Networking Your Skills

An Essay on Writing and Marketing
by Diane Diekman

Writing is one of my three businesses, and I struggle to allocate an adequate portion of my time and my thoughts to my books,my Mary Kay consultant business, and my real estate investments. Even knowing I might achieve more by concentrating on one, I'm committed to all three and intend to have a triple success. They all involve networking, and I'm often unsure how to introduce myself and which business card to offer. My choice depends on my focus at the moment and what I perceive will interest the other person.

Recently I attended a Mary Kay training session conducted by a multimillionaire national sales director (NSD). She spoke on mental attitude and how we become what we think about. Although she was unknown to me, I could see why the others had excitedly waited for her visit. She was knowledgeable and motivating and responded well to the rock star treatment.
My goal for two years as a Mary Kay independent beauty consultant has been to qualify as a sales director, and most of the "red jackets" in the room shared that goal. The NSD's talk focused on how we could make it happen. At one point, someone asked when she planned to write a book, and she said she'd been working on one for several years but needed help. She then asked, "Are there any writers in the room?" I raised my hand and she told me she'd give me an hour of her time in return for an hour of mine.

After the meeting, I handed her my business card (the one with the titles of my three books) and said I also edit manuscripts. Her response was, "I've been praying for an editor." She asked me what she needed to do first and I said finish the draft of the book. She told me, "I'll help you become a sales director and you help me get my book published; is that a deal?" I said yes. Her closing comment that "we'll go on Oprah together" I took as a joke, until she said she's already been invited. The helping-her part doesn't bother me at all; I can easily do that. But her helping me is a scary thought; what will she require me to do to become a sales director by June?

My point in writing this is that we all have skills that might be needed by other people, where a swap could be mutually beneficial. I never dreamed a classy multimillionaire NSD would want to trade skills with me. What help do you need, who could provide it, and what could you give that person in return?