Principios básicos para crear tu red de contactos.

La vida es acerca del trabajo.

El trabajo es acerca de la vida.

Y ambos son acerca de las personas.

Keith Ferrazzi - Autor de “Nunca comas solo”.

Es fácil confundir el verdadero propósito del Networking.

Y debo confesar que durante muchos años me equivoqué bastante en esta actividad: malos entendidos, alianzas olvidadas o propuestas que quedaron en un “tal vez” llena la lista de malos resultados que acumulé probablemente desde que estaba en la universidad.

Y no fue hasta que decidí dejar de quemar puentes y aprender honestamente como crear una red de contactos, que estuve dispuesto a escuchar y aprender de gente con experiencia en este arte.

La siguiente guía es un resumen de las lecciones más valiosas que he aprendido los últimos años sobre Networking. Espero te sirvan como referencia para no cometer los mismos errores que yo, permitiéndote rodearte de las personas correctas y crear relaciones sólidas con ellas.

1. No confundas el arte de vender con el arte de crear tu red de contactos.

Puede que tu producto o servicio sea fenomenal. El mejor del mundo. Pero si nadie te ha preguntado sobre lo que haces u ofreces y en tu mente sólo piensas “Hey, en serio necesitas ésto en tu vida”, estás en un grave problema.

No hay nada de malo en vender. Lo malo es pensar que cada persona que conozcas es un cliente potencial.

Lo que sí es factible, es que cada persona tiene el potencial de recomendarte y canalizarte ya sea a tus verdaderos clientes o posibles aliados.

Siempre juega al largo plazo.

2. Busca a la gente correcta en el lugar correcto.

Ya sea que necesites a un mentor, un socio, un compañero de trabajo, o alguien interesante en tu industria, búscalo en Twitter.

Twitter es la herramienta más poderosa en Social Media para crear conversación. Y si aún no tienes el nombre de “aquella persona” consíguelo en medios digitales como blogs o YouTube, o incluso en medios tradicionales como revistas o periódicos. No te desanimes si tu búsqueda no es perfecta. Poco a poco podrás pulir tu red de contactos.

Ya he encontrado a gente de mi interés. ¿Ahora qué?

Ahora les ofreces valor.

Esto es particularmente truculento cuando no tienes algo tangible que intercambiar. Es común pensar cosas como: ¿Qué podría darle yo de valor a cierta persona? Bueno, partiendo de este punto he encontrado dos posibilidades que me han abierto varias puertas:

Invítale un Café

Es trillado. Suena absurdo.

Pero es honesto.

Y si tu mensaje es sincero, puedes sorprenderte de la cantidad de personas que estén dispuestas a verte. Puedes escribir un mensaje como:

“Realmente admiro tu trabajo y me gustaría trabajar en esta industria. Sin embargo tengo muchas dudas y me gustaría saber tu punto de vista. Si dispones de 15 minutos, ¿podríamos tomar un café y platicarlo?”

El valor que ofreces está en escuchar y poner atención.

Muchas personas estarán dispuestas a compartirte su experiencia y recursos si estás dispuesto a prestar atención y tomarte las cosas seriamente.

Graba una entrevista.

Hacerle a alguien una entrevista es apelar a su ego. No solamente ofreces el prestar atención, además brindas el poder compartirle al mundo la motivación de tu entrevistado. Si no cuentas con una grabadora de audio, tu teléfono celular es más que suficiente para sacar adelante esta tarea. Solo asegúrate de cumplir tu parte del trato haciéndole llegar la entrevista a tu contacto, además de promocionarla en redes sociales.

3. Siempre conecta el punto A con el punto C.

Cuando lo consideres prudente, no tengas miedo en presentar tus contactos entre ellos y comentarles del beneficio mutuo que pueden obtener. Esto puede hacerse de manera muy sencilla en Twitter como: “Hey @cineastamex te presento a @sonidodigital . Creo que pueden crear cosas increíbles juntos”

4. Brinca constantemente del mundo digital al mundo real y viceversa.

Los “Meet ups” son reuniones que se llevan a cabo en la vida real (IRL-In Real Life) y tienen la ventaja de ser temáticas: programadores, podcasters, diseñadores, etc. Una vez que conozas nuevas personas en dichos meet ups no olvides darles seguimiento en las redes sociales.

A la par, trata siempre de conocer en persona aquellos contactos que has conseguido online. El simple hecho de estrechar una mano puede marcar la diferencia entre recordarte o irte olvidando con el paso del tiempo.

5. Mejora tus habilidades sociales.

El poder mantener una conversación, saber expresar tus opiniones o simplemente sentirte cómodo con gente desconocida (aún si eres introvertido), son habilidades que muchos no poseemos pero podemos mejorar practicando. Podría parecer vanal el ocuparte de estos temas, pero los mejores proyectos en la industria del entretenimiento o en ambientes sumamente emprendedores como Sillicon Valley han surgido de platicas “casuales”.

