I’m not saying you should worry what people think about you; what I’m saying is don’t underestimate how important it is for people to like you.
Just be yourself, but be likable. And if you’re not likable by nature, learn how to be likable.
Opportunity isn’t just knocking…sometimes it’s kicking down your door
Posted on February 21, 2012 // Leave a Comment
Some of last year's stress was figuring out where to get business from, how to formulate an effective proposal, how to communicate the value of the service and how to toe the line between asking for the sale and avoiding the hard sell. Each of these challenges were stressful and required a lot of trial and error. These challenges were also enormous hurdles to driving revenue.
This year has been different.
- After reframing my conversation from Social Media to Social Business I've had better conversations that more effectively communicate our service offering, and our prospects are now asking for next steps.
- After putting in years of hard work, learning, reading and tinkering, it's getting easier to explain things, hence my proposals are hitting the mark and we're closing more business.
- After spending time building and nurturing relationships, caring about other people's businesses, and empathizing with other people's life situations I've built a strong network of wonderful people who support me and refer me constantly–literally multiple times per week.
This year the struggle is different. The life cycle of my company is now about learning to grow. There comes a point where there isn't enough time to service clients while continuing to build a pipeline.
Don't get me wrong, it's a great problem to have, but it's still a problem.
This year, opportunity is kicking my door in, now I just have to figure out what to do about it.
Hard Work, Patience and a Strong Network.
Posted on February 6, 2012 // Leave a Comment
Sometimes it feels like we're moving in slow motion and other times the speed of light. Between the ups and downs there are these moments where it helps to step back and look at the big picture.
I started my business in March of 2011. There were times where I thought I'd never get the business off of the ground. I thought I'd have to crawl back to the workforce, tail between my legs. I saw opportunities go by, I gave pitches that fell flat, I wrote proposals that missed the mark.
As with everything else, if you want to achieve greatness, it's going to take work. I love what I do and even though I've not yet achieved my ultimate goals, I'm proud to say that I made it through some slow times, I fought through doubt, and my patience is paying off.
2012 has started off with a bang and I'm sincerely grateful for the incredible number of referrals I've gotten this year alone. As hard as I work at doing what I do, I know that without an incredible network, my business would be nowhere. I want to thank you once again to everyone that has supported this vision, that believes in the work I'm capable of doing and has referred me to others.
When you are running full speed, stop to take a breath. When you are moving at a crawl, thoughts jumbled, productivity at a halt, stop to think about where you are going. Be patient, because if you set your mind to something and are willing to fight through the ups and downs, you have a great chance of getting there.
