Consistently show up. Especially when things are falling apart and every part of you wants to bail, as that’s when true growth happens.
1. Look WithinIn the overcrowded market, how do you engage customers? It’s tempting to compare yourself against your competitors, though change starts with you.
“Change starts with you but it doesn’t start until you do.” –Tom Ziglar
Be yourself and tap into your own intuition to do what’s right for you — not for everyone else. What can do first to improve yourself and in turn, your company?
2. Alignment in Action
Is everyone on the same page and aligned on the company’s mission?
Is everyone talking about your product and/or service in the same way?
When everyone is aligned and working together, there are greater synergies that can be realized. It feels like less effort because everyone is doing their part to work smarter and work better, together.
3. Stay Relevant and Responsive
What changes are impacting your business? How well are you serving your target market?
Immersing yourself in your client’s world is the best way to understand what they see, hear and feel. Thereby, also putting yourself in a better situation to serve their needs. Can you spend time with your clients in their environment?
“Proximity is Power” — Tony Robbins
What is happening in your clients’ industries? Are there trends that are impacting their businesses? Can you create a safe community for people to talk about their problems and offer solutions to directly help your clients?
Acknowledging the problem in context of the bigger picture is a powerful step to move forward. People want to be seen and heard and if you can create relationships based on trust and authenticity, the results will follow. Even more impactful, people want to feel as though they have contributed to the solution. How can you get better at gathering feedback to quickly respond to your target market’s needs?
If you aren’t staying current in adapting to market changes, your target audience will likely find other companies who will be more responsive to their needs.
4. Listen and Observe
How about observing and seeing your clients in a different way? From Chris Voss’ book, Never Split The Difference, using the questions ‘how’ and ‘what’ instead of ‘why’ can calibrate questions. For example, asking your client, “What about this works?” or “How can we solve this problem?” or “How can we improve?” and truly listening to their answers will make the other side feel more seen and heard. As much as possible, being attentive and present, maintaining eye contact (if you are having a face-to-face conversation) and listening to their words without interrupting can help foster effective relationships. Just give it a go, it doesn’t need to be perfect. See how much better you get with every opportunity to practice!
5. Empathetic Energy
How can YOU be the person to create more authentic conversations with your clients? What if you were to just focus on your client’s problems instead of worrying about your own? How would that change your focus, mindset and energy?
This has been a huge shift and lesson for me, as I write this post and have the opportunity to reflect. In the midst of pitching for new business, I have been lost in the ‘doing’, instead of just ‘being’.
It’s tricky to see our blindspots. If you think of any high performance athlete, they have a coach to help them grow and excel. Consider seeking an outside perspective from a coach to point out problems that you may not be able to see. This can be the most amazing gift to your business to take it to the next level!
I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments below! Thank you for reading.
To your success! 🙂