It’s fall and the height of football season. Our city is crazy about high school football games. Serious rivalries exist. Parents are actively involved attending games and tailgating. It’s just the place to be on Friday nights.
One might ask – How does a Friday night football game relate to business development? I enjoy watching people and seeing how they interact. The next time you’re at a game look around and you’ll notice that high school students are naturals at this networking thing, without even realizing they are doing it. At the game, people are either sitting in the stands (the parents) or walking around on the track between the stands and the field (the students). Being in the stands you are passively involved in the game with the handful of people sitting around you. But the students are actively involved, meeting, talking and making plans with everyone they meet. Walking along the track, they are interacting with people while still being able to see what is going on in the game.
What if you moved out of the stands and onto the track? On the track you would be interacting with a lot more people compared to the handful sitting next to you in the stands. Either way, you get to see the game, but how much more could you accomplish if you moved out of your comfortable seat in the stands?
BTW – a little shameless self-promotion is OK. Wear that logo shirt, jacket, hat, umbrella with the sole purpose of increasing awareness about your firm and what you do. Have a handful of business cards on hand as well. Here is a great article about how lawyers can be more proactive with their business cards. You just never know when they will need an attorney.