If you take a look at any social network or visit any networking event, the people there can be placed into one of the following broad groups.
- People who are making a noise. They are simply adding to the background chatter.
- People who are making a difference. They are being listened to. Their voices are the ones we tune into.
Which group am I in?
Most of us would like to be in that second group. The easiest way for us to determine if we are, is for us to ask ourselves the following question and then answer it as honestly as we can:
If I failed to show up, would people really miss me?
The people who struggle for attention usually focus on making noise. We don’t miss them when they’re not there. They send us DM spam on Twitter. They add us to their newsletter list without permission. They push their product or service at us on Facebook, Google+ and Linkedin. They pester us at networking events, pretending to be interested in us, just waiting to hit us with a sales pitch. Their thinking looks like this: If I can just pester enough people, someone will listen to me.
Rather than craft a more compelling story, they push a bland story harder and harder.
A more effective approach
A better approach, is to focus on making a difference. When your work or your ideas are making a difference, people talk about you. They ask you about your ideas. They speak with their friends about you when you are not there. They become engaged with you.
Yes, making a difference requires more creative thinking than pestering people, however, it’s a lot easier, it’s less stressful… and it works!