Main Street Magazines St. John's

The best prospective clients are those that want more information. We live in a time when creating natural demand for our products and services has never been easier. I know, I knowit’s easier said than done. Well, I’d like to suggest that such thinking indicates that you’re being held back by old paradigms you have. Take a look at the product or service you offer. You need to position yourself as a thought leader in that area. How can you do that? Create content. What should you write about? Your story. Simple. If you put your story out there and consistently generate new content, people who have an interest in the area will take notice. Set up an e-newsletter. An email newsletter list is, in my opinion, the only asset that you can build today over which you can maintain control. Chris Spurvey

It's fun to believe that people buy the goods and services we make merely because they are excited, delighted and eager to engage. But often, particularly in b2b selling, the call to action is very different. "Get off the tracks! The train is coming..." combined with the rumble, the smoke and the visuals of the train arriving. That's what causes action. Action means change and change means fear, so of course we shouldn't be surprised that people (and organizations) are often as motivated by the fear of loss as they are by the desire for gain.

One way to deal with clients, with criticism, and with feedback is to not insist on resolving it in the moment. Taking feedback doesn't have to be the same thing as resolving feedback. It's tempting to challenge each bit of criticism, to explain your thinking, to justify the choices. This back and forth feels efficient, but it fails to deliver on a few fronts.... First, it makes it more difficult for the client to share her truth, to feel heard. Second, it escalates the tension, because it's almost impossible to successfully resolve each item in real time. If you write it down, you can accept the feedback without judgment. And then, after it's all written down, after the feedback is received, people can change roles. You can sit on the same side of the table, colleagues in search of the best path forward. You can rank by expense, by urgency, by importance. You can agree on timelines and mostly, say, "what do we do now?" SG

An expected apology rarely makes things better. But an expected apology that never arrives can make things worse. An expected thank you note rarely satisfies. But an expected thank you that never arrives can make things worse. On the other hand, the unexpected praise or apology, the one that comes out of the blue, can change everything.... It's easier than ever to reach out and speak up. Sad, then, how rarely we do it when it's not expected. SG

Check out this Month's issue of Business Dynamics! It's Free and please share. http://mainstreetmagazines.com/2015/febBD.ep