PlacerSustain: Voices of Placer County's Sustainability Community

[THIS IS AN ARTICLE PROVIDED BY ELAINE STARLING, STARLING MEDIA SERVICES, INC.  ONE OF THE PRIMARY PURPOSES OF PLACERSUSTAIN IS TO PROVIDE AN INEXPENSIVE OPPORTUNITY FOR BUSINESS AND SOCIAL ENTERPRISES TO DO THE COMMUNICATION AND RELATIONSHIP BUILDING WORK RECOMMENDED BY ELAINE]

Five Fast Ways Grow Your Business or Organization

By Elaine Starling

Your skills, talents and abilities have never been more valuable! What you do makes a difference in the world. The greatest rewards come from being of service to others while employing your innate gifts. Today’s Collaboration Economy invites you to Connect, Contribute and Collaborate for rapid growth. 

Here are five fast ways to get started:

1.    Connect – Reach out to those with shared values and start the conversation.  Get their contact information so you can stay in touch regularly.  An easy way to do this is through Social Media.  Start connecting with five new people each week.

2.    Comment – Talk publicly about what your new contacts are working on that looks interesting.  Explain why what they’re doing is important to you and what you think is working well.  Social Media is a great way to provide recognition and your comments create a web of connections that attracts other like-minded people your way.

3.    Share – Tell your network what your new contacts are doing via Social Media.  It’s fun to connect great people together and it shows your commitment to supporting the community while increasing your web of connections.

4.    Endorse – Provide a testimonial about what you value about your new connection’s service and what results you’ve experienced. (HINT: This is why free information or samples are so important!) 



To collect endorsements from someone, ask the question, “What do you love about…?” or “What is most important to you about…?”  The answers you get illustrate that person’s values and where a connection has been established between them and the product, service or experience they are describing.

5.    Buy – Put your money where your mouth is!  Pay them the ultimate compliment by purchasing goods and services from your new contacts.  (Then be sure to provide a new testimonial that describes what you valued from your product experience.)

You need to comment, share and/or endorse at least 5-8 times to establish a relationship that prompts reciprocity.  These simple steps will quickly build your community.  And when someone asks, “How may I support YOU?” – send them this column!

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