Easy Doesn't Do It
Forget a quiet game of golf. Some folks make business networking a real adventure
Bill Hinz, the CEO of Western National Bank in Phoenix, excels at creating these kinds of experiences for his employees and clients. He and other members of the local Entrepreneurs Organization have mountain biked in Colorado, ocean kayaked in California, and shot along zip lines way above the jungle floor in Mexico. "When you push yourselves to the limit in these situations where you have to trust each other," Hinz says, "you break down barriers and can really talk about your business in a more in-depth way."
These situations also let you know quickly what a person is made of and if you want to do business with him or her. "I'll see someone fall off a wall and start yelling at their belayer and blaming the sun or the weather or the equipment instead of just admitting they need to focus better or practice more," says Forte. She will steer clear of that person both as a climbing buddy and as a business associate.
Similarly, Schaye says his rule is "on a long-distance ride, if I start with you, I finish with you. I don't leave anyone behind" when a tire pops, gears fail, or there's an injury. If fellow riders "leave you in the lurch to finish a bike ride, what are they going to do in a business situation when stuff really hits the fan?" he asks.
But aside from the character factor, there's also the sheer intensity of experience these sports provide. Between business and family obligations, overstretched executives feel guilty taking any recreational time out, even if they're mixing business with pleasure.
"Golf is structured in such a way that there is no chance anything incredible will happen during a round," says Hinz, so while he grew up playing the game in Arizona, he aims higher when he wants to impress someone. The CEO, whose bank puts together real-estate investment deals, brought several investors together last winter to buy land in Utah. To give them a look at the property, he flew them there in a small plane and had snowmobiles waiting. There was 3 feet of snow on the ground, and while it took these Sun Belt business people an hour or so to get the hang of the vehicles, once they did, "they were zipping around the property at 60 miles an hour and talking about it for days afterward," Hinz recalls. "I guarantee they'll be investors in anything else we do from now on."
It's become easier to do these activities in high-end ways that convey status and are gentle on the bones, both of which appeal to business people.
Andrea Nierenberg, the author of Million Dollar Networking and a consultant on building business relationships, routinely brings business cards with her when she hikes and-no surprise-has struck up several business relationships that way. But she usually does her trekking during spa weekends around the country.
When Hinz's group of entrepreneurs went to California last year, they spent their days ocean kayaking and hiking along seaside cliffs. But at night they rested their weary bones in featherbeds at the Ritz-Carlton, Half Moon Bay.
"I make it a point to budget a considerable amount of my income toward these activities," he says. "We're not trying to suffer; we're just trying to put together events that are active and memorable and amazing."
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