How the Business Book Club Improved Our Company, Visiting Angels and My Life
Robert Johnson, the owner of Visiting Angels Dearborn, took a very big chance on me. I had owned a Visiting Angels homecare. Not only did he decide to work with my clients and caregivers but he also asked me to work for me as his Marketing Manager. This job entails meeting with other business owners and employees and potential facilities that may have patients that could benefit from our service. This is essentially networking and marketing or selling if you will, our product, homecare. Now, I’m old school. I was use to marketing in person and in written word such as newspaper, publications, and things of that nature. Advertising, a part of marketing, was done the same way.
Before I go on, let me explain marketing to you. “Marketing: the action or business of promoting and selling products or services, including market research and advertising.”-Oxford Languages. “Marketing is the process of exploring, creating, and delivering value to meet the needs of a target market in terms of goods and service; potentially including selection of a target audience…..”-Wikipedia. Many marketers would conduct marketing research on companies and the individuals who were the ones to make the buying decisions. Basically, it was all on paper and not a lot of interaction but just observation. To me, this was BORING!
I wanted to be around others and get to know everyone and anyone. I didn’t want to just talk strictly to those in-the-know, if you will, just to sell our homecare. I wanted and still want to build relationships and while doing that, make friends. Because of this desire, I started perusing the chambers and associations in our territories. There usually was an events calendar on the websites and I’d pick something to attend. If food was available or offered, I usually chose those events. I ended up going to a breakfast, for one of my first events, that actually changed my whole perspective on my new job. This breakfast has ultimately changed my life!
Fast forward a couple of weeks and I decided to join a book club run by an association Robert had me join. We were to read one business book a month. The discussion was to take place over breakfast the last Thursday of the month. Hello! Breakfast and a book? Sign me up! By the way, I’m a passionate reader. But honestly, a business book? I thought great, it’ll be boring.
Up to this point I was learning my job and how to work with social media. I thought I would be using Facebook exclusively. Oh boy, did I get that wrong! Wait, not only do I have to learn Facebook, but now LinkedIn and Instagram? I have to say, I’m way past this point now. I have learned to use and work with all three and am now am also using Pinterest. Oh, I’m also teaching myself TikTok. But that’s not what I’m here to talk about.
Please keep in mind, I still have to be present and face to face with other business owners and marketers. Even though social media is so prominent and is used to get your business information to as many and as quickly as possible, you’ve got to be making the rounds. Get to know other like-minded people. And remember, the key to networking is building as many genuine relationships as you can. When you attend an event, you are able to mingle and usually there comes a time when everyone introduces themselves. At this time, you want to give your name, business and a tag-line. Keep it simple and short. This is always awkward for me! I’m not sure why, because I have no problem talking and being silly with people or being in the spotlight. I can’t figure out why it’s so nerve-racking for me! Now if I can remind you, I love to eat. I mentioned food earlier in this blog. Any time there is food involved, which is almost always, I’m there. However, I am diabetic and can’t eat most of what is served, pastries. Remember what I just said, I love to eat and usually there’s food I can’t eat.
Now we come to the best part, book-club! I love to read. I had been working about 2 months with Robert and I was starting to get the hang of marketing online, sort of, and networking as much as I could in person. I found the online marketing to be a bit boring and vanilla. I was using our corporate office’s pictures and descriptions, which everyone else was using too. It wasn’t me and I wasn’t enjoying it at all! At one of the events, the business book club was mentioned. You read one business book a month and then you meet up over breakfast at a restaurant! So, a book and food that I can choose to eat? I’m in! The first book I read was Get Different by Michael Michalowicz. And let me tell you, that changed the way I went about our social media and networking!
He said to be yourself and be different. Quit doing what everyone else was doing and be you. He did say don’t be so different that you offend or gross people out, unless that was your aim. It wasn’t my aim at all. So now I’m thinking how in the world can I be different? Well, I just started being me. And I have to say the person that pointed out that marketing and networking was 90% online, he is now a very good friend and I go to him for advice.
Since that first book, I’ve read 7 business books and intend to read more. Some are not so great, while others may not help with business, but sure do lift me up. I’m slowly changing my morning routine to be more dedicated to meditating on God and myself. I’ve started writing list on what I should accomplish for the day. I don’t always get everything on the list done, but it’s a work in progress. I’m also more open to trying new things and having new experiences. The possibilities are endless! Remember I said I love to eat and I love to read, well I attend every single book club meeting because of the food, the book and the relationships I’ve formed. Oh, and if there isn’t anything at the events, I attend I can eat, I go out after with a friend and have breakfast with her!