Let’s Chat Business Golf
For the first time in over three months I have finally gotten time to sit down to review all that has happened around the world of Business Golf these past few months. After staring at my first sentence of this blog for about 20 minutes thinking of how to organize my thoughts I figured a ‘Chat’ format would probably work best. So, here is my side of the Chat…
"Chat"
Chat: to talk in an informal or familiar manner
The Visits
For the past year I have visited with more people interested in business golf than I have in the four years I have been out here. It wasn’t until a dozen or so chats with business men and women that I thought I should start logging them in. I lost count of the visits around May of this year after 93 log-ins. That was due to me losing my log sheet in the clutter here on my desk from spreadsheets, business plans and SOP’s most of these people want me to review. The reason these people came to me was summed up by a lady’s (who asked to stay anonyms) remark she made to me..
"I came to you because there does not seem to be anyone else on the internet open for discussion on the subject of business golf and who merges the two with a focus of balance between golf and business. There are plenty out here who have the golf as their only focus and even more who are only after the business side, but you are the only one I found who balances the golf with business"
The encouraging part of these visits is it confirms there are a large number of people interested in turning their business around and moving back to a better way of doing business which is to get to know the people who pay their bills. Golf is what all of these people found as being the only way to really get to know a person.
For the business people I talked to who do not play golf the concept and benefits of playing golf as part of doing business was convincing. Their quest after visiting with me was to find ways of learning golf in a productive manor.
For those people I chatted with who played golf for years and played golf as part of business the chat we had usually enlightened them of things they were doing wrong or how to take what they were doing right to the next level.
Of course, I learned a lot also. In almost every conversation I learned about another part of the business economy and about industries I did not know even existed until I had the ‘Chat’.
The most exciting part of many of the visits was I got to make another Online Friend. Plus, I was introduced to some very interesting business ideas for my company. Some of which I am seriously considering and am going to add to IBGS’s menu of services…thus, is why my IBGS is under construction. I’ll get to that in a bit.
Many of the visits I have had resulted in revisits and follow-ups. Many of those conversations encouraging me to get back into doing my Podcasts and Videocasts so these people can help me spread the word on why Business Golf is something every business person needs to consider learning how to play…especially in this economy.
Politics
Yes, we have a new President elect. From all of the online activity this past few months you would think that this was the last one..however, it happens every four years like clock work and, yes, everyone has a political opinion..including me. However, discussion politics online is a lose-lose situation for anyone in business. No, I am not a sour loser or a proud winner. End of debate. Surprisingly, very few of the chats I had hinted of any political overtones. Seems the interest all of the people I chatted with was summed during my chat by Dave Bisbee…
"..the bottomline for me is to take care of what I know I have control over and not worry about what cannot be controlled. The only person that is bailing me out is me. So I need to find things that work now and not worry about what did not work yesterday."
Economy
What I have seen coming for a few years now has finally gotten here. Being a Texan, I view the arrival of the failing economy like watching the dust storms rolling in from Abilene. You see the dust storms coming your way a long time before they get here. Sometimes days before they hit. Once they arrives dusts covers everything you touch, inside and out.
Seems this failed economy was the dust storm of the decade and it in fact is covering everything that it touches, inside and outside of the business arena.
The majority of the conversations I had with people was on the economy. Even my friends in other countries were feeling the down turn and looking for ways to survive the recession. It every case it was good for people to talk out their thoughts on things and I found it interesting to sound out some of my ideas with them also.
Even my competitors who are contacting me have turned civil in realizing now their survival is going to depend a changed attitude towards how they do business and who they do business with. As much as the word ‘Change’ has become cliche, it still is the best and simplest way to describe what businesses will have to do to survive….CHANGE.
Social Media
…what a game. Over the years I have seen and read most of the so called "A List" blogger and social media experts. I have even had a Martini or two with a couple of the ‘king pins’ here in Dallas. What I have learned about the game being played online comes mostly from my offline conversations with these people since it pretty much contradicts their online comments or directions.
Every conversation I have had, online or offline, over the past year has mentioned Twitter. The consensus from all of the conversations is..
What does Twitter DO?
One of the local insiders and early adaptors (who asked to remain anonymous) of the internet I have chatted with told me..
"The only people gathering any value from the time they spend on Twitter are the ‘Internet Gurus’ and ‘Regional Tribal Leaders’. Everyone else on Twitter wants to be associated with these people to feed off the attention they get. The downside is, those who these few people associate with by @replying to them become their A List making all of the tens of thousands of people their follow ‘Losers" and are only followed to produce the high number of ‘Following ‘they need to keep their status amongst their tribe. "
I was enlightened to learn that for people like me, a person in a niche or associated with something more offline than online, was to form my on "A List" of my own and publish my own ‘Twitter Manifesto’ outlining how I will be using Twitter. One of my international supporters put it this way..
People want to be part of something special and hang around with people who look important. There is two ways of doing that…go in and spend endless nights following people to get your number up to unbelievable numbers of people you are following or..state clearly how you are not going to play the game and form an "A List" of your own. You will find that there are many tweeters out there who think the same as you and will want to be part of something special which is your A List.
WOW, if you are looking for doing business online..this is the site to be part of. Out of all of the chats I have had with people I have met online, the men and women I chat with on LinkedIn are the only ones that actually have brought me business. That is were I found my new business partner. My Business Golf Country Club is the fastest growing Golf Group on LinkedIn and consist of people ONLY interested in golf and business…and I plan on keeping it that way. As one of my supporters put in during one of our chats..
There comes a time when you have to pay the bills and if you are going to be online why not make the time you spend there connecting with people who actually are interested in doing business. Like most business people, my time is limited and valuable…why spend it in venues that are full of pranksters. Thanks for providing me a safe place to come and visit with people who think the same way I do.
My presences on LinkedIn has produced a higher level of satisfaction than any of the 89 other social/business/golf groups I am currently holding a profile on…some of which I fall in with the millions of other people who have totally forgotten about having a profile on many of the groups.
Solutions
In nearly every conversation I was asked for a solution or a suggestion for a possible solution to a problem a person was having in business or in life. Finding solutions is what I have been highly trained to do. That is how I came about writing my book on How to Play Business Golf. The book was a solution to a problem. Actually several problems.
Now, after having so many of these problem solving conversations I was asked if I would be a mentor which lead to me taking the time to become a certified business mentor. I find that helping people really is satisfying to me.
Where is the Talk Leading
All of these chats, emails, phone calls, and sit-down face to face meetings over a Martini, Glass of wine, table full of sushi or even a bottle water on the golf course has lead me to say it is time for me to step my efforts to meet more people and get the word out about golf and business to more people.
Over the next few weeks I will be announcing how I plan on going about doing this. I have already started the process with announcing my little gathering in Phoenix on Dec 27th…there I will let those who attend know what my next step will be.
There are still a few spots left to fill in my golf outing, so if you are wanting to Chat..here is a great time to learn more about why golf is the best business tool..or way to meet more people.
Let me know how I can help.
Make sure to get your copy of my New Book..it is full of great information on golf and business.
