“Give ’em your backhand”

backhand |marketing|
verb
Creating awareness of your offering without clearing a room.

I’m sitting in Starbuck’s yesterday, doing what I do best, eavesdropping. Four women are having a chat and discussing a house one of them had just sold. The seller was complaining that she had a tough time engaging a real estate agent she could trust and feel comfortable with. One of the women pipes up with, “I’m a real estate agent. Been doing it for years, off and on.” The seller expresses shock and disbelief and says she wished she would have known. Huh?

This would never happen to me. No matter what I’m doing, everyone in my circle of influence knows exactly what that is. I do what I call weaving. I weave stories, anecdotes and belly flops into all of my conversations. I entertain. I inform.

I don’t separate business with pleasure or every day life, because all of my experiences are life experiences. I’m interested in what I do and share stories. I will even post a blog about my adventures. I have been disappointed in the past as opportunities evaporated because people were unaware. I go to great lengths to avoid letting that happen. Again.

I never wait for the absolute right time to launch an elevator speech. Life doesn’t work like that. Awareness is key. I have been surprised and delighted to get a late night call asking me if I still produce corporate video or put executive communications together or personally train clients. Those opportunities arose from not waiting for the right time to share my wares. I use a backhand approach. I am not direct. I tell stories. I entertain. You should too.

I harvested at least a dozen little stories out of this corporate shoot last spring and reaped the rewards.