Are you a people person?

Yesterday, as Peleg and I were polishing up "Secrets of Successful Solopreneurs," our Day One presentation for the Creative Freelancer Conference   -- you can still attend, there's no outrageous "pay at the door" fee; so come on down Wednesday afternoon if you're in Chicago).

Anyway, as I was saying, we were making a list of qualities and characteristics of these successful solopreneurs and I suggested, "People People."

Peleg didn't really get it. Maybe because English isn't his first language.

What I was trying to say was that unless you're a people person (or "people people" in the plural) you'll probably have trouble with some of the techniques that work really well when marketing your own creative services. You know, like networking.

What do you think? Are you a people person? How important is it in building your business?

If you're not, what do you have to do to compensate?

Comments

[Amada López]

I don't consider myself a people person, I'm even a littel bit shy, and I get anxious just of thinking about a sales presentation... but something I've learned lately is that networking is not that hard to do. I'd been in a couple of events lately and I just talk with the persons who are by my side at the table or at the room, it is a casual chat, not thinking of making a sales presentation, but, eventually one thing takes to another and then there I am, talking about my work and what I do.

I guess it becomes easy since I don't consider this a sales presentation, but a more casual chatting.

And it works like charms because eventually the person I'm chatting with, ends knowing who I am, and what I do, and when she or someone she knows needs some webdesign, she already knows who to call. :)(I did get a couple of leads this way)

The secret: Not to think of business or making a sale; instead of that, I just get to know the other person, and let her/him get to know me and what I do, stablishing a person to person relationship.

Greetings from Monterrey, Mexico. :)

[Dani Nordin]

I don't know about others, but I've found that being a "people person" (which I am, by all accounts) has definitely had a huge impact on my success, not only in networking but in doing my research calls, blogging, and even project and client management.

That said, I don't know if this is exclusive to being an entrepreneur. Knowing how to talk to people and communicate on their level is an important skill to have, no matter what your career. For me, what makes me a natural entrepreneur is my desire to lead, and to carve my own path instead of following the herd.