Take advantage of networking opportunities everyday!
Alice Olivier, of Aleeco’s House of Flowers, Plants and Fine Things landed herself an open-ended, ongoing order for her business through some pretty “effortless networking”!
Here’s her networking success story:
“I met a lady at church on Christmas Eve, and we had a friendly chat. I wasn’t soliciting business. However, I gave her my business card so that we could get together in the future. A couple of weeks ago, her husband, who is the minister of this church called and asked me to supply his church with plants and flowers on a ongoing basis. Needless to say, I was thrilled!”
So what did Alice do that was different from her usual networking approach?
Well, according to Alice, previously she had always been afraid to talk about her business freely, and it showed. People would tell her that she showed no emotion.
On that particular day, Alice was talking about her business to simply connect with another person.
She had met the minister’s wife at a previous engagement at their home. Alice had noticed then that the woman had been clearly uncomfortable in her own home with a lot of people she did not know, and had reached out to her. They discovered they were both from the same area of the country, which got their conversation going.
So on Christmas Eve, Alice chatted with the minister’s wife simply to connect with her. She was relaxed, and excited to share her interest and enthusiasm about what she did. As Alice mentioned, she was not looking for business.
What allowed Alice change her approach?
Well, Alice has attended one of my workshops, and also reads my weekly Effortless Networking articles. From these, she realized that the worst thing she could do was not believe in her business and herself.
This realization allowed her to express and share her enthusiasm and passion for her work, freely and naturally, when she was talking with the minister’s wife about her business.
And the minister’s wife probably picked up on this right away!
So when the minister heard about Alice’s business from his wife, he too probably got the same sense of passion, care and enthusiasm that is behind Alice’s business.
Alice believes that this, along with her connection to his wife, got her this ongoing order from his church. (And I think she’s absolutely correct!)
Here’s what Alice’s business is all about:
Aleeco’s House of Flowers, Plants and Fine Things provides floral designs, living plants and decorative designer products for the enrichment of personal, public and commercial environments.
Alice incorporates Eastern and Western design, and mixes live flowers with plants. As you’ve probably guessed by now, she is very particular about her product. And she pays attention to her customers’ preferences and abides by their decisions.
So her most satisfied customers are individuals or organizations who are looking for selections that are different from the
mainstream.
Through her affiliation with 1-800-flowers, Alice is able to offer her products globally. Although, most of her current business comes from the San Francisco Bay Area where her business is based.
If you’re interested in seeing a sample of Alice’s work, or want to contact her, please visit her website at http://www.aleeco.com.
Congratulations Alice! And thanks for sharing your experience of how you so *effortlessly* capitalized on an “everyday” networking opportunity.
Till next week,
– Sri
