The Growth Coach

Views From The Growth Coach

 

June, 2012

Greetings!  

The kids are out of school now, so summer has officially begun. I just bought herbs and vegetables for my garden and I'll get those planted this week. I do it every year, it's a cycle of life sort of thing. It's unaffected by the business or political climates, you can depend on it. It's kind of like a smoothly running business - the harvest will come but not without working the soil, watering, and pulling the weeds.

Truth be Told?

Has anyone ever asked you "How does this look on me?" I don't know about you, but two answers usually pop into my head: "It looks terrible" (or words to that effect) and "Fine". I almost always choose the latter. Fear is definitely involved. Yet, I know it's not what the other person really needed to know. Why can't we just tell the truth?

 

The  truth is very often something we don't want to hear. Maybe it's more like the truth is something we think they don't want to hear. What if we start with the premise that I will tell the truth, but I will do it in a way that recognizes how much I care about the other person. It's not about me, it is about them. We need to help them to understand what we see because we care. People make decisions based on what they think the facts are. If the "facts" aren't fact, we all wind up in a very distorted reality.

 

I was thinking about this because I heard a phrase at a conference recently that struck a chord with me. "You will never be successful until someone hates you." None of us wants to be hated, but it's impossible to make everyone happy. As a coach, I'm trying to create rapport with my clients, not alienate them. But, there comes a time when everyone needs to hear the truth.

 

To be successful, you need to be able to tell someone the truth without fear. The key is to do it with empathy and compassion. Make sure they know you care about them. Truth be told, you'll both be better off.

Focus on Sales

Why would a complete stranger call to ask about your product or service? The answer to this question is key to the success of any business. It's because they had a need. From time to time everyone forgets that. True, their need might not be something we can satisfy, but we won't know until we have a conversation. If you treat every caller as though it's a customer you don't want to lose you will never go wrong. 

Networking Tips

Truth be told, some conversations at networking events wind up being pointless time suckers. You need to develop an exit strategy that works for you. Try something like: "I need to excuse myself now. I came to this event to connect with at least three new people and I need to focus on that for my business. I'm sure we'll have a chance to finish our conversation at another event." Tell the truth and move on or suffer the consequences.


If you have ideas for future issues or questions on this one, let me know. Who do you know who would enjoy reading these articles? Use the "Forward to a friend" link below.

 

Really,


Dave Ferguson
The Growth Coach
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