Friends and family in your network are a huge plus. Many years ago when I wanted to move to NYC my Mom helped me find an apartment in New York’s Upper East Side through a friend. Andrea connected me with the Super in her building who found me an apartment within a weeks time. I was able to secure the apartment quickly without paying any fees, which I would have had to pay if I went through a real estate agent.
Creating a Mailing and Email Database for Effective Networking.
Creating an Extra-Strength RolodexStart your Database and E-mail list with the names, addresses and e-mails of friends, family and acquaintances. Add people to your list as you meet them at special events, corporate functions, and dinners. Creating a sign-up sheet whenever you have a performance, or showing of your work. Be sure to mention during your event that you have a mailing list and invite people to meet you and sign your mailing list.
For fine artists, create a mailing list (at your shows), for musicians (at your events or concerts), for writers (at workshops, writing classes, or book clubs). Create your extra strength Rolodex using the names of people from your mailing list, and add corporate contacts from Newspapers, Magazines, and contacts from family and friends.
Exchanging business cards with people that you meet at dinners, events, in church, school, standing in line at the grocery store, and wherever life takes you. Exchange business cards with people in your sports network such as skiing, golf, your gym, or your children’s activities, and your spouse or significant other’s events.
Through the years your Rolodex will grow as you become more adapt at meeting people at events, collecting their cards and keeping in touch with them. Just adding a name to your Rolodex and never calling them does nothing for your business. Like everything else in life, you must use it or loose it!
Your Super Rolodex Card Should Look Like This:
NameName of Company or Organization
Phone #Address
Write Notes: For example, likes to ski, jogs, likes Broadway Theatre, the Ballet, wife’s name, Children’s name etc. make it as personal as possible. You can send them articles on things that interest them from magazines, newspapers to keep in touch if you know what their interests are.
Your Rolodex will not only help you, but others in your network. Once you help someone they may help you in return, or they may not. If you believe in Karma, your good deeds will come back to you.
Sherry Winston has performed in many of the major concert halls throughout the U.S. including Carnegie Hall, Constitution Hall, Lincoln Center and at the Kennedy Center. She is a musician, composer, and businesswoman who handles all of her own bookings, negotiating and management of her band.
