A successful business means being great with people. Because the truth is, whether you sell your products or services primarily in-person or online or both, you need to attract people to your business as if there is an mega-magnet inside your business.
Actually, there is. It’s you and the brand you create. And what is a brand? A feeling. An experience. And emotional connection. (Not just a logo!)
There are six immutable laws that will guarantee that your gravity-defeating business magnetism is always on and all powerful.
Use the laws to have people love you, your brand and as a consequence your business when they meet you in-person or interact with you online.
Law 1: Create an experience and outcome before you engage
Before you send an email to your list, post on social media or walk into a networking event, – basically, before you interact with anyone every in your business – ask yourself these two questions:
- How do I want the people that I interact with to feel when we say goodbye? (in other words – how do you want them to experience you?)
- What outcome do I want to produce from having had this communication?
Asking yourself these two questions has you be more conscious and aware of how you’re behaving in the interaction. It allows you to actively create how other people perceive you.
For instance, If you want people to see you as funny, when you are conscious of this, you’ll make an effort in the interaction with them to tell some jokes and get them laughing. You want someone to see you as smart you’ll make an effort to create an intellectual connection on a shared topic of interest.
Question #2 above allows you to be intentional about why you’re communicating with this person or people. All communication has an outcome. Sometimes it’s to create bonds with another person. Sometimes it’s to access valuable information. Sometimes it’s to land sales.
Example:
Before you engage, you decide I am going to be incredibly charming and land 10 business leads at this meeting.
As you engage: Smile. Be interested in people. Find fascination in them. Be warm. Make them laugh. BE CHARMING. As questions.
Before you exit: Offer something of value that can be delivered later. Ask for business cards or contact info. Promise to follow-up. Don’t stop until you have 10 contacts.
Law #2: Be integrous
Do what you say you’re going to do in business and your life. Rarely do people stick to this rule. If you say you’re going arrive at a certain time to an event, arrive at that time. If you say you’re going to email people once a week, do that.
Most people are lazy with their word. So the simple act of following through on what you say you’re going to do will have people respect and trust you. In fact they will think you are extraordinary because no one is their word all the time. You won’t always be your word, but being intentional will raise your level of integrity and follow through.
Law #3: Be a tunnel listener
Are you listening to the people in your target market (online and offline)? Or, are you deciding you know what they want and need and trying to push it on them.
Most people are terrible listeners in-person, which also makes them bad at listening to their market by being aware of the online messages their people are sending them. Even if you think you’re a brilliant listener it’s likely you are not even halfway there.
Listening is not a passive skill, it is an ACTIVE skill. It requires you give your complete attention to another and continuously learn to block out your own thoughts as the pour into your head moment to moment. When you refine your in-person listening skills you become better at listening everywhere. You will start to notice what people are saying without using language to say it. That’s the sweet spot for marketing any business.
Law #4: Listen to your business and let it lead
Businesses often fail because the person running the company is an ARTIST or CREATOR and not a true ENTREPRENEUR. What I mean by this is that they decide and choose what the business needs without first asking and listening to what the people buying from the business need. These are two very different approaches.
For example, let’s say I want to run a successful clothing boutique. I create a target market, I create purchase an initial inventory of clothing that I love and think will be great. And then I setup a warehouse so I can fulfill it. Now, I can be an ARTIST and continue purchasing items I like for more store thinking others will obviously love them, or I could pay attention to what the hot items are and buy more of those and keep more inventory in my warehouse.
Entrepreneurs are willing to crush all their notions and ideas about how their business should work and what people should by and what their target market will love. They let the business lead. They take themselves out of the equation.
So, when you communicate in-person or online, if you want people to love you and your brand let them lead the conversation. Find out what they love. Listen to what they want to talk about.
Rule #5: Hold everyone in high esteem
Be gracious with your followers and customers and clients, suppliers and partners, and everyone in your life. Look for the opportunity in them that they can’t see for themselves. Believe they are capable of more than they may think themselves. Speak to them as if they have already succeeded. Leave them feeling greater than when you found them.
Rule #6: Be memorable
If you want people to love you and your business be memorable. Be unique. This should not be hard for you to do since there is only one you. Share your YOU-ness with the world. There are qualities that make you different than other people. So express yourself and your business with personality.