My friends tease me because I still try to actually talk to people on the phone. I’m sorry, but I like to actually talk to a human being! I love that connection with someone else. I love to actually hear the emotions and not just read them. I also realize that so much can be lost in translation when it’s a text or messenger. Also, the recipient cannot sense my true emotions or feelings. It is extremely important to me to maintain that human connection with my network.
In today’s society, we are missing human connection. Most of us watch other people’s lives played out on social media, and assume we know what’s going on with them, but we usually don’t. We only see the portrayal of their life. It’s only a glimpse into their reality. We don’t, however, stop and think about the fact that there is probably so much that we are missing.
As an entrepreneur, I value social media platforms because it helps me to stay connected to my clients; however, I wanted to find a way to still have a human connection with people.
What happens when I do this? If it’s a client I haven’t talked to in a while, I reignite that relationship. If it’s a prospect, I intentionally let them know why they are a prospect. If it’s my mom, I let her know that I’m still alive. The bottom line is, in order to keep your network thinking about you, you have to reach out to your network.
Now, let me take a minute to be perfectly honest here. You may not get a phone call back. You may not get a response on messenger, but do it anyway. We have to get out of the mindset of always wanting something from someone else. Sometimes you have to reach out to someone just to let him or her know that you are available. You’d be surprised what can happen from that point on.
You could be the person they needed to talk to that day. I have had so many people reach out to me and thank me weeks later for reaching out to them. Because I’ve been consistent and people sensed that I was genuine in wanting to stay connected, I’ve had people open up to me about things. That’s powerful. That’s worth you getting out of your comfort zone for 30 seconds.
The biggest thing I can say is be genuine. If you don’t have anything genuine to say to someone, move on. People can sense when you’re not being genuine. Even through messenger. So be real and be sincere. It may seem awkward at first, but keep at it and be surprised by the positive responses you get back. Why? It’s because our society is no longer used to the human touch.
So be the exception. Be different. Make a connection.
The How To
My system of staying in touch is actually really simple. I reach out to 8 people a day. Those people can be friends, clients, prospects or my mom. The whole point is to step out of my world for that five minutes and step into someone else’s world.
I usually touch base with people every three months. That’s about enough time for them to not get sick of you, but also to remember how they know you.
When I meet someone new, I add their contact info to my phone and then try to connect with them on Facebook. Both Facebook messenger and text messaging help me rotate through contacts and keep track of people and our conversations.
How you do it is much less important than that you do it, though. Start today.
About Ivette
Ivette is a mom, entrepreneur and works in real estate. In 2010, she started her fashion business, and works as a fashion stylist. In 2015, she started her health and wellness business with Arbonne. She has a passion for fashion and for teaching people how to live a healthy lifestyle. She also loves spending time with her two crazy boys, and working out. She recently ventured back into the real estate world as well. After all that is said and done, she loves to exercise and spend time with her family and friends.