My wife’s plane is slightly delayed, which means my four and five-year-old daughters won’t see her till morning, but I’ll see her during after hours.
You know.
That time between when kids and adults go to bed.
That’s when adults get most of our work done.
I remember when I was little.
Birthday decorations
The tooth fairy
And other surprises
Magically appear
While I sleep.
Now that I’m the adult, I work hard to make after hours magical for my daughters.
And it gets me thinking about your Elevator Pitch.
Because I coach so many people who want to understand the magic in business networking.
Why does it seem like everyone else already knows each other?
How do you become part of the in-crowd?
When does it switch from you chasing people to people chasing you?
Magic.
During after hours.
And no, I’m not talking about the people who head to the bar after those chamber of commerce events.
I’m talking about the people who reach out.
Who set up one-on-one’s,
Make new connections,
Do joint projects,
Send referrals,
Develop trust.
Over time.
So what are you doing between events?
Who are you contacting?
What are you saying to them?
How are you getting to know them?
Get to know people outside the events.
That’s when the magic happens.