“It is never to late to be what you might have been.”—George Eliot
I was introduced to networking by my insurance agent, the late Sharlee Bishin. She came by my office one day, when I had only had my bookkeeping business for about a year. We chatted for a bit, and she asked me, “Where are you networking?” I looked at her blankly. “What’s networking?” I asked. Horrified, she said, “Come with me, dear,” and we were off to a dinner meeting of Women’s Referral Service, a wonderfully friendly group of supportive businesswomen (and men) founded by Nancy Sardella.
It didn’t take me long to figure out that I was doing something wrong. Every person I met asked me what kind of work I did, and I would answer, “I’m a bookkeeper.” The reactions were swift and instantaneous. People frowned, drew back, changed the subject, or left in a hurry. As an actress, I had developed the ability to know when I had my audience’s attention and it was clear I lost it the minute I mentioned the word “bookkeeping.” No one wanted to have a conversation about that.
Something had to be done. I had heard about Gene Call, who taught the Word of Mouth Marketing class, so I signed up for it. “You have to be interesting in thirty seconds or people will turn off, peg you in a category from which you will never escape,” he said. “Most people introduce themselves by saying, ‘I’m an accountant’ or ‘I’m an attorney.’ Boring!” He suggested that you start by describing the benefit you provide to others: “I help people measure their financial success” (accountant) or “I help people protect their property” (insurance agent).
I started saying “I do financial stress reduction.” The difference in the reactions was truly amazing. People laughed, leaned forward, asked me, “How do you do that? Do you give away money?” One woman threw her arms around me in a giant hug! I could tell by a person’s reaction to that one statement if they were interested in my services. So when I started teaching my course, it seemed natural to call it the Financial Stress Reduction Workshop.
Reframe your self-introduction today. You’re not “a housewife”—you create beautiful family environments. You’re not a “mother”—you’re a loving support provider. You’re not a “teacher”—you’re a Guru. You’re not a “psychologist”—you help people find personal enlightenment. You’re not a “secretary”—you’re a business facilitator. You’re not a business- person—you’re a money-making machine!
Today’s Affirmation: “I am the most unique and beautiful me I know!”
© Copyright Chellie Campbell. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
www.chellie.com
You Are Unique - Market It - To learn more about this author, visit Chellie Campbell's Website.
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Chellie Campbell
(Visit Chellie's Website)
Chellie Campbell is the creator of the
popular Financial Stress Reduction®
Workshops, and the author of The Wealthy
Spirit and Zero to Zillionaire, both
published by Sourcebooks, Inc. She is one
of Marci Shimoff's “Happy 100” in her
current NYT bestseller Happy for No Reason
and contributed stories to Jack Canfield’s
recent books You’ve Got to Read This Book!
and Life Lessons from Chicken Soup for the
Soul. She is prominently quoted as a
financial expert in The Los Angeles Times,
Pink, Good Housekeeping, Lifetime,
Essence, Woman’s World and more than 35
popular books. For more information, visit
her web site www.Chellie.com or email her at Chellie@
Chellie.com
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