this week’s theme came to me while I was in L.A. a couple of weeks ago. Before the doors opened for each session a line would form at the door to enter. I was part of that line because I wanted to sit in the front row every time, and for the most part I sat right up front for each session. I used that time in line to meet people. I had a group that I was able to stand in line with each time: Jo, Kale, Susan, Emily. They would hold my place while I walked the line and talked to as many people in line as I could.

While most would go from person to person throwing out the sales pitch, I used the time to just walk by and say, “I have a place up front but wanted to come back through the line and just say hi.” I met so many people that way who are now part of a list of my friends – people like Christopher with master motivators. I met other coaches and speakers and, by the end of the week’s event, more people wanted to come up and meet me.

I am not famous and, while this method will not get me rich with new clients, it will give those people new ideas of how thinking outside the box can help them meet a lot of new people. I want to tell you that it was not comfortable to do that each time. Many times I got the look that said, “What do you want?” but I learned a valuable lesson: to build a network, you need to get out of your comfort zone and meet new people.

So here’s a challenge for the day: how often do you get out of your comfort zone to meet new people? I’m back in Dallas this week attending a few events and I am running out of cards because I’ve given so many away to all the people I have not been comfortable walking up to before. I got out of my comfort zone to take my life and my business to RockStar levels of success. Want to join me?

I’m Tim Gillette, the Rocker Life Coach. It’s time to live your dream, to love what you do and those you share life with. Build a life outside your comfort zone and become the RockStar in your world.