Become a Busness Magnet Step into the Spotlight!
By: Saralyn Collins
‘Cause all business is SHOW business!
That is the title of one of my favorite books by a Canadian colleague named Tsufit on how to stand out from the crowd and separate yourself from the competition. (You can certainly order it on Amazon and it is well worth it! Fast, easy read crammed with great ideas.)
Wait a minute – you DO know you have competition, don’t you? Surely you are not naïve enough to believe you are the only one who does what you do? OK, so you do it differently and no one is quite like you. I get it – but does the public?
And even if no one “does it” quite like you, there is competition for everyone’s time, attention, and money.
Your goal is to break out NOT blend in! Too many times I meet people at networking events who act as if they are trying to blend into the woodwork and maybe no one will notice them. Well, it works! Sorry, but I have little interest in possibly paying someone to help me solve a critical business need who has no confidence in his/her ability to solve those problems! If you know you provide a valuable solution to my need, then you have to act and look like it. That confidence has to show!
I certainly accept the fact that not everyone is as bold and outgoing as I am. OK, I’m loud and boisterous and I like to stand out! I admit it. I have never been a fan of “blending.”
The point: You may have a quieter, more subdued personality and not like to call attention to yourself. Sometimes I wish I knew how to do a better job at that.
But truthfully, if you are going to be really successful in business, I have three words for you: GET OVER IT! (Yes, I’m smiling as I type that – so don’t hand me the line, “Well that’s just the way I am!”) Here’s what I know for sure: All behavior is learned… so all behaviors can be changed or shifted or adjusted. All I’m asking is for you to acknowledge that maybe you need to learn how to stand out in a crowd by the way you act and the way you talk – especially if you are there to promote your business and attract possible customers.
Contrary to the promise of Field of Dreams, if you build it, people won’t necessarily come… unless you can quickly establish why you’re worthwhile – why you have the SOLUTIONS to their concerns, needs, desires. If what you’re offering doesn’t make an immediate impression, people will “vote” with their feet and move on to the next person who might grab and hold on to them with the right words and actions.
Remember the words to Bonnie Raitt’s great song – “Let’s give ‘em something to talk about!”
Whether you are introducing yourself at a networking event, or writing an article for your blog, interviewing for a job, trying to interest a potential customer, or make a presentation or speech, your success depends on how quickly you capture your target audience’s attention and interest. In the first 60 seconds or so, are they intrigued – do they pull in closer to hear better – do they look at you square in the face – do they WANT TO KNOW MORE? Or – do they shift their focus and try to get away?
People today are so busy, so involved, so bombarded with millions of bits of information, so many people pulling at them from every direction – how are YOU going to stand out in all that? If you don’t convince them in about 60 seconds that you KNOW what they need and that you have the SOLUTIONS for that need, then they will quickly move on.
Our goal in these articles and with the monthly Business Magnet workshop is to provide you with the ideas and strategies to become a “Business Magnet” in order to:
Attract the very people who need AND want what you offer
Who are willing AND able to pay for your product or services
Who so value what you do for them they become your “raving fans”
Then constantly tell others who also need and want…
“It is not crass to want to attract enough customers to earn a living or to have the life you want. It’s not shallow to make a name for yourself so that the people who need your help can find you.” (Tsufit)
Once you become a “business magnet” all this becomes possible. Join us at the workshop each month (3rd Thursday, July 19) Get info and register at www.wncwoman.com
If Saralyn can be of service to you and your business in any way, do not hesitate to contact her at 828-649-8011 or Saralyn@SaralynCollins.com.