6. Se paciente.

No voy a mentirte. Muchos contactos no se concretarán. Experimentarás momentos frustrantes y tal vez dudes en más de una ocasión si todo esto vale la pena. Pero sé paciente y sin importar el tamaño de tu red, encontrarás en ella no sólo un apoyo para los momentos difíciles, sino además un trampolín para catapultarte a las mejores oportunidades de tu vida.

PS. ¡Muchas gracias por leerme! Si obtuviste algo de valor de este artículo, apreciaría bastante si haces click en el botón de recomendar (el pequeño corazón). Siéntete libre de añadir tus comentarios, estaré complacido de leerlos.

PPS. Sígueme en Twitter , Instagram, y Snapchat .

PPSS. Disfruta mis animaciones en Vine

6 Lecciones que he aprendido sobre Networking was originally published in The Creative Typewriter on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

First of all, It would be unffair to write this article without giving credit to my mother, who is an incredible talented artist and who pointed me directly to this lesson. So, for that thank you mom. You are incredible.

Generally speaking, we understand the concept of “what if” as an imaginary one, granting us with infinite resources for fantasies and dreams. On the other hand, it also has the power to completely take away our sleep by giving us horrible worries and nightmares.

Either it´s a good thought or a bad one, we could simply state that at the end it won´t matter because… you know… everything is just in our minds, right?

Think again.

Each time our brain fantasizes, it generates images so strong and vivid that it consumes lots of energy. And the brain is well known for being excellent at saving resources. It hates to waste it. So, what would be the point to recklessly throw away all that power?

Each time a “What if” is born, a burst of energy explodes in our mind.

This explosion doesn´t want to be interrupted. It wants to go the end.

When we let this energy run free, it generates movement. Not the kind of movement without purpouse that can be explained just because you had breakfast and there´s glucose liberated from your cells. I mean movement born from an idea.

My favorite example to explain this phenomena comes from Dick Fosbury.

Dick is an American athlete who completey changed the way the high jump is done. Instead of running in a straight line directly to the bar as it had always been executed, he experimented by curving himself in the air and leaping backwards over the bar.

The idea: “What would it happen if I jump backwards?” got him the gold medal at the Olympic Games in 1968.

He never gave too much thought about the science behind his style. He just basically disliked the way athletes performed over the years. For him, the old school felt wrong.

(I love this example because its simplicity).

Ok, time to go deeper. Actually, let´s go to the opposite direction.

Think about your favorite song. You know, that one with your favorite singer/band. Now ask yourself the following: “What if the author never came up with that song?”…

Someone could cynically reply: Well, if he had not written that song, nobody could actually tell, right?

But the little pain you feel in your chest when you really embrace this possibility is very real. So, what if…

What if that doctor never came up with a revolutionary treatment?

What if that book was never written?

What if that speech was never given?

You see, sometimes the hardest part is not to take action. Sometimes the hardest part is to let your “What if” run free.

…Probably no one is going to read this article.

But…what if someone does?

PS. Thank you very much for reading! If you got any value out of this, I’d really appreciate it if you hit the recommend button (the little heart) so more people can read this article. Feel free to add your comments, I`ll be very happy to read them.

PPS. Follow me on Twitter and Instagram, and enjoy my animations on Vine

Creativity is defined by two little words: “What If” was originally published in The Creative Typewriter on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

An “out of the box” call to action

Artists are special. To anyone else´s eyes they are talented people born with something magical. How can they do what they do? We all know someone who can sing, dance, act, draw or paint -just to mention a few examples- that excell at their craft.

Unfortunately, artists in general are not known for being good business people. It´s not that they don´t want to earn good money, it´s more like they have the feeling that businesses are spoken in a very rare language.

Contests bring them the solution

They give creatives the opportunity to market themselves besides the chance to win an attractive prize.

What else could you ask for?

You just mainly have to be the best at what you do…

Right?

Knowing how contests work will let us understand the opportunities and risks involved within them so we take good calls to know if they are worth our effort and time.

What a brand wants

Due to the ginormous variety of contests available, I´m just aiming to talk about a very generic type, where a Brand plays the rol of organizer and jury.

The first step a brand should cover is having the ideal number of participants. As any business, is extremely important to have more than enough people to make the contest profitable. The inverse is also true, the more players the better. The candidates are to the contest like blood is to the body. They give life and dyanamism to the event.

It´s important to mention the risk taken by the Brand. The brand has no idea who is going to apply for the contest. So, even having a huge number of participants there is no warranty any of them could be talented enough to fulfill the expectations of the event.

Once the number of participants is covered, the brand sets all the logistic needed: Place, dates and jury.

Now, i´ts only a matter of waiting.

Let me show you the following example: For the World Cup 2014, a famous YouTube Channel in Mexico launched a contest which asked you to submit a short spot about Soccer. The prize: a computer. This is my submission:

Commodities vs The Prize

For practical reasons lets consider the prizes are given to the 1rst, 2nd and 3rd place and they are given in cash. At this point we understand that the quantity of money for the prizes plus the expenses of logistics equals an specific number.

