Letting people know who you are takes a lot of hard work. It will not come easy as you will have to attend many events, be active in your community but beyond those activities that are family related. Attend events that are put on by local Chambers, service organizations, city, and many others. Be in places where people can see you being active, not just someone that is there for the visibility. There is a fine line between attending and being actively involved. If the group needs help with the clean-up, take time to pitch in, you will be noticed. Have you ever been to an event where a lot of people show up for a short while and then duck out before the end? These people are there to be seen but they are not the people that will help get the work done.

Be known as a doer. From my own experience, if an organization, whether I belong or not, needs some extra hands to do something I normally say I will help. This gives me further recognition in the group and they remember who I am the next time they see me at an event. I did this recently for a Chamber event where they needed people to direct traffic in the parking lot for a Circus event they were sponsoring. I had fun, saw the circus, and got recognition at the next Chamber event.

Do not be afraid to offer your time whether you feel you have the time or not. You will reap far more than you will be giving. As a general rule, most of us value our time with family and our work and often forget to lend a hand to others in the process. Helping others will certainly go a long way to helping you, take time, put in the effort, and be known for action above self.

Often helping at an event is an immediate need, you will need to be flexible with your time and jump in where possible. If you are looking to making a solid business relationship, offering your time freely will go a long way. Just go to anyone's party and look around to see who offers to help with things and who does not. Which person would you like to do business with?

Bette Daoust, Ph.D. is a speaker, author (over 170 books, articles, and publications), and consultant. She has provided marketing, sales, business development and training expertise for companies such as Peet's Coffee & Tea, Varian Medical Systems, Accenture, Avaya, Cisco Systems to name a few. Dr. Daoust has also done extensive work with small businesses in developing their marketing, training, and operational plans. You may contact Dr. Daoust at http://BizMechanix.com You may also view her latest publications at http://BlueprintBooks.com Dr. Daoust also writes for the National Networker http://theNationalNetworker.com

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