Mary had the soccer ball lined up on her right foot. Then, in an instant she sent a pass to Shawn. It was right on target. Shawn received the ball and passed it to Tom. Tom passed it to Suzy who passed it to Beth. Beth passed the ball to Bill, and he shot the soccer ball into the goal.
Sounds like a regular soccer game, right? Well, it wasn’t. All the kids I mentioned are blind. I was amazed as I watched them at the Special Olympics soccer tournament I was at. The kids could not see the ball. They could not see their teammates. They could not see the goal. They could not see, but they could play.
Here’s how it worked. The ball had a device inside that beeped. The children could hear the beeping sound and discern where the ball was. Their teammates would clap. The child with the ball would hear a teammate clapping and kick the ball towards the audible target.
It was an inspiring sight. I will remember it for some time to come.
In business you need to listen more so you can achieve success. We tend to use our eyes and our mouth, but we don’t listen as much as we should. You can greatly accelerate your growth by asking the right questions and become a better listener.
Here are three questions you should ask yourself and your clients. Take stock in the answers. Are there differences between the way you answer the questions and the way your customers answer them? There is an old saying that says you are three people: the person you think you are, the person others see you as, and the person you actually are. Businesses are the same way. Successful business professionals are those people that bring all three images together in a laser like focus.
1. What is your company’s greatest strength?
We tend to focus on our weaknesses. We try to eliminate them. We want to improve. We strive for perfection. The truth is that perfection is not possible. Excellence is. Look for your strength and leverage it to your advantage. Do what you do well better then anyone else.
Now, look for ways to do it even better. Maybe there is a new twist or a new approach. Take stock in your dominance. Nurture it. Develop it. Exploit it.
2. In one sentence, can you tell what you or your company does? Do it.
This is probably the biggest downfall of most business people. They simply can’t state in a few short words what they do. I don’t mean, “I sell insurance.” That will not attract anyone.
To be effective in networking and to attract clients you need to be able to effectively communicate a Memorable Marketing Message™. In ten seconds or less you need to be able to have a prospective client think, “I need that,” or “Tell me how you do that.”
There is an art to being able to deliver a Memorable Marketing Message. Once you are able, your clients will be able to tell others about what you do, and you will be able to network your business to the next level. Do you know the true value you deliver, to whom you deliver that value, and how to effectively say it?
3. What can you do to offer even greater value to your clients?
Your clients have real needs. You probably address many of them. Frequently, business people fail to fully understand the scope and diversity of the needs of their clients.
McDonalds recognized the need of a quick breakfast and introduced a breakfast menu. They also recognized the need of their clients to get their food fast and get going. This led to the concept of the drive thru window.
Your job is to apply your products or services to satisfy someone’s needs. The better you accomplish this, the more you will build your business.
Discover more of your client’s needs and more ways to fulfill them. Your clients will be loyal, and you will accelerate the growth of your business.
Listen not only to what you feel in your heart, but ask your clients questions and listen to what they say. They have insights that you can use to explode your growth and get on the road to Building a Better Biz!
