Have you worked on establishing or strengthening network connections today? Do you believe creating a strong network is crucial to growing your small business profit? Can all your networking needs can be met online?

Warning: You are stepping mousing over profit every day!

 
Debbie the Distractor has led you astray. By mesmerizing you to stay online rather than disconnect and meet people IRL (in real life), she siphons off potential profit and success.

Learn Three Profit Driven Reasons to Put Down the Mouse and Head out the Door

This post is part of the fun, insightful, and potentially disruptive small biz world carnival. Read all the posts by this month’s experts on Rediscover the Real World: Unplug, Unwind, Unleash.

Reason #1: Not Everyone Networks Online

What was that? Did the Earth shake? Did your reality tilt? Only backwards sasquatches are afraid to network online! Right?

Nope. Many people use in person networking as their first round of vetting potential service providers. Consider how easy it is to pretend to be something you’re not online (I’m convinced I have a couple of early adopter squatches who follow me online but pretend to be from Nigeria).

While it’s still possible to con people in person, it’s much
harder to pretend to be something you’re not.

Meeting in person establishes you’re human (I know, humans can be so xenophobic), are known by others in the group, and are capable of speaking like you blog. After a face-to-face connection is made, your prospect will turn to social media and your online presence to learn more.

Without that initial contact made in person, this group of prospects would never cross your radar. Why would you willingly walk away from an easy way to meet well suited potential clients?

Reason #2: Thought Bombs and Unexpected Catalysts

Thought bombs are not weapons of mass destruction. They do have the potential to be weapons of mass profit.

Online we can fall into a routine of visiting the same websites, reading the same blogs, and learning concepts just at the edge of our comfort zone. Even when I do challenge myself to try something new, join a new LinkedIn group, or pop into an intriguing Google Community, it can be hard to get involved.

Events held in person often have networking and establishing new contacts as one of their goals. While you can’t expect everyone to treat you like a long lost sister, many will be searching for fresh faces. These new connections, with their new perspectives, can evoke unexpected ideas.

Humans are the ultimate thought catalysts.

A few times a year I attend an event that’s far outside my usual sphere. Pushing yourself to attend something which on the surface appears completely unrelated forces you to view the world differently. These events are the ones that produce potentially profitable thought bombs. Try it.

Open mind + completely different perspective = mind blown.

Reason #3: Even Introverts Need Human Contact

We need to remember why we do what we do.
We need to remember who we like to do it for.
We need to remember life is more than a mouse.

Even sasquatches need human contact (otherwise they would they hide better, like the Loch Ness Monster). So get out there and meet a few people.

Final Thoughts on Why You Should Ditch the Mouse Today

If you want more profit, then you need to thoughtfully try new ideas. Putting down the mouse occasionally, and venturing out in person, is a low risk / high reward strategy. Where will you go? Share your ideas, experiences and thought bombs below.