Your personal interests are relevant in your business
May 18th, 2010 by Agent Kevin Miller
Yesterday I co-hosted a podcast with Justin Lukasavige with the headline of "Community…it's the only way."
We talked about the dire need in today's marketplace to attract and nurture a 'community' surrounding your product or service. And that no matter what your product or service, you can develop an avid following and have deep relationships that pay off for your biz and are a blessing to your life.
It's a great opportunity, and a must.
If you are in biz already, or looking to be…listen to it here.
But during the session I talked about personal interest being a relevant draw. A great example is Gary Vaynerchuk of Wine Library TV. He's talking about…wine. That's his product. But he's a rabid New York Jets fan and showcases them in his videos and talks about them in nearly every video. And it's helped do two things:
- Draw a crowd of other Jets and football fans and even just sports fans in general as they feel a kindred spirit,
- Draw folks into knowing him more personally, and going beyond the product (wine) and into personal relationship
So for you…regardless of your product or service, you need to be talking about your personal interests and connecting with people who share the same interests…plus just connecting with folks in general on a personal nature.
I can't tell you how much benefit I've gained in my businesses and personally by sharing my interests surrounding family, wine & coffee, adventure, hiking, running, Rocky mountains, cycling, anti-media and more. You end up connecting with folks. And here is an important caveat: what if someone finds out things about you that they DON'T like?! Well…great! You don't need to be in relationship with anyone who doesn't like you…right? If you think being a vegetarian is anti-American and just plain wrong…then you might as well know now that I am one and quit wasting your time listening to me (all my love to my carnivorous friends).
*That's me a couple weeks ago taking a candid shot with the bear that's been frequenting our Rocky Mountain home. I adore these mountains.
It's about you being real. Being personal. Building relationship. THIS…is where business and the marketplace is at today.
As we stressed in the podcast I mentioned above…just talking about your product or service is not enough.
What then are your interests that you can share and talk about with your audience? Family, sports, adventure, hobbies…? Know them. Share them. It's not vain or narcissistic. It's about making friends.



