Putting Experience To Work

Some say that “Common Sense Ain’t So Common” which may have something to do with Professional Courtesy going by the wayside. Professional Courtesy is common sense. The world is getting smaller as we all grow older, our economy is global and the chances of running into the same business contacts more than once has increased exponentially.

More and more as time is going by, it seems since the late 1990’s, people are not returning calls or emails and it has become common place. It used to be, that people respected other’s time and expertise, now it is more about the knee jerk need, and when the job is cancelled or the need has passed (sometimes because it is taken care of internally at the company), the courtesy of a call to cancel the need or an email saying “we found someone else”, seems to be too hard to do.

The next time you run into that person whose call you didn’t return, or email you ignored, how happy or responsive do you think s/he will be. Come on people, put yourself in the place of the person you are not being responsive to. The U.S. economy is recovering, how will you fare when the company with the best people who give the best responsiveness to your need no longer work with you because of your inability to pick up the phone or write an email. Maybe you think that there is a plethora of talent out there just waiting for your call. The truth is, the talent is getting pickier and pickier the better and more skilled they are. Do yourself a favor, be courteous, it pays.

Well, on some things I am very quick on the uptake, on others; like changing the way I do business, it takes me a bit longer to make a move.

As I work with clients, over time we get to know each other and start to see where we can help one another in more areas than talent or freelance help. We talk, we shmooze, and soon find out that they have a need that I can help fill and/or I know someone who can help them out. With my client Anne Marie Concepcion, www.senecadesign.com, it has become a natural way for us to do business. We get together, talk about the daily grind and things come up where we can help each other. Anne Marie has been a great source for clients for my business, people naturally come to her for help because of her training and fantastic newsletter (designgeek - you may want to sign up for this, it’s great!), and when she can’t do the project, she suggests the client contact me.

Conversely, when I have ideas for Anne Marie on how I can help her grow her business, we talk about planning and new markets. I have turned some potential clients onto her and her training, as well as supplied some trainers for her courses.

Since this has been working well for us for a few years, I decided in the spring of 2007 to start talking to my other clients about a similar type of partnership. Every one of them has asked me to come by their office to discuss this option. In the meeting, I ask a bunch of questions and sometimes I give answers. The upshot is that I know a lot more about them and their focus than I did before. Not only can this potentially bring them new clients, but as they grow, they will need the type of talent I provide. A good match, I think.

I know, I know, everyone else is already doing this. I guess that now it is my turn. I’ll let you know how it goes.