Networking that Works! A TRUE Story!

I'm sure there are many people out there like me who sometimes wonder what good we're doing by "Paying it Forward." We often pass along someone's contact information, or sometimes include a partner or customer of ours in an e-mail blast and wonder if anything ever comes of it. I heard a story recently that PROVES that it worked, and sometimes it's just a matter of whether or not you know about it.

The case in point is an e-mail blast I did a while ago that featured the Vinsetta Grill in Royal Oak, Michigan. The e-mail was sent out on April 15, 2009, and I heard about it's impact on February 16, 2010. (Click here to see the original email.)

On February 16, I went to a speed networking event hosted by the Troy Chamber of Commerce and ran into Stephanie Holland of the Leukemia-Lymphoma Society. She coordinates the "Light the Night" event in Metro Detroit. I've known Stephanie for a couple of years, and she told me about how she never heard of the Vinsetta Grill until my e-mail blast about them. She's since had a few professional lunches there, and later the owners donated a gift certificate that Stephanie was able to use as a silent auction item at one of her events.

I thought it was a great story, and I wanted to share it here so that people will continue to "Pay it Forward" knowing that sometimes it really pays off!