It is a natural human desire to be liked by other people. Female entrepreneurs may hold themselves back because we don’t want to face the fear of rejection. It doesn’t have to be that way. Hearing ‘no’ is a natural part of doing business. Not everyone wants or needs our services. It’s never personal.
I remember being upset when someone unsubscribed to my newsletters even though the percentage of those opting out was tiny compared to those who were subscribing, opening, reading and responding to my messages. As human beings and entrepreneurs we sometimes overlook the positives. Because we love our creative work we tend to protect it from rejection. It is great to establish safety for ourselves in the beginning of the creative process, provided we don’t allow the safety to prevent us from steeping big when we are ready to do so.
“I recently read a quote from Esther Dyson (a commentator on cyber businesses) who stated “I worry about something I call Mental Diabetes Type 2, a lack of ability to think in a concentrated fashion over a period of time.”
WOW! That’s a pretty strong statement and one that bears some attention not only from a “self” perspective and ensuring you stay focused, but also from a “client” perspective and keeping them engaged amidst a world of distractions (more on that next week).”
This blog focuses on how you, the business owner, keep your client’s attention in a world of constant distractions.
When we want to get to the next level of success in our business, before we take outer action, it is important to make internal changes. These changes will allow us to move forward faster by supporting us to take internally inspired action. There is an abundance of beliefs we hold about ourselves that determine our success or failure.
When making these changes, we need to examine our internal beliefs. If we have limiting beliefs, we first need to clear them before we can succeed. For example, the belief that no one wants what you offer is connected to being able to acknowledge the value of what you offer. Changing this unsupportive belief into “I share my gifts with the world, and the world benefits in these ways…” will support your business success in an immeasurable way.
I recently needed to contact a vendor regarding a delivery question. Without naming names, I can tell you that the vendor is a small business and I do a not-insignificant amount of business with them.
The person who answered the phone (not the owner) sounded as if my call were an interruption in her day (ever have this happen to you?). She was not pleasant and wanted to get me off the phone as quickly as possible. She was able to answer my question and off I went – not feeling appreciated and not feeling valued.
When you start working with a new one-on-one or high-end client you want to set the scene for your relationship together and make them feel that they really have made the right choice in deciding to work with you – even though YOU know that they have!
Whether you’re a coach, VA, or other service professional when you work one-on-one with your high-end clients you need to develop the “VIP experience” so that your clients feel that they are more than “just another client”. This goes beyond the professional, courteous, customer service that is part of your business but extends into the “experience” of your business – it’s about how you make your clients feel and the experience they get as a result of working with you.
I’ve recently run into an interesting dilemma — will my loyalty to Apple win out against my disgust with AT&T?
I admit it. I’m been a lifelong Apple lover. My parents bought the family an Apple 2E in high school. (Remember those)? The first computer I bought was a Mac Classic. I own an iPod, not a MP3 player.
It’s Apple all the way. There’s been no turning back for me.
So of course I’ve been salivating to get my hands on an iPhone. However, to get an iPhone means I need to do business with AT&T.
Everyone talks about creating win-win situations but I’ve found that if you look deeply there’s a third win. One of the things that I really love about offering DiSC® in my business is that there are always three wins when working with my clients:
Win One – My clients win. The people that have hired me, either an individual business owner or someone within an organization, win because they’re able to get greater results after gaining a greater understanding of their behavior and the behavior of others.
If you find yourself missing out on potential clients, contacts falling through the cracks, or not following up in a timely manner then your problem is simply a lack of an efficient contact management system!
So let me ask you:
1. Do you have a record of each of your clients/colleagues contact data, i.e. name, address, email, website, phone number etc.?
2. Are you following up efficiently and effectively when a potential client enquires about your services/programs?
3. Do you have a specific process in place for handling new client enquiries?
Everyone loves a surprise and you can certainly delight your clients and prospects if you surprise them once in a while.
If you’ve been building a mailing list that includes the regular postal address for your clients and prospects it is very easy to send them a surprise. (Email just doesn’t have the same effect.)
Some ideas: a gift certificate during the off-season, a useful premium with your name on it (like a pen or bookmark), a greeting card, a thank you note, a birthday card, an anniversary card, a gift card, candy, brownies, goodies of all kinds.
In this video Lisa Rae Preston and I discuss how to create a thriving fan base that gobbles up everything you have to offer. It examines the success of romance novelist Marcia Lynn McClure and her old fashioned romance novels as an example of personality driven marketing.
