Stop Networking, Start Building Relationships

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What's up, Lemon Heads?
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Welcome to another episode of From the Yellow Chair.
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I am Crystal, and today we're talking about one of my very most favorite things, and that is community.
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And so when we are talking about building community, we are talking about something that's really hard to do.
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It's really hard to do to build community inside your business.
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It's really hard to build community outside of your business.
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But let's talk about ways that we can dive into our community and build a brand that people really are not expecting.
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Okay?
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Let's let's just talk through about how we can really make our brand become a household name.
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Let's do it, get settled, let's dip some lemonade.
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So being known locally matters.
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It matters that people know who you are, that people know your face, that people know your team, that people understand what you do.
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Now, more than ever, even though I've been preaching this for six years, now more than flipping ever, is it important that you get your brand up out of your office, out of a service truck, and into your community.
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You can't just advertise everywhere and not have some sort of show up.
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Okay.
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We got to show up, friends.
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We must.
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And so I think what we have to get our minds wrapped around here is that showing up no longer is a non-negotiable.
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It's no longer something that really makes you different.
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It does make you different, but honestly, it's in a different way.
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I know I'm talking out of both sides of my mouth here, but you know, everybody's starting to get the picture of what we've been preaching for six years.
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And that is that with the evolution of AI tools, whether you like that or not, some of you just rolled your eyes and that's okay.
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Um, I would roll my eyes too if it was hard.
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But AI has constantly been telling us what people uh in your community have already been feeling, and that is that they you can't be the one that says you are the best HVAC plumbing, roofing, pest control company.
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That's great.
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I can call myself the best podcaster if I want to.
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It's getting other people to agree with that statement that is imperative to your growth.
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It is imperative that you as a business owner understand how the internet game is changing, how the relationship world is changing, how people are choosing, their vendors are changing, how it is all changing.
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It's not 1999.
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Heck y'all, it's not 2010, it's not 2023.
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It is off to the races.
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So when you're taking a lot of advice from the OGs, the people that built companies in the 90s and early 2000s, kudos.
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They were killing it then.
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But you need to take those core principles and now you need to adapt them to things that are new.
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You hate you cannot rest on things that were.
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You can learn from and build from things that were, because a lot of those are good core components of running a good business.
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But the marketing game, it is all flipped around on its head.
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It is flipped upside down and backwards.
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It could win the Olympics for breakdancing.
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Okay?
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It could.
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So this is your call to action here is look up and pay attention that community involvement and user-generated content is where you have to start placing content.
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So let's start out by going places in our communities that your customers are already there.
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So most of us are after women, right?
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Because women are being the more decision makers.
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Guess where women are?
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They're at the sports complexes, they're at the schools, they're in the nonprofits, and they're at local events.
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Therefore, where should you be?
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Hello, you should be at those events, right?
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Guys, we need tents and we need tablecloths and we need swag because we need to be out there in Crystal's famous saying, shaking hands, kissing babies, and flipping petting dogs.
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That's what we got to be doing, friends.
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And if you're not willing to do it, you need to get somebody on your team that is.
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Get a team of them for all I care.
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But sitting back, like, eh, that's not really me.
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Well, is making is money making money for you.
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Because listen, no longer is it an option.
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I'm telling you, I'm almost pleading with you to understand the importance of community involvement at this stage.
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Okay.
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Also, pick causes that you can support in the nonprofit world that fit your brand.
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Don't just write a check and sit a logo and stuff.
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If that's the bare minimum I can get out of you, I'll take it.
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But it's piss poor because really, like, look at your life and be like, you know what affects me?
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My husband is a disabled veteran and African American.
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Okay.
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Three unique things that we could plug into.
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My grandpa wasn't a retired sailor.
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My other grandpa committed suicide in 2014.
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We lost my grandmother on my mom's side to dementia Alzheimer's.
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My kids love golf and have played golf their entire life.
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If you evaluated your companies as a whole, what causes are important to you as a family?
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And then also what are what is also industry appropriate?
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So, you know what most of you need to be doing?
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What are y'all doing with Habitat for Humanity?
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What are y'all doing for homeless veterans?
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What are we doing for in the summertime when elderly people don't have access to circulating air?
