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Ok, I’ll admit it.  I was a lawyer once.  That’s right.  And not just a lawyer.  I was a litigator.  An insurance defense litigator.  Anyone still with me?  Mom?

 

But when it became apparent that this was not my passion, I began to talk to anyone in any profession who would talk to me about what they loved/hated about their vocations.

 

After some time, I began to hone in on marketing/PR/communications.  I loved that these professionals felt they were “building something” everyday (and, eight years later, I have to agree with them.).

 

Another trend I noticed was that there tended to be two types of PR and communications people:  the writers and the networkers.  A wise PR executive who had been with the same major league baseball team for almost three decades confirmed this for me, telling me that, in the end, it’s all about relationships.  The man lives it every day, and he’s a legend for it.

 

Well, that lesson isn’t just for PR pros.

 

The good people of the title and settlement services industry know this.  They live it every day.  Not all of them believe in technology, and a few may even believe the world is flat (I kid.  I kid because I care!), but you won’t find one who doesn’t do everything in his/her power to maintain relationships.

 

Never has this been more evident than in the past six months.  A lot of good, experienced executives have found themselves in new job circumstances.  Some after decades with the same firm.  And I have to say that I have a new respect for this industry as I watch how these bright folks attack these trying circumstances.  While I watch others in different industries, in essence, wallow in unemployment and regret when faced with joblessness, I see veterans of 20 and 30 years in the title space pulling themselves up by the bootstraps.   They’re making space for their talent, rather than spending more time in front of the DVR checking out Idol.  (Because God knows we need even more Idol viewers out there.)

 

And as a result, we’re seeing a lot of new companies.  I’d put money on quite a few of them succeeding.

 

Now this isn’t a blog about the power of small business (already been there).  Nor on the power of people (already done that).  It’s just a sledgehammer-subtle reminder that you can brand all you want (if you think “branding” just means a marketing slick).  You can buy advertising.  You can send sales letters.  But business begins with those you know.  With your network.  That’s why suddenly the title industry has converged on Facebook, LinkedIn and even Twitter.

 

It’s why my phone is ringing.  It’s why I’m hearing from old friends, old acquaintances and even people I didn’t think knew me.  Because the size and quality of one’s network is the first step in building again.  And people do, indeed, remember who remembered them when they were starting over.  Very vividly, in fact.

 

So whether you prefer the telephone, a courier pigeon, a fax, or even a face-to-face visit with a box of donuts tucked under your arm (where this is allowed), or whether you’d rather “tweet” a multi-media message from your iPhone, it doesn’t matter.  What matters is the quality of your communication, and the caliber of your network. 

 

It’s where public relations really starts.  And it’s where business, at its very roots, gets started, too.