So I saw in interesting article in the Men’s Journal (May 2007 – I’m not doing a good job of keeping up with the backlog…).

Anyway, the article was titled “Think Yourself Stronger (how sports hypnosis boosts performance)”.  The essence of the article was that the author was trying sports hypnosis as a way to get over his hatred of running.  Since the author was doing triathalons, which are 1/3 running, it was a problem that was holding him back.

There was a study done with hypnotized subjects riding stationary bikes at a fixed resistance.  However when the riders were told they were riding uphill, their heart rates and blood pressure increased – they were working harder based solely on the power of suggestion.

The quote from the article that caught my attention was: “…In other words: If you think something’s going to be tough, it will be.” 

The author was hypnotized into associating pleasant childhood memories with running.  He believed that the process has helped him overcome his hatred of running - I was immediately drawn to how this might apply to a business situation. 

What if you really hate sales situations, or the forced mingling and networking?  Although I think hypnosis is a bit extreme, what if you just approached your nemesis with a more positive frame of mind.  What if you thought “Hey – this paperwork isn’t so bad, I bet I can get it done in no time”? or “You know, I really don’t mind working on my marketing plan, it reminds me of my trip to Venice…”?

What business tasks do you really hate?  Do you think a different mindset would make a difference?  Let me know your thoughts.

I had the opportunity to go to 2 different Chamber events this week and I still haven’t figured out the right approach for making these things:

Work for me.

Be fun.

Not be painful/awkward….

Having said that, I did get some good advice today from one of the Chamber veteran’s that his approach was to use the networking meetings just to meet people and extend his relationships and NOT to do any business.  Now it sounds counterintuitive but I think he’s on the right path.  Until people know, like and trust you they’re not going to do business with you anyway.  And the path to Know, Like and Trust can be a long one (likely several months long).

So my approach going forward is to be friendly, be approachable, try to be somebody’s first friend (as suggested by Scott Ginsberg here: http://hellomynameisscott.blogspot.com/2007/07/be-somebodys-first-friend.html especially once I’m not the new guy).

On top of that, I want to set a goal to identify at least 2 people I could contact after the meeting with the intent to meet them 1 on 1 at some later date.  I think that’s going to be the best way to move from Know to Like and hopefully on to Trust.

So what about you?  Any strategies for succeeding at Chamber meetings?  Share them here.

Welcome to my Blog…and welcome to my new Business.

As you would probably guess, there are always a million things to do when you are on your own and setting priorities and goals becomes even more important than the corporate world.  One of my goals was to jump into blogging but for one reason or another I just haven’t been able to get moving.  The whole thing got me to thinking about some quotes:

We cannot do everything at once, but we can do something at once.   Calvin Coolidge

 A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.                 Lao Tsu

And one of my all time favorites:

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.                  

Mark Twain

So with that in mind, let’s set sail and get started!