Buy Local Means Buying from Local People

A couple weeks ago, I saw a presentation on a Bay Area city's "Buy Local" campaign. They've worked hard and put together some nice materials for their program. Perhaps it works for the unique outlook that their city has, but I could never support such a campaign here. According to their criteria, many of our Clovis Chamber members would be excluded.

People who live, work, breathe, eat, and sleep Clovis would be left out of their program because they are an independent agent of a nationwide company. Or because the business owner lives outside the city limits. Or because they are part of a national chain.

But these are still people who live here, who join the Chamber, and who show up to get face to face with their customers. They've put themselves out into the community because they care about the people they live next to and work with.

How could we have a program that says "Sorry, but I'm going to tell people to not buy from you." Of course, the campaign creators in the Bay Area town have said they're not telling people to not shop at certain stores, but the undercurrent is there. They are defining "us" and "them" and telling you to not do business with "them."

Personally, I'll keep doing business with the people who live and work here. With the people who tell me - by their action of showing up and looking me in the eye - that they want and appreciate my business. I hope you do, too.

Boiling Down the Essence of Networking for Job Seekers

Tomorrow I am speaking at an event for job seekers. I have 20 minutes to give them vital information on using networking to help them find a job. What can I say in that little bit of time that will help them as much as possible?

First, they need to be convinced of the benefits. I think there are three main ways that networking helps job seekers:

1. It exposes the hidden job market. According to www.QuintCareers.com, less than 20% of jobs are ever advertised. The way to find these jobs is through networking.
2. You'll get insight into companies and job titles. People who've worked for specific companies or in particular job areas can give you information not otherwise available.
3. The next time you're in a job search, you'll have a stronger, more useful network helping you (assuming you stay in touch with people you met in your first search).

Second, they have to be very good at explaining what they are looking for in as few words as possible. The worst things I see people who are in a job search do are: 1) stumble and stutter when asked "what do you do?" and 2) go on at great length about a wide variety of jobs they are willing to take. Act as if every conversation you engage in while networking is a mini job interview. You never know who you're talking to or who they know, so it's important to make a great impression in the short time you have.

Third, if they haven't networked much before, they can be reassured by knowing that networking consists of just four very simple steps, repeated over and over.

1. Go Places
2. Meet People
3. Exchange Value
4. Maintain Contact
   

This is 20 minutes of presentation. I hope that it gives them a good place to start networking. In my three years of speaking to the Central Valley Professionals Job Club, I've found that a lot of mid-level professional people haven't done a lot of networking or haven't done it for a long time. They are rusty, but just need some ground rules and encouragement.

Anything else vital that you would tell them?

Searching for Pearls of Wisdom

Ever find yourself wondering why in the world you're wasting time with someone who appears to be completely useless to you? I do too, although more and more I find myself completely fascinated by people who are terrible networkers, relentless sales sharks, and behave in other inexplicable ways. It's like a car wreck; you don't want to look but you wonder what happened. And just when you think there's no value, they'll say or do one little thing that made it worth the time spent.

My friend Jay Petersen of the Geeks Computer Service has a story about spending time with an advertising consultant way back when Jay first went into business. He spent several weeks working with the guy who seemed to be completely full of self-aggrandizing junk. After several formal sessions, they were having a casual dinner and in the course of normal conversation, the guy dropped a pearl of wisdom that made the whole thing worthwhile.

Too many of us don't have the patience to sort through chaff to get to the wheat. We expect everything to be pure and simple and laid out for us. I still hear people saying that they don't like networking because so many people they meet aren't their target market. Life isn't like that. You can't go to the "perfect customer store," you have to find the pearls of wisdom contained in the general mishmash of life.