1.Reach Out
Authentic relationships should be the most important thing you focus on in your business. Relationships will make or break your business and they are essentially the reason your customers keep coming back or are staying far away. Opportunities for your industry are all around you, but they start with simply conversations.
“You have to go into these relationships thinking, I’m not after anything from you. Because people will sniff those out fast. You have to go into it generally excited about what they are doing and just wanting to learn what they are doing, and opportunities will show up.”
— JASON MILLER
To broaden your horizons, reach out to those around you that are doing things they are passionate as well. Have coffee or lunch and get to know them and simply be about the relationship, not the sale that could happen down the road. The more connections you make, the more opportunities arise. Remember everyone has a story to tell and when we listen, we may be surprised where that path leads us.
2. Let them see the real you.
Your customers want to get to know the real you. Feeling genuine connection and building a relationship with you is why they keep coming back. Customers want to give their business to someone they know and trust, even if it means paying more. It’s more about the relationship and experience, than often just the product. This is why personal posts on social media do so much better than general product information or marketing techniques, people are looking for genuine connection and it’s becoming rarer to find. Remember, just because they do not hire you on the spot, does not mean that building that relationship was a waste of time. Connections almost always come back to benefit you down the road, whether it be from them asking for your services or product later, referring you, building a lasting friendship, or connecting you to other opportunities down the road.
“Having nice people skills, really caring, guiding your customers through your service or product is really what they want. They want to have a relationship with you.”
— JASON MILLER
Quick Tips to help People get to know you:
- Use your social media platforms weekly to post behind the scenes or give your customers the reasons behind why you do what you do.
- Grab coffee or lunch with someone that is passionate about what they do and make a connection
- Connect with your customers on a personal level, letting them know you care about them as a person and not just about their money.
- Remember relationships take time. The “pay-off” is not always immediate or even certain, but when you go into a relationship about giving, rather than taking, bigger and better opportunities are usually around the corner.
3. Don’t forget about Home.
While keeping our relationships with our peers and customers, is incredibly important, we often forget that our biggest cheerleaders and inspiration for why we do what we do, resides in our homes. Balancing work and our personal lives, is always tricky, but when done correctly, it pays off immensely.
“Work can be a lot. Setting those priorities and inviting your family into that journey is important. They do not have to be completely set apart. If there are opportunities to join you to see why you are so passionate, that helps so so much.”
— LOREN LEWIS
Quick tips for setting excellent work/home balance:
- Communicate, Communicate, Communicate. Talk to your family about your goals and work load. Don’t expect your family to just simply understand what you are doing if you never tell them. Share why you are passionate about what you are doing and what it is going to take to accomplish your goals.
- Talk about the obstacles. There will be seasons where our goals require a lot of time and energy. Be clear with your family what is going to take and ask them to partner with you as you work toward your goals. There will always be hurtles, but you do not have to face them alone.
- Have clear boundaries. Do your best to leave work at work. Be present with your family. Setting clear boundaries can help make your family feel that all the hard work is worth it because when you are there, you are fully there. This can mean setting your phone somewhere you cannot see or hear it or setting aside special time for your loved ones focused solely on them.
- Invite them! Whenever the opportunity arises, let your family join in! Let your family see why you are so passionate about a project or your industry. Whether it is a work event or a chance for them to help out, let your family be involved.
- Plan for the year. Set aside time to sit down with your spouse or significant other and plan the year together. What goals do you have for the year? How do you need to manage your finances to accomplish your goals, vacations, and outings? What do you need to make more time for? What do you need to cut out? Take some time to work together to build goals together and clearly communicate what you hope to accomplish.
“Never underestimate someone. Don’t write them off. People will surprise you.”
— JASON MILLER
