Do your friends really know what you do for a living?

by Jim Cathcart, founder of Cathcart Institute, Inc.

When my friend called and asked for a referral to someone who could deliver a keynote speech for his company's convention I was stunned. He wasn't aware of the fact that for 30 years I have been a professional speaker! He knew I wrote books and consulted with companies in helping them to grow, but he wasn't aware of the biggest part of my career; professional speaking. One visit to my website, www.cathcart.com, would have quickly shown him that I was a member of the Professional Speaker Hall of Fame, past president of the National Speakers Association and had received the Cavett Award and the Golden Gavel Award as one of the top speakers internationally. What a wake up call to me! I now make it a point to tell my friends what I do.

How many of your friends, neighbors and family members could accurately describe what you do for a living and how well you do it?

We spend so much time around those closest to us that we often assume they know much more about us than they do. I think it is a good idea to keep our friends informed. We join networks and attend functions in order to connect with prospects and discover opportunities, but do we provide overviews and orientations for those closest to us?

In an effort to keep you aware of my "news" I will be adding an announcement section to The Acorn Letter. The usual message will still be there for you and you can scroll right past my news if you aren't interested in it, but at least I'll know that I shared the latest information with you.

I encourage you to do something similar with your circle of relationships. Just start asking if they'd be interested in learning about what you do or can do for others. The most likely people to send you opportunities are those who already know and care about you. Keep them up to date.