Is Your Account in Overdraft?

How are your relationships doing in this economy? Have you "over-spent" in the good times, cashing in on too many favours but not returning them when it was clearly needed? Did you make deposits steadily into your relationships while the economy was good or did you try to buy your way out of debt, because your business did well in the bull market without having to spend time on an activity without a clearly-defined ROI?

Well, my friend, these are the days of reckoning. The result of those actions will now become clear. If you are struggling in your business; if your business is floundering in these rough, economic times; if your client base has diminished; if you now need to re-invent the marketing wheel in order to find new ways to increase your client base.... then, you are overdrawn my friend.

If referrals are flowing in more than ever, because friends and colleagues want to ensure your business does well, then you have secured solid relationships, your 'savings' account is healthy and you have an excellent cash position.

What can you do today, to solidify relationships with those around you? It's not just what you know, and it's not just who you know, it's who you have given to and who you have served, that will make the world go around.

Think about it.

WHEN IN DOUBT....

When in doubt, Robert Fulghum's classic list, "All I Ever Really Needed to Know, I Learned in Kindergarten", is a pretty good rule of thumb. And I think everyone struggles with each one of those items from time to time.

There is one gem that has not made it to the list, however, and that's LISTEN. In order to get along with others, in order to create a Win Win situation in all levels of our life, we need to listen to what the other kids in the sandbox are trying to say. Only then, may we work together to build sandcastles that benefit everyone involved.

Relationship Marketing 101 ~ TIP #3

WHERE IS THE LOVE?

I was listening to The Black-eyed Peas' song, "Where is the Love?" this afternoon, and couldn't help but think of the connection to doing business. "What?", you say. "How can a song about war, terrorism, racial discrimination, the effect of war on children and so many more heavy topics have anything to do with me?"

Well, my friend, it has everything to do with you.

I feel the weight of the world on my shoulder
As I'm gettin' older, y'all, people gets colder
Most of us only care about money makin'
Selfishness got us followin' our wrong direction

Think to your own actions and how you conduct yourself during a sale. And don't get me wrong. If you are a parent, a teacher, a student, an employer, work on an assembly line, a supervisor, a human being ~ you are in sales. We all have opinions and ways of operating. We want others to follow our way of thinking and doing. How we conduct ourselves affects everyone else around us, whether we are an entrepreneur, a parent, or the newest entry-level employee in a company.

Having gotten the fact you are in sales out of the way, let's talk about what it is that you do.

How do you approach sales? Are you going to 'get' the sale, come hell or high water? Are you determined you are right about the issue? Do you have an agenda (x sales in x weeks or else)?

Now don't get me wrong. If you want a new sofa, you need to calculate how many sales (weeks of work) you need in order to afford it. That's one thing. But my question is if the money or the sale is the top issue on your mind? Or do you start your relationship with the client (child, student, teacher, employer, employee, etc.), developing rapport with them as your top priority?

Stats show (read the book, "Go for No") most sales are not made until the 5th time you contact the client. Selling is not a war, in which one side wins and the other side loses. Selling is a relationship-building exercise, not a drive-by, one-time event. So what are you doing during those initial contacts to nurture the relationship with your prospects? Our actions, our gestures speak louder than words.

Let me leave you with this last thought:

When the economy is bad and times are tough, people’s true colours come out. What will your clients say about yours?