To the Millennials: Planting Seeds

I had a young guy join one of our Houston groups who worked for a telecommunications business. He was very socially forward and made friends fast. People warmed up to him and he warmed up to people easily. After being in the group about four months, he changed companies and wanted to drop out of NIA® because he didn’t think it was a good fit for him anymore. He wanted to spend his time exclusively with owners of large companies who had “multiple phone lines and needed massive telecommunications needs.” So, he was looking at the people in the room and saying, “These people can’t help me.”

I told him, “It works for every industry, but it doesn’t work for every person.” That means that every industry can benefit from networking, but not every person knows how to make that happen. He didn’t understand that he wasn’t there to get business from the pest control guy or to be hired by the CPA. He was there to gain access to the hundreds and thousands of people they knew within their churches, communities, families, and schools. This is a mistake that a lot of people make. They don’t understand that these relationships are the doorway to the real harvest. He was only focusing on the low-hanging fruit. He also failed to realize how much he, personally, had to offer the group.

He couldn’t be persuaded to stay, and we do not chase our members. You either get it, or you don’t.

Within ten days of his leaving the group, I bumped into him. He mentioned to me that his wife had been out of work for over a year. He’d been struggling with his mortgage, his two car notes, and meeting the needs of his beautiful daughter. However, his wife had just gotten a new position that was introduced to her by a member of his NIA® networking group. Because of the relationship of trust he’d formed with another woman in the group, she had gone to bat for his wife and helped her find a job. Now, that’s a heck of a return on investment! Even though he didn’t give it enough time to reap the kind of customer he was looking for, those contacts were life-changing for his family.

There is no way to rush these types of relationships. You just have to keep showing up and showing up the right way. If you’re not finding the success you hoped for, then you have to look in the mirror before you start pointing fingers at the group. These are proven strategies and techniques across thousands of individuals and every single industry on the planet. If something is off, it may be your approach that needs adjusting. If you are practicing the techniques, then trust that the time-honored tradition of building relationships will have a payday.