I had coffee with a friend last week and she asked me my opinion about promoting her business on her personal Facebook page. She was concerned about upsetting her family and friends by posting too often about her business.
Kevin Willett says communication is key when trying to build new business relationships
I was speaking to a woman at my networking event and I told her that I think Facebook live would be amazing for her business. She smiled and said “yes, it is part of my marketing plan going forward”. I smiled and asked “how long has it been part of your plan? Why don’t you do your first Facebook live tomorrow?” That did not go over well at all. She said she is not comfortable doing it. I asked if I could tell her a secret? The secret is most people are not comfortable doing it, but we do it anyway. You cannot let that fear stop you from doing what you need to do to grow your business. It really does get easier the more you do it. I remember the first time I did it, I was scared! Now I don’t even think about it.
I tend to hug everyone I meet, and I have learned it is not a great idea. There are people who simply do not want to be hugged. It is a horrible feeling when you hug someone, and you feel their whole body get tight and you know they are saying ‘why is this guy hugging me’. Please be cautious of this because it may be costing you business.
I read an article recently that suggested that you let the lady take the lead when it comes to hugging. I am not sure I agree with that, because I have a lot of male friends that really don’t like being hugged, by a male or female.
Last week I received my daily LinkedIn recap email and I noticed that it was a friend’s birthday. This guy always goes out of his way to endorse me on LinkedIn, so I wanted to take a moment to thank him and wish him a happy birthday. He sent me back the nicest email I’ve ever received, thanking me for taking the time to wish him a happy birthday. I have to be honest, I was having a super stressful day, but his email made me realize that everything was going to be okay. So take the time to wish your friends a happy birthday. It just might make your day.
I know this tip seems silly and you may be asking yourself if I have run out of tips, but, every now and then this does come up. Last week I met a guy for coffee and he showed up wearing a suit, because that was how I was dressed when we met at my networking event. He was a little upset with me because I was wearing jeans and bright orange sneakers for this coffee meeting. He said the only reason he wore his suit was because he thought I would be wearing one. The meeting got off on the wrong foot and never recovered from him feeling like I slighted him by dressing casually.
Often the first time that you go to a networking event nothing happens regarding finding new clients to grow your business. This will often discourage people and make them want to stop attending networking events.
Please understand that it takes time to build relationships and get people to know, like and trust you. I find that most people want to get to know you before they are willing to connect you with their friends and clients.
If you listen to the “Gurus” they will tell you that you need to work 24 hours a day in order to be successful. I am constantly seeing pictures online of people wearing their hustle and grind shirts.
Kevin Willett says a common bond can be a valuable business asset.
I can often struggle with asking people to attend my events or join my group. I find myself thinking that they won’t want to come, so do not bother asking them. You never want to make decisions for other people. Always ask them, because the answer just might be yes.
Please do not let the fear of failure and rejection, stop you from asking. When you think about it logically, what do you have to lose? It is no big deal if they say no. Nothing has really changed right?