Making a People List! Maintaining Connections!
Hey Good afternoon! I hope you've all had a good week and have Halloween costumers picked out, or friends who are stoked to wear theirs. I'm listening to the new PinkPantheress album, think Drum and Bass R&B. Drinking a Biscoff Latte at the new Brass Tacks in fruit Cove. It's actually really nice to have a cafe like 5-10 minutes from our own, previously if I needed to come out this way and then do work afterwards I basically just came back home.
Funnily enough until recently I lived across the street from the other Brass Tacks in south side, so I also used to do a lot of work there. This location was announced after I had already signed the lease on Tetherball's building, so I can't really say if it would have had an impact on my choice, but I don't think so, I really love Mandarin and this isn't quite in the same area. Anyways, today I want to talk about making connections as a business owner, and how I'm managing them or trying to.
I've started a "People List" To keep everyone in mind.
I originally got this idea from the book "The 27 Challenges Managers Face...", one of the books i'm reading ahead of fleshing out employee documents. The idea is to keep a list of people you'd like to maintain a regular good relationship with, including those you manage and more; Then write down the last time you spoke with them, what about, when you'd like to talk again and about what.
I started this because I've been trying to get a business credit card for something like four months. I applied and was approved, but it was mailed to the wrong address twice. Because I failed to follow up with the person who set this up at the bank, and would forget about them for weeks at a time, I still don't have this credit card. There were a few other variables but the point is, If I had cared to put this person on a list and keep thinking about them while they were important then I wouldn't be in this situation.
Another example where I'd like to do better is with my tentative tea supplier. We've talked twice and I've had some good samples, but I still haven't tried every tea I'd like to, and I still don't have a contact there I feel like I know personally. While I work to improve that relationship I'm working to strengthen others.
I've had a couple of long talks with our tentative coffee supplier recently and it was because I insisted on a follow up after this "People list." Now I feel like I know their story and that we have a strong mutual relationship. I'm hoping to maintain this list for all important contacts, but also for my employees once we get started.
Without getting too much into it, making time for the people that matter will be one way I hope to do well in the long term with this business.
We'll see how it does, but if you have a lot of contacts you're having trouble organizing I encourage you to try out a people list and see if it can benefit you in some way.
Thank you for reading, -Elias
