Notice Who Is In The Paper
If you are slightly active in your local business community you will occasionally see people you know quoted or otherwise featured in your local Business Journal or other publications. Most often these news stories are quite positive and praise the individual for a business accomplishment, quote them as an expert in their industry, or they appear in a photo with other VIP's in your town.
When they show up in the paper, you have a phenomenal opportunity to reach out and strengthen your relationship. Taking action at this moment is one of the most simple, yet POWERFUL things you can do to cultivate your connection with another person. Surprisingly almost nobody captures this opportunity.
When someone attains their proverbial "15 minutes of fame", you need to do something to congratulate them or otherwise highlight that you saw them in the media. Appearing in print makes almost everyone feel good, but having others tell you they saw the article makes them feel GREAT.
There are many things you can do to reach out to the person:
*You can call them or email them and let them know that you saw them in the paper or magazine.
*You could clip the article and mail it them with a note congratulating them on being in the paper.
*You might consider having the piece framed (if they are prominently featured) and present it to them in person the next time you see them.
*You could scan it into a PDF and send it out to all your mutual friends with praise (while cc'ing the person).
Do not be lured into the easy trap of teasing them about their being in the paper. Sometimes business professionals think they are being friendly by mocking people in a "good natured manner" about their media appearances. NOPE. Never do that. While some will laugh along, those that are not personally secure might feel awkward about your tone. They might downplay the importance of this exposure, but rest assured, most are happy as pie to see themselves in print.
Take the time this week to review your local and industry business publications and look for your friends. They will be thrilled to hear from you and they will appreciate your praise. Also, you can be sure that almost nobody else is making a fuss over them (cuz people just do not praise others for their accomplishment nearly enough!)
Have A Great Day.
thom
www.thomsinger.com
1 comment:
Hey, I did this just this week, but in a social setting rather than business. A friend of mine qualified to play in the Texas State Amateur golf tournament this weekend along with 17 other players from the Austin area. All 18 were listed in both the online and print version of the Statesman. I have the geek skills to take a screen shot of the online article and circle my friend's name in red. I then sent the marked up picture to our mutual friends. I even made reference to his 15 minutes as you did in the blog.
Craig
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