bwagy

That’s what happens when a project is rushed.

It gets too complex too fast with no foundation.

And then you end up with inferior results.

Slow down, do the dance, get to know each other.  Plan for success.

Then you’ll get it.

Or if you can’t slow down, in the shorter timeframe, increase the relationship building efforts.  Meet everyday.  Twice a day.  Or twice a week.  Whatever – make sure you build up that relationship the best you can.

Otherwise you end up with a wobbly jenga tower, which will collapse, given a nudge.

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Photo Credit: Egarc2

Of late I’ve noticed a lot of connecting going on, between you guys – the readers.

What typically happens is someone posts a comment, then they get a few visitors to their site and then through some kind of magic (most likely email) the connections happen.

That’s quite neat, so if you’d like to meet up with some interesting people, just remember to maybe place that comment that you have in your mind as you never know who you’ll meet ;)

No I’m serious do it.

The biggest barrier I find operating at the edge is executives who don’t want to do something new because they don’t know what is is, they would never read a blog or engage with brands on twitter.

All I can say is, put yourself in your customers shoes, in fact wear them for a day.  Get some real perspective, you can’t go on assuming that YOU are your customer – that’s stupid.

Consequently I don’t work with those people…

Selling out on your customers. Delivering sub par service.

It’s easy to take a shortcut, cut corners to get the short term win…. But it’s not attractive…

Not attractive to your current; prospective or past customers.

You can may win them back.  But at what cost?

I daresay it’s less than the windfall from your original shortcut…

Think Long Term.

I like business people that think for the long term, there is more responsibility, focus on sustainability, mutual benefit, desire for meaningful business relationships.

It just makes sense.

Short term scares people, it’s also where impatient people can get swindled, not always the best option.

Just a thought, do you approach your customers with the view of a long relationship? How about your competitors? Would you say Microsoft and Apple do?…..

I saw a tweet from a fellow business owner a few months back, they had stopped having coffees and networking as they weren’t building any immediate business out of it……. hmmm

Bit stupid to stop networking if you ask me.  Why? Well…

My theory basically is, no matter what you do, every person you meet at some stage in the next 5 years will either have a need for your service or will hold a conversation with someone who needs your service.  So no meeting is wasted! (as long as you impress them enough).

Yes this is a long term view – but successful business is built over the long term.  So don’t fret that every meeting has to turn over dollars; build relationships, think for the long term and it will pay off.

Don’t stop networking because money doesn’t come in straight away, keep at it, it pays off.

You can learn a lot from infomercials.

Yes they are corny.

Yes they are known for flogging rubbish and….

Yes they do work.

Just by law of survival they wouldn’t be around if they didn’t.

Often you will see they have ‘but wait there’s more!’ and a bonus is introduced.

You see they establish value to a point where customers are on the verge of making the decision to purchase then tip them over the edge to a purchase through bonuses.  It’s the unexpected value.

Now it’s not the only way to sell but it is something you can use in your toolset, finding bonus value you can deliver that your competitors can’t deliver (or haven’t anticipated) that can help set you apart from the pack.

It’s the Bonus Prize!