Scuttle the seagull bursts into song and I instantly regret my choice of words as my three-year-old daughter, snuggling into my arms to watch her morning TV show, rests her head on my shoulder, looks up into my eyes, and says “Sing It, Daddy.”
“I don’t know the words, sweetheart.”
I wish I could go back and just start singing.
Singing at the top of my lungs.
Partly to avoid seeing the disappointment in her eyes.
But mostly because I set the wrong standard.
She’s not requesting a Carnegie Hall performance.
Far from it.
She just wants me to sing.
With her.
And Scuttle.
My response makes even less sense when you realize that my daughter frequently asks me to sing along with her as she makes up nonsense songs.
Logically, it’s an impossible task.
How can I know what she’ll sing before she sings it?
Except that she’s three.
She doesn’t care what I sing.
She just cares that I sing.
With her.
And it gets me thinking about your Elevator Pitch.
Because so many people set the wrong standard.
They get so wrapped up in proving their expertise.
Years in business.
Important sounding titles.
High profile clients.
When what people really want,
Especially when business networking,
Is to connect.
With you.
The only thing you have to prove, in any networking situation, is how much fun it is to talk to you.
Because when people look forward to talking to you, it’s easier to set up the next conversation.
And those are the conversations that lead to leads.
Are you connecting or performing?
Thank you Andy!
You say it so eloquently. Sometimes we like to make our businesses so complicated and people just want us to join in … and sing.
Thanks,
Andie
Well said, Andie!
I saw a bumper sticker on a car the other day: “Caution: Driver Singing.” Sounds like a good thing to me…
Thanks for posting.
Andy
Andy,
Bravo my friend 🙂
This was as well said as anything I’ve read in some time.
Truth be told, if you’re going to go somewhere — be there.
As for using your daughter to illustrate this point, love it man! Keep on “crushing it” with compelling copy!
~ John
Hi John,
I appreciate your kind feedback! I figure I’m in the clear until my daughter discovers that she’s featured in my blog. Let’s see. Based on her age, her focused determination to learn how to read, and the alarming rate at which she’s teaching me how to use my iPhone, I should have just about… What’s that? Oops. Gotta go!
Andy
Hi Andy,
This is a great thing to ask people about, that is so important to remember- are we connecting or performing?
Thanks,
Kim
Hi Kim,
Thanks for reading (and writing!). I find that people are so relieved to learn that they can just be themselves while business networking, and they’ll get better results that way than by forcing themselves into some sort of business persona.