Have you ever heard the saying I dont care how much you know until I know how much you care?

The key to growing your business is genuinely caring about others. People see through someone whos transparent. Think about it havent you met people who acted like they were interested in what you had to say? You knew in your heart that they werent really paying attention, didnt you? They had an agenda and it was apparent. Youve probably been called on by that kind of salesperson. You knew they didnt care. So, did you really care how much they knew? Or rather, did you connect with the person who paid attention to you? The person who took the time to understand what your needs were, and then, offered a solution.

So, how do you grow your business sincerely?

1. Be yourself
   1. It takes less effort to be yourself than it does to create a persona. Besides, people can see the mask a hundred miles away. Their guard will be up before you realize it. Why? Because your focus is off. Its on you (or I should say, on your creation of you) not on them.

1. Be genuinely interested in others
   1. Learn all you can about them. Find out if there are ways you can help them; have a positive impact on their day. DONT sell them. People dont like being sold do you? People DO like to feel respected. They want to know you have their best interest at heart. Its something you cant fake. (Refer to point 1)

1. Be a giver
   1. Dont focus on what you want to get. Focus on what you can give. What goes around, comes around. The smile you send out returns to you. Sound familiar?

1. Its not a numbers game
   1. Effective business growth centers on relationship building. When you are genuinely interested in others, you are building a relationship. When youre giving, you are building a relationship. You are building trust. Then people realize they can count on you. They know youll help them if you can. They, in turn, will want to help you. Its symbiotic.
   2. You cant build relationships if your focus is on meeting as many people as possible. Blitzing doesnt work. Of course, youll have loads of business cards. You may even feel like youve accomplished a great deal. After the blitzing and card gathering, what do you actually know about these people? What are their needs, likes, dislikes, goals? Do you know how you can help them? Why would they do business with you?
   3. You may not have thought about it, but you really dont want to do business with EVERYBODY. There are people out there you just arent going to click with. As my grandmother used to say, Thats what makes horse races. Another reason why growing your business is not about numbers, its about relationships.

1. Have a plan
   1. Plan to meet 1-2 people and learn something about them and their business.
   2. Be prepared with a couple of open-ended questions. Be prepared, but not overly focused. The conversation needs to flow. Once youve asked a question, ride it to where it naturally takes you. If youre busy anticipating asking your next question, youve missed their answer!
   3. When it goes well, suggest a next meeting in the near future. Dont expect to make concrete plans. Just float the suggestion and see where it goes.
   4. Finally, follow up that first meeting with an email, handwritten note, or phone call. Remember, youre building a relationship. The key word here is building.

Copyright 2006 Diane Helbig