Building Trust Often Starts By Giving First
Starting in October 2018, along with a few of my closest business associates, Brendan Rogers and Isaac Feeney (MakeWeb), we’ve been hosting link LinkedIn Local Central Coast networking events at a local café and restaurant, The Tame Fox in Erina. It now forms a very important and regular part of my local business activities.
It’s also one of the most important and fastest-growing networking events on the Central Coast for many other local businesses. The event is free, held regularly on the last Monday of each month and usually gets well over 50 (toping at just under 100 to date) attendees at each event.
So why do Brendan, Isaac, Luke (owner at The Tame Fox) and I do this for free? KLT Is the Way!
I’ve recently been asked by a number of people why I invest so much time as a co-host for a free event that helps other businesses. It may not seem obvious to some but what I’ve found that the single biggest barrier for many businesses is a lack in building trust with potential suppliers, clients, colleagues and team members.
The solution we’ve found is to think long term. We’re committed to helping other businesses find an effective way to connect where they can Know, Like and Trust each other. And it’s with the trust built over time that we’re hearing about more and more success stories.
How Much Time Does Trust Take?
Generally, the amount of time it takes to build trust (or sometimes to have it broken) happens faster when we can interact with people in person. There is so much more information that we gather up when we can interact face-to-face, even if you’re not a great judge of character. It’s still faster than trying to work out who a person really is or what their business offers from a couple of social media posts.
Don’t get me wrong. Social media and LinkedIn more specifically can be very helpful in getting a general idea about people, what they do for work and how they may be worth connecting with. What you won’t get is all the things that online conversations and content aren’t designed for; reality.
Why LinkedIn?
LinkedIn Local was originally started in Coffs Harbour by Anna McAfee and other local business associates and it grew very rapidly. In fact, there are over 1000 chapters worldwide now and it makes sense that LinkedIn has now taken the step to further support us. LinkedIn truly is one of the best places to create your first initial connection with others online. Building a local business has a number of real everyday benefits.
Why Focus on Local?
Meeting people face-to-face and interacting with them in person will always far outweigh the impact that online experiences can produce. More decisions can be made in less time. More results can be driven through trust.
To learn more about LinkedIn Local Central Coast, why not come and join us at our next event. After all, it’s free! You can book in via the link on the site.
Looking forward to meeting you there!