I hope you all had a fantastic weekend and the week ahead is looking good.
Last week I travelled to London to join a mate of mine at a networking event. I don’t normally get involved with these events but this one had a slight edge to it with Bradley Wiggins being there for lunch and a chat. I was interested in hearing some of his stories, especially the ones where it didn’t go so well and he had to dig deep to overcome things.
I’d booked a room at the Union Jack Club (Ex-service club with great rates) so went and dropped my bag off, met my mate and then got on the tube to get to the event venue. We were welcomed with a glass of champagne, had time to do some mingling, with other guests, and then found our table, ready for lunch to be served.
The organiser, Ian, got everyone’s attention and shared some bad news, Bradley Wiggins had called at 11am that morning to inform Ian that he was laid up in hospital so wouldn’t be able to attend! There were about 100 guests, all having paid to see Bradley and now he wasn’t coming. The good news was that Ian had managed to get a replacement, at short notice, who was also an amazing athlete. Sir Steve Redgrave was stepping in and joining us for lunch (Yes he was standing on a box!) and to share a few of his, career, trials and tribulations. What an amazing replacement!
Lunch was great and the stories brought to life by Steve were well worth the time. The event started at 12:15pm and was due to finish at 4pm, but ran over by 30 minutes which is when people drifted to the bar for a few extra drinks, before heading home.The whole experience was well worth the effort and money, so, I will look at future events to attend.
The friend I joined, Stuart, is very active in these things and puts himself out of his comfort zone all the time by getting involved. His network is growing fast and so is his reputation within multiple circles of influencers. He is motivated, keen and proactive and reminds me of a ‘former’ me. I did get involved, I did network and I did push the boundaries, but not so much nowadays.
Don’t get me wrong, I still do things that scare me and challenge myself to learn and develop, after all, that is what we teach, but I am doing it in a way I have always done it. Understand, learn, prep and deliver, followed by a review. Some things don’t need to change ie. a process that works, and networking is not new, but I realise I need to be a bit more proactive to attract more business and grow our offering.
When I used ChatGPT to ask the best ways to grow a business like ours, here are the top 6 answers:
- Identify Your Target Audience: Understand the demographics, industries, and job roles of your target audience for L&D services. This will help you tailor your marketing efforts to reach the right people.
- Create Compelling Content: Develop high-quality content that showcases the value and benefits of your L&D offerings. This could include blog posts, whitepapers, case studies, videos, webinars, and infographics that highlight your expertise and the impact of your services.
- Utilise Social Media: Leverage social media platforms such as LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook to promote your L&D offerings. Share valuable content, engage with your audience, participate in relevant discussions, and showcase testimonials and success stories.
- Email Marketing: Build an email list of prospects and clients interested in L&D services. Send regular newsletters, updates, and promotional offers to keep them engaged and informed about your offerings.
- Partnerships and Collaborations: Establish partnerships with industry associations, educational institutions, training providers, and other organisations to expand your reach and access new audiences. Collaborate on joint events, webinars, or content initiatives to leverage each other’s networks.
- Networking and Events: Attend relevant industry events, conferences, and networking meetups to connect with potential clients and industry professionals. Consider hosting your own events, workshops, or webinars to demonstrate your expertise and attract leads.
Not a lot that is ground breaking, as I am sure you’d agree, but if I were to measure how well we are doing at these 6 elements, we are not a 10/10 in any of them!
If you run your own business or need to ‘connect’ more within your business, which of these do you need to pay attention to?
We have work to do! 😀