What could happen if you made a commitment to reconnecting with just a few of your former prospects or customers every day?

If your experience is anything like mine, you will get luckier, smarter, and happier.

I’ve recently been building a daily habit of reaching out to at least 3 prospects or customers – all randomly chosen.

What I’m discovering is simple.

When you start connecting (or reconnecting) the dots of your relationships, the past, present, and future magically merge together into one productive ecosystem. 

And it is one that readily gets everything in your business (and life) working for the better. Here’s how it works.

Actions Make You Luckier

It is commonly assumed that luck is a matter of coincidence.

So, to improve your luck you only need to increase your chances for connecting with those coincidental opportunities by more frequently being in the right place at the right time.

Since nobody knows where luck will strike, the solution is to be in more places, with the hope of intersecting with the right the opportunities.

This is one of the benefits of having an extensive social network.

Unfortunately, networks only provide the potential for opportunities. They need to be activated, and that requires intention and action. Many have the right intentions but fall short of their objectives by not taking the necessary actions.

The truth is any action is better than none. If you are trying to connect with a lost customer, any effort brings you closer to a result – even if it is a rejection. If that happens, you know to redirect your efforts elsewhere.

Do you know how many times I was rejected this week?  None.

More than likely you will discover your actions will build bridges that get your network working for you – one connection leads to another or to a new idea.

For example, this week I landed a new speaking engagement. Since I had previous experience with the organization, it was easy for me to slide into what happened to be the last remaining slot.

Did I luck out or simply find myself in the right place at the right time because I was actively connecting the dots?

Connectivity Makes You Smarter

Last week a speaker bureau called to recommend me for a new opportunity. I was appreciative and sent a thank you note after returning home.

A few days later I received an email from them about another opportunity. Coincidence? Not likely.

Every action is a seed – and you never know when or where they will sprout, but you can increase your odds by planting lots of them.

Here’s what’s interesting. I did not have a presentation that was right for this particular audience. So, I repositioned one of my most popular programs to adapt it to their limitations with respect to technology.

After sending it along, it occurred to me it would be a good fit for another organization I was currently working with. And that was the program chosen by the aforementioned organization that had only one speaking slot to fill before finalizing their convention line-up.

That was a coincidence, but more importantly it was one that made me smarter. It awakened me to refreshing my educational programs to better align with the changing needs of my clients.

When you start connecting more of the dots in your life you get smarter about responding to feedback you receive  - regardless of whether that feedback is positive or negative. 

Connecting the dots is realizing that one connection leads to another. One inquiry unfolds to open another door. One action makes you smarter for the next opportunity, and all of it makes you one lucky guy or gal.

To put this into perspective, here is a graphic from my LinkedIn profile that gives you a sense of how hundreds of connections lead to thousands upon thousands.

Productivity Makes You Happier

My little project is taking on a life of its own, and that is breathing new life into my work.

I don’t know about you but I accomplish more when my head is in the right place. Getting excited about one success brings the right kind of energy to the next opportunity.  And if that one happens to be a failure, its nevertheless that much easier to keep a positive focus if you have a practice in place to build on the successes.

The key is to all of this seems to be tracking your progress, which is a form of actively connecting the dots.

Productive habits are tough to build, but the happiness that is derived from them makes the effort worthwhile.

Are you familiar with the expression “go with the flow?” It’s a habit, although not necessarily a productive one because you are subject to any number of random circumstances that will arise along the course of that metaphorical river.

If you really want to improve your luck and run a smarter business, you have to change its course by connecting all of the dots that got you here.

They are the ones that will productively lead you to the new opportunities that will make for a happier existence.

I’d really like to hear from you, either in a comment below or on your favorite social network.  You can reach the most popular ones with one of the share buttons below. 

Until next time, Jeff

Photo Credit: krishnan