Using What You Already Have To Make Your Business Amazing.
Business owners must leverage their natural strengths to make their business a success. Recently, I gave that advice to an owner we were working with only to be told that her two strengths were humour and patience.
She asked me, “How on earth am I going to use those?” This prompted an insightful conversation where we explored creative ways to apply humour and patience in her business strategy. In considering how to leverage humour as an advantage in her business, the owner realised that she could infuse humour into her marketing materials and social media posts.
By using witty and relatable content, she could engage with her existing and potential customers and create a memorable brand image. Additionally, she recognised that humour could be used as a tool to diffuse tense situations or handle customer complaints with grace and charm. Maintaining patience, she understood, would allow her to navigate the challenges of running a business with equanimity, leading to better decision-making and fostering positive relationships with both customers and employees.
As we talked about how she could use this more to her advantage I sensed a change in her mindset and she started to crack a few jokes and I realised that she was very funny and smart. But the real magic was happening because I had given her permission to be herself her demeanor changed and she relaxed, exuded excitement and confidence. Needless to say she has really made a lot of progress and it now feels like I am coaching a completely different person.
In another inspiring example, I encountered a really nice guy who realised if he was to succeed he would have to significantly improve his sales skills. The truth was, he hated sales and he told me that he often ended up telling people how to make what they already had work and not buy one of his new pieces of equipment. He embraced the concept of reverse selling and achieved extraordinary results. This individual, let’s call him Alex, was facing a significant challenge in his career after a series of setbacks. However, instead of giving up, Alex decided to redefine his mindset about sales. He realized that instead of defining sales as aggressively pushing his products, he would frame it up as showing people their options with a cost and time evaluation on each option. Every one that talked to him felt endeared by his anti-selling technique and he was amazed by his results. He now says he enjoys selling because he doesn’t have to try and coerce people into a purchase, but they buy anyway. His customers go back to him because they trust him and many of them now refer to him as their expert and send their friends for his advice.
The same goes for any assets you have, like an old oven that you might convert into a smoker or an outdoor fireplace that you use to spit roast a pig over for an event. Failing that, sell anything you aren’t using and buy something else you could use. By repurposing or selling your unused assets, you can maximize their value and create new opportunities for yourself. This approach, just like Alex’s anti-selling technique, allows you to make the most of what you already have and find creative solutions to meet your needs.
In conclusion, the key to maximizing value and finding creative solutions lies in recognizing the potential of your existing assets. Whether it’s a skill or a physical item, like Alex’s presentation or an old oven, there are always possibilities waiting to be explored. By reframing selling as a way to offer options and guide people towards informed decisions, you can build trust and loyalty with customers. Additionally, repurposing or selling unused assets allows you to extract their value and invest in new opportunities.