Could we say that this number is proportional to all the information received from the aspirants?

Who or what is the prize then?

The amount of cash or the participants themselves?

Pitching yourself

It´s key to understand the difference between being just “you” and all the value you hold in your mind. That value is called “Intellectual Capital” and is the most important asset in the equation. The Intellectual Capital is the reason brands are willing to pay whatever is needed to get you. Of course, the less they pay for it, the better for the business. From this point of view, money is just a commodity.

Hacking the Business Model of Contests

My proposition is to take 2 alternatives outside the box:

No 1. Go directly to the Final User

As artists, we always have something to say. So, say it. It doesn´t matter if it is by written word, video, or picture. Talk to your audience the best you can.

It is very likely that you´ll find contests and festivals that match the material you have already prepared. If that´s the case, submit. This way, everything that would come from it becomes a plus.

No. 2 Become the Solution the Brand needs

Promote the event the brand is pushing. Help them, become their partner. This strategy implies that even if the art you do will not be paid, you could be rewarded differently. A simple “thank you” from the Brand validates the quality of your work and opens the door to find potential clients and partnerships.

Let me be perfectly clear: I do not believe contests are Evil.

I just think we do not understand them the way we should.

Now, if you say: Ok, I have not prepared anything yet, nor I´m not very fond to the idea of promoting the event, I just think the prize is worth it… Am I wasting my time?

If this is the case, then use the contest as motivation.

Motivation is a porwerful force. It helps many artists to get out of creative`s block and gives you experience through the process. Just be careful enough to not get overly attached to the prize.

Remeber: What is the fun if you don´t enjoy the process?

Finally: Good luck. An Spark of Serendipity always help.

PS. Thank you very much for reading! If you got any value out of this, I’d really appreciate it if you hit the recommend button (the little heart). Feel free to add your comments, I`ll be very happy to read them.

PPS. Follow me on Twitter and Instagram, and enjoy my animations on Vine

PPSS. Support me on Patreon

Never lose a contest again was originally published in The Creative Typewriter on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Probably you have made the same mistake too

5 years ago I studied animation in Mexico using pencil, paper and recorded everything in film. As you imagine, there were not previews, and even though I was really happy just by animating as a hobby, I was concerned If I could make a living from my art.

One day, I heard something that really shocked me: A famous Canadian animation school was going to offer a scholarship to one talented creative. The only requirement you had to consider was to show your demo at audition day.

Luckily for me, I was already prepared.

Since the first day of my learning, I knew my demo reel was going to be my presentation card. I had been cleaning and coloring each frame (Yeah, I used one of the first versions of Corel Draw) because I never knew when opportunity would knock the door.

I just had to fix some minor details.

Close to audition day I convinced one of my classmates to give it a try. I told him about the advantages of travelling to a country with great reputation in arts, and suggested how this opportunity could change our lives.

Actually, I remember the conversation went like this:

Me: Come on, don’t tell me you don’t want to go.

Him: But I have nothing prepared. Just the reel we got some months ago, and it’s not even edited.

Me: So what? You never know until you try.

So we went together. I was so proud before, during and after the interview that I knew that even If I didn’t win, there would be another chance for me.

I actually forgot the contest and kept going with my life.

Some weeks passed.

Then, In a routinary day while working in some storyboards I heard a cellphone rang. It was my classmate’s. He went out the room and when he returned I knew something happened:

I can´t believe it -he said- I did it.

I won the scholarship.

I´m sure some self-defense mechanism was activated, because my first reaction was to congratulate him. You see? This is the result of showing up at opportunities –Those were my words.

Some months later, walking home all of a sudden it came to me:

Wait a minute…

I fell apart. I was thinking about what happened for the first time.

I was the one who was working all over a year anticipating the opportunity.

I was the one who bought a portable Dvd to show my reel.

He never cared.

He always was so insecure that if I didn’t pushed him he would not have gone.

Why?

I filled my head with so many ideas, envyness and fantasies that I forgot to keep going. I was absolutely sure that one contest was the most important chance I would ever have in my whole life.

I convinced myself to the bones it was my fault.

You know? We always hear about naysayers: You can´t, there is no way, it´s not possible. But I learned that sometimes the tallest walls are the ones we build ourselves.

It took me a couple of years to close that gap, and to accept the fact that even if you do your best, probably you are not going to get the results you want, so you can either make up your mind and quit or try it anyway, even knowing this beforehand.

If I had the chance to go back in time to talk to my younger self I would say:

You are better than this.

It’s ok to cry if you want.

Don’t you ever give someone else the power to tell you this is not your thing, including yourself in your worst moments [Tweet this]

Life is to short to not do what you love.

PS. Thank you very much for reading! If you got any value out of this, I’d really appreciate it if you hit the recommend button (the little heart). Feel free to add your comments, I`ll be very happy to read them.

PPS. Follow me on Twitter and Instagram, and enjoy my animations on Vine

PPSS. Support me on Patreon

The Worst Mistake I have made as an Artist was originally published in The Creative Typewriter on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.