Networking Farmers Grow Healthy Businesses
May 25, 2017
Networking is critical to the success of every entrepreneur. Some hunt, others farm, with the farmers more often than not finding long-term success.
I first learned of the networking concept of
hunting vs farming when I joined BNI Prosper
Alexandria soon after launching my
entrepreneurial career. Dr. Ivan Misner, the
founder of BNI (Business Networking
International), describes hunters as those
who sift “through crowds of people until they
bag the ideal client, the big customer who
can turn their business around.”
On the other hand, “Farmers take a different
approach. They don’t waste time looking for
the right person; instead, like those who
plant seeds and patiently nurture their
crops, they seek to form and build
relationships wherever they can find them. If they get an immediate payoff, that’s fine, but it’s not their principal goal. They know that the effort expended upfront will pay off in a rich harvest later on—much richer then the hunter’s quick kill—and that truly profitable relationships can’t be rushed.”
I witnessed the benefits of farming firsthand Sunday at the Health & Wellness Fair at Cameron Station in Northern Virginia. Mara Benner of Four Directions Wellness, Mellenie Runion of Truly-Life, and Chuck Nally of ILoveKickboxing.com had connected over cocktails at a West End Business Association (WEBA) happy hour and concocted the idea of the health fair.
They formulated a simple format. Four hours. Information tables for each presenter. Chairs for participants to listen to lectures. A collection of tuna for a local foodbank. Goodie bags for guests. Every half hour, one of the original three co-conspirators along with Erin Monico of The Nutrition Connection provided a presentation. Benner, an integrative healing provider, demonstrated stress reduction techniques. Runion, a creator and supplier of eco skin care products, oddly enough discussed natural skin care products. Nally and his team equipped guests with an opportunity to put on boxing gloves and kick and punch a punching bag. Monico, a dietician and health coach, promoted integrative nutrition.
Door prizes were raffled off between segments.
The format ensured a continuously lively atmosphere where newly arrived guests never experienced a lull.
Benner told me they were hoping for 50 guests, but had far surpassed that with an hour and a half left in the event.
It was by all measures a successful event. It began with farming and ended with farming, because the event itself was another example of farming. There were no hard sells (though I’m sure sales were made), only information provided in literature, lectures, and demonstrations.
The health fair provided an example of how healthy businesses grow through networking farmers. If you are a hunter, I suggest you drop your bow and begin to plant your seeds today.
Tom Pfeifer is the managing partner and chief strategist for Consistent Voice Communications and author of Write It, Speak It: Writing a Speech They’ll APPLAUD! Reach him at Tom@YourConsistentVoice.com.