I meet a lot of people on my travels who are really afraid of anyone who looks remotely like a competitor. I’m not knocking anybody who networks via groups which only allow one member per business sector. I know they work extremely well for thousands of businesses – and anything that gets the phone ringing can’t be sniffed at!
I have to say, though, they don’t work for me. Well, they might, in terms of bringing in new business – but I don’t enjoy them. I much prefer what I think of as ‘natural’ networking – walking into a room, whether it’s a networking event or not, and not having the first clue who I’m going to meet. Yes, in theory in that situation you could run across someone who does exactly the same job as you – but it’s highly unlikely. Even two people doing apparently the same job in the same industry will have different approaches, slightly different focuses – and so often, there’s scope for very productive collaboration.
I first ran across Richard Heathcote through a more open networking group. On the face of it, our activities could have looked very similar. We both work in sound; we both produce podcasts, for ourselves and others – but to be honest, that’s about it.
Whilst my focus, where audio is concerned, is on helping businesses to create professional-sounding, compelling content for download or cd distribution, Richard is primarily a voiceover artist. So while I attempt to teach businesspeople to present their own messages, Richard can speak for them.
He’s more than a mouth for hire, though. Some voiceover artistss need the backup of a professional studio to produce anything; but Richard has the technical skills and setup to allow him to be self-sufficient.
Not so long ago, he opened an online ‘audio shop’, providing a range of ‘off-the-shelf’ audio which people can download to use on their phone systems etc – perfect if you hate recording your own voicemail greeting and the like.
He’s just helped me out with a little editing issue I was having – and he’ll be heard on at least one of my upcoming online courses. If either of us had taken a more restrictive approach to networking and the whole competition issue, we would probably have avoided each other like the plague – and missed out on the potential for some interesting and exciting collaborations.
Speaking of ‘interesting and exciting collaborations’: I have the challenge of interviewing my long-standing colleague and friend, Paul Smalley of Paper Mountain Solutions, on tomorrow’s radio show. Paul is heavily involved in the launch of a brand new business, designed to help brand new businesses. I can’t say any more until tomorrow. You can catch the show at 3PM, on 97.8 FM in the Basildon & East Thurrock area, or at gateway978.com.
If you don’t manage to listen, I’ll tell you more on Friday.