I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t totally pumped about my quote in Saturday’s New York Times, but I think there’s a much larger story and lesson here.
And that is how it all came about.
My friend Sara wrote to me:
I am so excited for you. I don't know if you know - but in my former life - I was a publicist for a big PR firm in LA.
This is the kind of story that I would have killed to get a client placed in. Did you do it yourself?
The answer is yes, sort of.
The thing is, it wasn’t a “placement.” It was the result of a little bit of luck and lot of commitment to networking.
Not ‘networking’ as in “I will try and use you one day for my own gains,” but networking as in “it’s valuable to keep in touch and genuinely try and help other people because you just never know…”
There’s some history here, but it’s important, so here we go…
You see, 7 years ago, as luck would have it, the boyfriend of a friend of my sister’s (if you can follow that) was a reporter for the Wall St. Journal.
He was doing a story where my previous start-up, SilentFrog (now defunct), happened to fit in. (The WSJ page doesn’t exist anymore, so here’s the text from my personal blog of 8/28/02)
That he found us was luck, pure luck. No doubt about it.
After he wrote the article, however, I stayed in touch with him, as I do with much of my network by doing a few things.
- sending a quarterly update with (hopefully) valuable and interesting information
- calling him on his birthday (it’s an annual excuse to reach out verbally)
- doing my best to answer any questions that came my way from him
- being genuinely interested in what he was doing (you can’t fake this part)
Ron (the NYT reporter) and I chatted a few times on the phone over the years for various reasons (aside from birthdays), though we had never (and still haven’t) met in person.
Here are a few things I can tell you about my relationship with Ron
- I never called him and pitched him a story
- I made sure that whatever I sent him was relevant (or tried to at least)
So, on Wednesday afternoon as I was walking the streets of NYC (coincidence, I assure you) and the email comes in from Ron asking: “what kinds of things have you done to help unemployed friends?” I answered him as I always did. Honestly and with no expectations.
One thing leads to another and I’m in the New York Times. Which is cool, very cool. Still, even in this Internet age of dying newspapers.
Ay, but here’s the rub and the opportunity… once upon a time a reporter like Ron was one of the few people with widespread influence to tell a story and offer credibility.
Now, however, those people are all around us.
Your friend, the nascent blogger who will amass a huge readership over time.
Your co-worker who will become a key Twitterer.
Your client who will have thousands of friends on Facebook.
Soon, each and every one of those people can have a following and the credibility of a NY Times reporter.
So, it’s not about “placing” a story. It’s about nurturing and cultivating relationships with everyone based on a genuine mutual respect and interest.
And it’s about a long-term commitment. Too many people “network” and when it doesn’t pay off after 2 or 3 months just give up.
Never Stop Marketing is about your company, your brand, and your commitment to your network.
Lesson (and Homework): My story was 7 years in the making. Start today and in 2016, feel free to post a comment here.
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Comments
jonny goldstein said on 3.23.2009 at 7:50 AM
Cultivating relationships is the slow but sure way to all kinds of good things. Congrats on the NY Times story!
Jennifer Abernethy said on 3.23.2009 at 8:16 AM
Congrats on the NY Times Quote. Sending Virtual High Fives and handshake! Great blog post!! "longterm relationship building..and not expecting anything back..over time..it just pays off. If anything..you develop new friendships and you never know when your name will pop up in their mind as a resource or referall.
Ryan Moede said on 3.23.2009 at 8:52 AM
Nice work, Jeremy! It's simply further testament to being a genuine friend to everyone you interact with. Kudos.
Erika Miller said on 3.23.2009 at 9:06 AM
Well said Jeremy and congratulations! You do an amazing job at staying "connected", keep up the great work. It's all about relationships.
Craig Johnson said on 3.23.2009 at 9:35 AM
Jeremy, this is awesome. My favorite line from what you said was this...
Not ‘networking’ as in “I will try and use you one day for my own gains,” but networking as in “it’s valuable to keep in touch and genuinely try and help other people because you just never know…”
jak said on 3.23.2009 at 11:02 AM
word-shabooty
well done sir
Rasul Sha'Ir said on 3.23.2009 at 11:22 AM
This is what I'm talkin' about! People are sooo caught up in twittering, facebooking, what have you that they forget the REAL power is in relationships with people that know and trust you. And that as we all know (but some seem to not get it) takes time. In this new day and age of quik, fast and lightning type interactions, this old school idea will never go out of business - no matter what new technologies pop up. Congrats Jeremy!
Kelley Styring said on 3.23.2009 at 5:00 PM
This is spot on. You never, ever know where your next opportunity will come from and you get exactly back what you give to your community. It just so happens that our community is widespread, virtual in some cases, and finely tuned to knitting together unexpected things for beautiful results. Nice work capturing the process, but you can't overlook your genuineness. Putting good stuff out there only comes from good people. You're good people, Jeremy.
Dean Landsman said on 3.23.2009 at 5:01 PM
Congratulations and good for you, Jeremy!
I've been in the Times a few times, and each one was a truly kvell-ful experience for me, and even more so for my family. Which brings to mind a great related story. This goes back about 30 years ago, when getting in the Times was tougher than an audience with the Pope.
A friend of mine, a writer, had a piece published in the Sunday Times Arts & Leisure section. He went over to his mother's house that morning with bagels & lox, as she was having "the girls" (a bunch of elderly ladies) over to celebrate the article. One by one they gave him a hello, even a peck on the cheek from some. "Are you married yet, bubuleh? Seeing anyone you might be serious with? " was the most common line of discussion when they actually engaged him in conversation.
But each and every one of them did offer congratulations. But not to my friend. Rather, to his mother.
I told him he should have printed up a T-Shirt saying, "My son got published in the New York Times."
Michele Thompson said on 3.24.2009 at 8:55 AM
Congratulations on the quote, Jeremy! That is VERY cool.
You are a true inspiration!
Maria Sadecki said on 3.24.2009 at 10:09 AM
I've always been a believer that you must nurture and cultivate your network. My first professional job in IT was for Marriott International back in 1994. I still maintain some wonderful friendships and I do that with every bend in the road because like you said, it's not about personal gain, but about really wanting to help eachother because "you just never know".
Many congrats and it's so nice to see you doing so well!