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You're a plumber, what are you doing when there's no fresh water and there's problems?
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What are you doing when there's no water fountain set up for homeless people?
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What are you doing when you have access and your generosity could come through?
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And for generosity means different things for different people.
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If you're a small young company, generosity may be in your personal time, maybe it's not any money.
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But those of you that are running fiscally healthy, it is our responsibility to feed back into our communities.
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But let's pick things that you're naturally passionate about.
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Are you naturally make a connection with because then it's easier to do?
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Are you a foster kid?
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Do you fall?
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Do you take care of foster kids?
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What about kids that are in adoption?
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What about sexually abused kids?
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What about physically abused animals and animal shelters?
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Something resonates with you, friends.
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Let's lean in.
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Let's lean into that, right?
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And then on that same vein, let's get our team involved.
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Let's show people how they can give back.
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You know, studies have shown over and over again that millennials and Gen Zs that are in our workforce right now, one of the biggest components of their workplace happiness is a sense of giving back and belonging.
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So what a good opportunity to encourage people to, hey, you know what?
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This Saturday, we're gonna go volunteer at the food bank.
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We're gonna pick up litter, we're gonna play with dogs, we're going to deliver cat food, whatever it takes.
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We're gonna build a house with habitat for humanity.
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Take your flipping team.
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Now we are serving our community and we're building culture and we are making waves in our community and starting a trend.
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Make you go viral for that.
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Go viral for things that build up your community.
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That's what I want to encourage you to do because that is brand building and that is relationship building.
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Okay.
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Not listen, some of us want things to be so easy and we just want to write checks.
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That is not it, no longer is that going to be how we can survive.
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But look for ways to help.
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Not everything has to have my logo in six foot letters, okay?
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But am I gonna make the most of every opportunity?
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Absolutely.
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Because let me tell you what I'm gonna do.
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I'm going to show that we volunteered with that organization and I'm gonna tell other people how they can get involved with that organization, and I'm gonna challenge other people to get involved.
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So is it a little pat on the back to our team?
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Yes, it is.
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And I mean for it to be because I want my community to know that I'm giving back to the people where the places that they live, work, and play in.
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I want them to know.
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But I also want to encourage people to be an active solution to the problems and needs in their community.
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Okay.
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Also, build relationship with community leaders.
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Go shake hands with the superintendent, athletic director, the mayor, the city manager, the people over the boys and girls club, the people over the homeless shelter.
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Go make connections.
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Stop sitting at your desk pouring over everything all the time of equipment pricing and HR playbooks.
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Is that vitally important?
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Yes, but can you make room to be an active, involved person in your community?
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I think you can.
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I think you can.
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Okay.
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Give people a reason to talk about you, friends.
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Give away a new roof to a veteran.
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Show up and fill classrooms and fill one of our clients, Eminem Roofing.
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They didn't just they didn't do a teacher wish list.
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They stopped the teacher's lounge at a certain school, right?
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But when you do this, it gives people a reason to talk about you.
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We need more people saying what we want to say about ourselves.
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So you got to do something to make people do it, right?
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You don't have to say yes to everything.
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Establish your rules early.
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Get a landing page on your website that says crystals heating and air supports, Alzheimer's awareness, and things that support family and children and food insecurities in our market.
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That way, when the local basketball team wants to come in, it doesn't serve one of those two per um reasons, one of those two models.
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So it allows you to say no if you need to, right?
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But go ahead and determine the types of organizations that you're gonna support and then put it out there for people to know.
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Make a form where people have to apply for your support so that you can evaluate your options and make good choices.
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Okay.
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Guys, you don't have to say yes to everything.
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We need to say yes.
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Sometimes we have to say no to good things to say yes to great things, right?
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But I implore you today, build a brand and a name that people recognize and know.
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Get up, move around, go to that chamber breakfast, go to that ribbon cutting, take business cards, shake hands, kiss babies, and pet dogs.
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All right, Lemonheads, you heard it from me today on From the Yellow Chair.
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Now it's time for you to get up and get out and go do something this week that challenges you, that builds your brand.
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Take a look at your community and ask yourself where could I be showing up more?
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Pick out one local organization or partnership, go own it, get involved, and you know what?
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Go on the day.