I don't mean "like;" I mean really "love." There is a big difference between liking and loving, don't you agree? We like almost everyone, but we love only special people. Loving someone means going out of our way to help them. And it means finding pleasure in seeing them succeeding.
Of course it starts with developing the ability to love ourselves. So, it is very important to have a healthy self-esteem. Work on it. Also, one of your main goals should be becoming a generous person who finds pleasure in being a contributor. Become a giver!
Let's face it: there are some people you don't want to see near you or your business, let alone have a loving relationship with them! Not everyone who wants to buy something from you is able to recognize and appreciate the high quality of service I am talking about.
Marketing skills are important not only to find a high number but also to find high quality of buyers. Searching for people in specific demographics who are most likely in need of what you have and who are financially qualified to buy it is very important -- but not enough. Define a profile of your "ideal" customers and make sure that your marketing message is appealing to them.
Look for people who share your own values. They will not abuse your generosity, and they will most likely become your loyal referral sources. They are also a pleasure to work with.
Effective marketing will allow you to "skim the cream" and leave the whiners, complainers, psychos and other difficult people to your competition!
Sounds very basic, doesn't it? Yet so many business owners miss this part entirely! Once you have a relationship with people who are a pleasure and fun to work with, engage in ongoing communication with them to find out their needs. Very often their needs are not very obvious; sometimes people are not even aware of what they want or need. If you help them figure out what it is -- and especially if you help them to find it -- you will have many friends (and customers) for life.
No, you don't need to actually "produce" everything they want, but even if it is something you don't offer, you can help your customers find it elsewhere. You can even generate additional income by helping solve problems with other people's products and services. Isn't this a great win/win/win scenario?
Deliver Consistently Awesome Value
When people with high values get superb quality service or products from you, products that solve their problems and make them happy, they love to reward you handsomely for your efforts. Honest people expect to pay their share and they often ask for more.
Giving people consistently more than they expect compels them also to tell others about you, and that helps you grow your business even more.
Isn't this all simple? Simple is not the same as easy. You still need a full array of skills to accomplish all this, but this is all it takes to succeed. Guaranteed!
Wanda Loskot is business coach for self-employed professionals who LOVE what they do but HATE to sell! She is author of the award winning newsletter, "Referrals Unlimited."
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