Business Tips - Being your own boss - Part 5

BUSINESS TIPS

Being Your Own Boss – Part 5


By Nikki Viljoen – Viljoen Consulting – April 2009

It is said that “There are none so blind as those who will not see”!

Ain’t that the truth!  One of the most frustrating things for me is trying to convince people – especially about the work that I do.  Most of the time people are stuck in the whole philosophy of “It won’t happen to me” and then of course it does.  It’s Murphy’s law.

I have learnt over the years though, to just let them be and even when the brown smelly stuff hits the fan and splatters all over them, I bite my tongue (when I really want to tell them ‘I told you so’) and instead outline a plan of action to correct the problem and then prevent it from happening again.

Nowadays, I try and inspire them.

Many of the experts say that you should have a one page sales kind of brief.  I find though, that people are skeptical of the salesperson who continuously tells everybody how ‘wonderful’ they are and how ‘wonderful’ their product and/or service is.  Now I quote some of the more touching testimonials that my clients and colleagues have sent to me.  Believe me, those testimonials have far more impact, in terms of trust, than any kind of sales spiel.

Do you love what you do?  Are you passionate about what you do?  If you are, chances are that it will change the way that you speak and it will change your body language and it will change the energy that you exude. Your passion, the love of what you do and the belief that you have in your product and/or service will be clearly evident for all to see.  There is nothing more soul satisfying than to watch people becoming infected by and with your passion.

Don’t be shy to tell people who you are and where you come from.  Describe your struggles and how you overcame them.  People relate to struggles – we all go through them.  People applaud success – even the very small ones.

Be sure to always include your contact details, make it as easy as possible for people to find you.

Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za or http://www.viljoenconsulting.co.za