Recently I was vacationing in Grand Cayman and needed my morning jumpstart. I headed to the local coffee shop, Cafe Del Sol (https://www.cafedelsolky.com/). As I entered the coffee shop, I noticed a number of people working…but here’s the thing….
They were all conversing!
They were communicating!
They were connecting!
And surprisingly, not 1 person was alone. Everyone was intently involved in a conversation of some kind. No one was on their laptops. All eyes were on each other! When I noticed this, I commented to Lisa, who I was with and she said she noticed that as well! Funny how it is that we notice when people are connecting. I think that is because we are more aware of it due to the nature of my speaking business.
Regardless of where you are on this earth, connecting is about intently asking questions, and listening to the answer. There is so much value that can be gained from these conversations.
I’m certainly not perfect at this process, but I guarantee you that I am much more aware of when I am not doing it and that awareness allows me to bring my attention back around to the conversation.
As I sat there enjoying my coffee and conversation with Lisa, the employee walked by and that’s when I noticed his shirt! As I read the shirt, I realized immediately that there was a message in the wording that made complete sense.
His shirt read: “No Coffee, No Workee”
See, many people will see his shirt and think, yes, I cannot function without coffee! Which I get, cause sometimes I feel that way. However, I see a different angle. I see the message as, “Let’s connect over Coffee!”
I see coffee as an opportunity. After all Connecting is working!
In 2002 I started a website agency, and in January of 2005, I took that business from part time to full time. I’ll never forget the first week of this new business. Even though the business was going for 2.5 years at that point, it was only part-time. With the switch, I had a 20 step walk to my office in a spare bedroom in my home. I remember distinctly watching TV, and specifically Sportscenter on ESPN all morning, all week long. I really didn’t do anything and by the end of the week, I had no sales and no income. As I sat back to reflect on the week, I realized I needed to start sharing with everyone what I was doing. To do that, I called and emailed almost everyone I knew and asked them to meet over coffee. That was in 2005! It worked! This same business I grew with coffee meetings starting in 2005 was sold in 2018. It takes time, and it’s not easy but it is achievable! You have to be willing to listen to the people you are meeting with!
Recently I had the pleasure of seeing Allison Shapira (http://www.allisonshapira.com/) speak on the main stage at Influence 2018, the premier conference for professional speakers and members of the National Speakers Association. Allison talked about how she created a 6 Figure Business by having 2 coffees per day. Her talk was part of a group of speakers that spoke for 2 minutes about tips that could improve a business by 6 figures or more. During Allison’s time, she was very clear that her goal was 2 meetings per day, reaching out to anyone she knew, and she never asked for business. She asked for advice on how her skills might be valuable in their industry. She would also be sure to follow up within 24 hours recapping the conversation.
If both Allison and I can grow a business with coffee meetings, so can you! Like she says, “it takes discipline, but it works!”
…and remember, no coffee…no workee!