In a recent post on Technosailor, Aaron Brazell discussed the recent SXSW (South by Southwest) event that is a gathering for creative people in the advertising and marketing world.

What I loved about Aaron’s post was his observation about the various kinds of people who attend this annual event.

Year 1 attendees . . . they walk around like high school freshmen with wide eyes, taking in everything but definitely looking kind of lost at the same time.

Year 2 attendees . . . they’re like the sophomores —  increasingly sophisticated and full of youthful energy that isn’t overly focused.  They now understand some things they want to do and they work their buns off to ‘make the rounds’ of all the events and attend all the parties they can.  (Sounds like a frentic sprint to some nebulous finish, doesn’t it?)

Year 3 attendees . . . these are the ‘graduates’!  Here’s what Aaron wrote about them: “Year 3 . . . is less about meeting everyone and doing everything than spending time building on the relationships that matter most. This means long lunches, and maybe avoiding the “meat market” networking parties in favor of smaller, intimate settings.”

Interesting.  The ‘seasoned’ people aren’t running around loose as loons . . . they’re carefully selecting which people offer them the most durable and valuable relationships . . . and they’re investing their time and attention with them.

The old expression, “You can’t be all things to all people” is evident in the way the ‘seasoned’ attendees choose to participate. 

In your business . . . being equally selective in who you choose to develop a long-term relationship with is the mark of a seasoned business owner or professional who is often known as a ‘Rainmaker’.  

I hope you take a lesson from the students who grow from gawky freshmen to sophisticated seniors.  

The best relationship builders in any business or professional practice are those who honor QUALITY over QUANTITY in their relationships with prospects, clients and centers-of-influence.

Think about it.  More importantly, do so something with this insight!

I just read a post by my friend and mentor, John Jantsch — founder of Duct Tape Marketing.

He’s a regular contributor on OPEN FORUM from AMERICAN EXPRESS — a valuable small business blog.

John made several suggestions to get the economy going again:

1. fund the SBCD and SCORE chapters in every community possible
2. create legislation that encourages private capital being made available for entrepreneurial ventures
3. eliminate the ‘red tape’ and bureaucratic hassles that smaller employers must navigate to hire new staff
4. fix the healthcare access issue that cause many people to remain in positions that don’t leverage their talents

John’s thinking is pretty good. 

Here’s what I posted in return:

John, you make some good points.

Experience with the recent government intervention in the economy — from all parties — suggests that special interests will always seek to benefit at the expense of the general interest. Being a realist then, means adopting the adage that, “if it’s going to be, it’s up to ME” (Yes, Mr. or Mrs. or Miss Small Business owner — the economic backbone of the whole danged shootin’ match!)

Each person on main street or facebook or whatever . . . needs to go back to the value proposition that got us here in the first place . . . i.e. know WHO wants WHAT and HOW to give it to them.

I can’t recall a single business that failed . . . because it created and distributed value to a marketplace that cared to have it.

Maybe we need to re-mind ourselves of this more often. And, rather than wait for some kind of help from Washington, DC . . . just get on with the doing what we small business people do best . . . create value, market it effectively and profit as a result!

In a former life, I was a pilot.  And one of the lessons I learned while learning to fly an aircraft is that the ATTITUDE of my aircraft would determine the ALTITUDE I would reach.

Without getting overly technical, this ‘rule’ only works when there’s adequate forward thrust.  But I digress . . . ‘-)

How does this apply to you and your business?  Simple.  Your mental attitude also has a lot to do with the success you’ll achieve for your business.

And, just as the ‘drag’ or friction factor can compromise an aircraft’s ability to fly, an “I can’t” attitude can compromise your  businesss’ performance faster than you can say, “MAYDAY, MAYDAY, MAYDAY”.

Here’s a quick video that I feel makes some good points you can use to keep your head on straight — afterall, in turbulence, when you’re the pilot, it is your responsibility to keep ‘flying the aircraft’.  I hope you remember to keep ‘running the business’ — no matter what’s going on in the economy.  

Remember . . . FLY YOUR AIRCRAFT!