When it comes to building your business or your career in a company, how people perceive you is often to the difference between more sales, promotions, and certainly your satisfaction. Here are ten things you want your reputation to say about you. Use it for yourself and share it with a friend to help her build her business or career (these tips work for personal relationships, too!).
1. Give credit where it's due. You're nothing without the support of other peoples' contributions, technical know-how, and creative ideas. When it's obvious that you respect others by taking this step more support always shows up.
2. Create a safe place for brainstorming. People need to know you'll receive their ideas in a respectful and kind manner. Remember, you don't have to like or even agree with everything that comes out of a brainstorming session; simply listen with an open mind. The most valuable input will be things you never thought of yourself.
3. Respect yourself and take yourself lightly too. Your ability to laugh at your own moments of foolishness or mistakes will make everyone relax around you. Perfection is extremely tough to obtain and impossible to maintain so don't set yourself up!
4. Keep confidences. Make sure you remain discreet and people will continue sharing valuable information with you. Remember the saying "Loose lips sink ships"? Simple but true. It may be tempting to share, especially if it means you'll get another juicy morsel in return but it's never worth it.
5. Seek out diversity. Create space in your life that will hold anyone of caliber.
6. Be comfortable with conflict. You may not love it, but you need to accept that conflict is a dynamic circumstance that can lead to even more powerful creativity. Conflicts that reach resolution are our most powerful assets.
7. Share information. Share "public domain" information from your department or other parts of the business that will help others. It's a universal law, what you put out is what you can expect in return. Foster this camaraderie.
8. Try to assume the positive in a questionable circumstance. People will feel safe with you if they know you're thinking the best of them. As a single person on the outside, you cannot possibly know every thought or element of what has happened. Trust that the intention was good.
9. Don't inflate negative situations. Sure bad things happen, but try to keep them in perspective. Don't take anything personal because it very rarely is. If you refuse to absorb it on a personal level, it's much easier to see it objectively and consequently have the outcome be of value to you. Those things that don't kill us truly do make us stronger.
10. Don't appear doubtful about your principles. When you put a stake in the ground, mean it. Take a stand. Don't be swayed by difficulty. Remember Eleanor Roosevelt's words: "Women are like tea bags, we don't know our true strength until we are in hot water". Don't betray yourself just to get out of that water.
Your reputation is sort of like a tail, it follows you everywhere. At all times, in any situation staying true to yourself and standing firm on it will create and preserve your reputation ? the one you want to have following you.
Copyright (c) 2007 Mary Foley
Prospects can come to you in two ways: you either purchase leads or leads are calling you. You can purchase leads from a multitude of lead vendors or join a Co-op.
When you are part of a co-op, a group of you join together to pay for the advertising cost, whether it's a magazine ad or a newspaper ad. You all then share the leads that come in.
If you are just starting your business, leads calling you doesn't happen right away. Leads will call you after you have established yourself as a leader.
So how does that happen? There's a concept called "attraction marketing", which is doing activities that puts YOU in the position of leadership or brands you as an expert. Writing articles, blogs or having an effective profile on myspace or other social networking tools are all examples of attraction marketing.
You need to practice attraction marketing as well as purchase leads at all times to propel your business to the level that you want.
Once you have leads, what happens when you call them? Talking to your propsects is ESSENTIAL. Don't expect your autoresponder to do your job. Talking to your prospects will help build trust and prospects will only join you if they know you and trust you.
Here are 10 things NOT to do when talking to your prospects:
1.You are only doing your business just for the money. If you don't like the product you're marketing, it won't be fun and you're going to feel like a JOB. LOVE what you do! Money is not the only reason why you are in business. If you only in business just for the money, prospects will hear that when you talk to them and they will feel that you are just trying to sell them. 2. YOUR attitude determines your success. You must stay positive. Find someway to turn the negative into the positive.
3. Blaming others instead of taking responsibility. Don't blame your boss or sponsor when things don't go as planned. You need to take responsibility for your actions.
4. Blaming circumstance for your failure. It's okay if your internet is not working right one day. It can get frustrating, but don't let it slow you down.
5. Persuade people to BUY your product -- don't try to SELL them. Too many times, we try to "sell." People want to feel that they're making the decision to buy. If prospects feel pressured, they will leave the conversation. Be more clever in your approach. Help them make the decision.
6. Not having a deep down enough passion about what you're selling. It's important to be passionate about your business. It will come through in your conversation. If you aren't passionate , how can you expect them to be?
7. Not calling prospects back. Ninety percent of people are not going to purchase right away. When you are following up with prospects, don't expect that whatever you're selling or representing has been on their mind. You can always follow up and say that you forgot to tell them something. This will lead you into the conversation smoothly. Of course when you follow up, bring something of value to them.
8. Letting your prospects leave without a firm follow up appointment or set time. They are not going to think about business unless you're talking about it. Don't expect people to offer to make the appointment. It's your priority, not theirs.
9. Wait until you've added value to your product before you reveal the price. You shouldn't give away the price of your product until the last possible moment in your conversation. If you reveal it to your prospects in the beginning of your conversation, there's no reason for them to continue. They haven't seen the value of what you're sharing with them yet.
10. Thinking that you are smarter than your prospect. Don't pre-judge people. Be patient. Don't be so focused on if they are going to buy your product or not buy.
These are things that need to be worked on continuously in order to be successful when talking with prospects.
Both Mary Foley & Mree Vu are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Mary Foley has sinced written about articles on various topics from Site Promotion, Prospects and The Internet. Mary Foley, author of ?Bodacious! Woman: Outrageously in Charge of Your Life and Lovin? It!? and founder of the Bodacious Women's Club, inspires women to be courageously in charge of their lives. You can be inspired, too! Get the free audio ?Live Like You. Mary Foley's top article generates over 8100 views. to your Favourites.