Every CEO has an organization that he donates time or money to - if you really want the business, you will find opportunities to join that same organization. What if the organization is restricted or you cannot afford to be part of it? In this case, you may just want to attend one of the fund-raisers that the organization puts on or participate in a donation campaign. The best policy is to get on the invitation list and become involved. If it is a closed shop, find out the criteria. This may seem like a lot of work, and it is. You have to decide whether doing business with the organization is worth your time and effort. If you feel you will gain more than you put into it, then prepare a plan to complete the task. I find that this way does not always work for me as I am so busy within my own voluntary work but sometimes the paths of two organizations will cross. I take full advantage of doing cross-organizational projects so that I can meet others.
Balancing your life between trying to form business relationships and being home for your family can sometimes be a challenge. You must make time to keep this balance if you are to succeed. There will always be more business around the corner if you push hard and work smart. If you gain insights to the organizations that the executive belongs to and can arrange to see what it is all about, by all means do so. You will always learn something, even if it is beyond your current means.
If you are able to make contact with the CEO through the non-profit organization, you will be on your way to forming a new business relationship. Just remember that the introduction is only the beginning, you will have a long way to go to gain trust and eventually business. Some companies nurture the relationship for years before any business comes their way. Just be patient and use as many touch points as you can.
Bette Daoust, Ph.D. is a speaker, author (over 170 books, articles, and publications), and consultant. She has provided marketing, sales, business development and training expertise for companies such as Peet's Coffee & Tea, Varian Medical Systems, Accenture, Avaya, Cisco Systems to name a few. Dr. Daoust has also done extensive work with small businesses in developing their marketing, training, and operational plans. You may contact Dr. Daoust at http://BizMechanix.com. You may also view her latest publications at http://BlueprintBooks.com. Dr. Daoust also writes for the National Networker http://theNationalNetworker.com. |
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