Monday, March 24, 2008

Our 100 people can sustain us

Think of your wedding, bar mitzvah, or other large reunion you attended. Now, think of your local coffee shop. Now, with the coffee shop, the people that show up every day are typically local, they can walk/bike/drive there in a few minutes. You don't need a lot of people to support a coffee shop, just a few dedicated folks who show up regularly, or a large number of people who show up less frequently. It's a numbers game.

Now, think of all the real estate agents you know. Think of all the massage therapists you know, the hair stylists, or even general contractors you know. They share the same pool of people, really. And that pool is pretty much capable of sustaining them if they are good at what they do.

I submit that if you are good at what you do and can convince your network of people that they need what you have to offer, you can support yourself.

I sold cars for 2 years and toward the end of that run I had a fairly steady stream of repeat or referral customers. In 2 more years I could likely sustain myself just on those customers rather than relying on the dealership's advertising or new customers off the street.

In time, with some targeted marketing and some realtime examples of your service or products, you should be able to get enough income from the people you know to be able to no longer rely on the people you don't to sustain you.

To that end, I would like to officially post my own services and ask that you, dear member of my 100 person team of sustainability, help me along in my right livelihood. In exchange for that help, I will help you with your right livelihood.
Deal?

Me, I am an energy and sustainability consultant for homes, condos, and small businesses. I help people understand their living and working spaces as comprehensively as possible, and then I work with you to improve the energy efficiency of those spaces. I can help with lighting, appliances, internal air quality, energy usage and waste, water usage and waste, recycling, renewable energy projects and upgrades. If you need home energy consulting, let me know and I'll send you our survey and we'll put you on the calendar. If you know anyone else who needs the service, tell them about me and we'll get together and see if we're a good fit. It's a 30 minute free consultation.

My other service is Energy Efficient Car Consulting and Brokering. With my experience in the car sales world, I can help you navigate the choppy waters of car buying and selling with a focus on moving you toward the maximum fuel efficiency possible within your budget. I'm independent, I walk my talk, and I know both sides of the equation. If you are looking for a new energy-efficient car for yourself or know of a friend or family member that is, let me know. 3o minute free consultations as well.

There you go. From you, go ahead and post a similar paragraph-long explanation of what you do, or email me the same. I'll put it in my database and if I find someone looking for your service or product, I'll send them your way. I bet that if everyone did this same kind of direct offer of their product or service to their own network (and did so with vigor and intent), we'd also help the planet by keeping our money local and making our community stronger.

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