Do you sell or network?

Some people think selling and networking are the same.  I don't.

Take selling, you have a product or services and so you try to sell it to everyone you meet. Some will buy some wont, is it your product or your service that people who didn't buy don't want? Or was it the way you tried to sell?
I'd guess its the selling.....because we are all guilt at one time or another we have ended up buying something we don't need.
There's many ways to sell and I won't go through them all here. Just two.
The old school of selling was push, push and push again,  funny thing is there are still sales man and woman who still do this. You know the kind, on the phone won't take no for an answer, till in the end you end up being rude and hanging  up.
Or theres the softly softly way. The sales person comes across very lay back, nice, friendly, and before you know it you have said yes.
So which one are you?
I'd like to tell you a short true story about one of these.

Three Americans walked into a country pub in Wales the landlord greeted them. They ordered a drink and as the landlord poured the drinks one said "on the way in we notices your sign above the door, but we couldn't read it, what's it say?"
The landlord said "buy me a drink and I'll tell you" ok what you have? said the first American mines a whiskey and after they finished their drinks he asked the landlord again about the sign, "buy me a drink and I'll tell you" came the reply, the Americans smile at each other but again they paid for the drinks.
Again once they finished their drinks they ask about the sign and this time the landlord said "buy me a drink and I'll tell you"
The third American looked the landlord in the eye and said "oh come on mate, we've played your game, we know you all think us Americans are rich, but enough how answer our question."
The landlord took a deep breath moved forward and very slowly said "buy me a drink and I'll tell you, Spell backwards."
This is how it looked.

Uoy  llet lli dna knird a em yub.

That landlord had found away of selling more drinks with out the hard sell. And no one ever complained.  I for one hate both ways, as a customer I hate the pushiest sale person as I like to take my time and make up my own mind, but on the other hand these times when I know what I want and just want to get on with it, what's it do? is it right for me? how much ? deal done.
Some times the customer dose the work for you.  they sell it to them selfs.
A friend sales only to a small group of people, by telling them something new is coming in but they wouldn't be interested , his clients go mad for the items, even phoning him through the night begging.
Whats his secret? He sales very expensed wine, the kind you lay down, not drink.
He knows his market and they know him, he's built up his client bank through networking.

So if you've got a project or service to sell and you don't want to be pushiest , or lay back, how do you go about it?

I tell everyone I meet in business to net work.
My first networking event was when I was seventeen, a Amway meeting. I was there to look, I had no items or services to sale.  At the end of the meeting the guy running it told me I was a natural, as I worked the room, at that time I didn't understand.  I went on to do a lot of networking events.   Many years later I went to another networking event, and it clinked, I knew what he meant, up to then I'd always been in retail, always selling, and thats what id try to do at each of these events, sell if not my project or services, I'd sell myself. but I leant that night the only thing I had to do was go fishing.     Yes fishing, that quite peaceful past time of many.   because really thats what networking is, you choose your river bank (event)  you cast your net out into the waters (around the room ) then you work, you pull the net  into the bank, ( speak to people and collect business cards.)  When I get home I work the cards, sorting into ones I feel I could do work with right away, then the ones I think I may be able to work with them later on or know someone who they may be able to work together with , then there's the last ones, the ones that I would never have a use for and don't know anyone who would, do I throw them away? No I keep them for a while as you never know.  if I worked the room right, everyone would remember me, and I would have made contact with hundreds of people, not just the ones in the room but the ones they know, and the ones they know.

just by being my self, people didn't ask to have business meetings with me, no they asked to meet for coffee, lunch, dinner. And it was at these meeting they found out what I did and brought from me.
My manager at the time was pleased with the sales till she found out how I got them, Networking! What's that? She didn't understand it,  She didn't like it, I had to sell the normal way.

Well I don't think I've ever sold the normal way again, I love networking, as its not just about the sales, or even how many contacts you've got. Its about respect more then anything.

 I love it when someone rings for advice or to have a brain storm session. Helping others I've met through networking means when they are ready to buy what ever my product or service is at the time, and I've sold all sorts of things. it's me they come too, it's also me they refer. These days there's 1-2-1s to be had, just a new way of saying lets met up, get to know each other.

There's still people who turn up at networking events, breakfast, and think they should leave with work.  If that's you! It's wrong!  The word is  NET. WORK.
You cast your net, make contacts, friends, business contacts that can last a life time, and then down the line the work comes and it comes in naturally. 

A few weeks ago the phone went, someone I hadn't heard from in over six years, after the normal how are you, how's business? He asked if I still cast spells, something he had leant about me when we had our coffees after a networking event.  Seams a lady he met at a networking breakfast wanted to find someone who could and as he put it, you popped into my mind. He gave me her details, fixed a time for us to together for a catch up. I contacted the lady and   Jean and I have  now done some business.  With out knowing it  I made that first contact with that lady over six years ago by fishing in a pond, the networking event was small, nine people turned up, Clive was one of them, we chatted, met up for coffee, talked about everything and anything. Then six years later he refer me.  If I'd gone in and sold only  my business i.e. landscaping at the time, I still would not have a sell.
Clive said he was returning the favour as at our coffee meeting he told me how his daughter needed a job, she wanted to work for a solicitor, just a few months later I was able to pass details on of a junior job going in a local office.  Which she got.  To fish you need patience, to net work you need patience, but it will pay off in the long run.
When you cast your net you are not only doing it for your self but others too.
My gran use to say, give one and three comes back.
In another words, help one person and three will help you in return. I believe that with all my heart.

So in closing I would say if you've got a product or services to sell, stop, think, do you want to be know for the lasts item or services you have as over the years we all change what we sell over and over again,  or would you rather be know for being you?  Put the sign up "gone fishing!" Start Networking.