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Slow Down to Make MORE Money

Written by: Michelle Pippin

Article Overview: If you are sick of twittering till your thumbs fall off, facebooking and blogging until you have a headache, and networking neurotically, you have to read this article! I can't tell you the number of entrepreneurs I speak to who will tell me all they are doing to "chase success" and then ask, "What else should I be doing?" While I admire their stamina, the truth is that their schedules are already staggering. They already have so much going on, it made me tired just listening to it! But we are ALL busy these days. And if we are NOT experiencing success, doesn't it make sense that we should ADD something to the equation? Not always. Sometimes (most of the time) MORE is simply too much! Sometimes (most of the time) we need to slow down... to make more money, to accomplish more, to succeed wildly!

Slow Down to Make MORE Money

I can't tell you the number ofentrepreneurs I speak to who will tell me all they are doing to "chase success" and then ask, "What else should I be doing?" While I admire their stamina, the truth is that their schedules are already staggering. They already have so much going on, it made me tired just listening to it! But we are ALL busy these days. And if we are NOT experiencing success, doesn't it make sense that we should ADD something to the equation?

Not always. Sometimes (most of the time) MORE is simply too much! Think about your own schedule. Perhaps you are making cold or warm calls every day, faithfully attending your breakfast networking meeting each week, speaking with prospects, spending time in these online networking groups... even striking up awkward conversations in the grocery store line! Still... nothing. It seems that no matter how hard or quickly you chase success, you seem to somehow be coming up short. What could be going on?

First, I want to just address this idea of "chasing success". (Hint: If you feel very BUSY, but are not seeing results... if you feel like you are constantly "spinning your wheels"... you are probably "chasing success".) The very idea of a chase is that ONE person is seeking something that is running AWAY from him or her. When we begin running breathlessly after "success", we will actually chase it away from us. At the same time, it would be equally foolish to just sit at home WAITING for success to come to us. So what is the solution?

The solution is to simply SLOW DOWN. This seems to be my "mantra" for my private clients in the past few weeks. SLOW DOWN. ACCOMPLISH MORE. BE "PRESENT". If we continue to rush through our day with a "check off" list of prospecting, marketing, and the like, we will continue to be "underpaid" for our "efforts".

See, when we are "rushing through"something, we are missing so many opportunities. Opportunities to serve. Opportunities to give back. Opportunities to get to know someone better. THIS is what success is made of: Relationships! Relationships with our clients and prospective clients. Relationships with potential referral partners. When we realize that our businesses are built ONE relationship at a time, we will slow down. We will stop trying to market to the masses and begin to go deeper within our own circle of influence.

So, how can we get started with this new mission of "slowing down"?

** MAKEALIST OF THINGS THAT YOU ABSOLUTELY MUST DO FOR SUCCESS.... and cross off activities that have to go. How do we know which is which? Look at the RESULTS you have been getting. If you have been hanging around a breakfast networking group for 18 months and gotten only one referral that turned into business... stop going! If you have been cold calling every morning for three months with no success, stop doing that! On the flip side, if your "numbers" show that your breakfast meeting has been your #1 source of business, get more involved...go deeper! If you see that 8 out of your last 10 paying clients have been referred by a family member or friend, nurture these relationships and begin building a verystrong referral program to keep these referrals coming in!

** STOP "SELLING" TO PEOPLE WHO DON'T KNOW YOU. This "stranger lead prospecting" is rushed, tiring, and largely ineffective! Talk only to people who already know you for a week. Go deep with them. Allow them to authentically refer other people to you.Imagine that you absolutely COULDN'T talk to anyone who didn't ALREADY know you, and had to build your business that way. Who would you contact? How would you reconnect?

** REALIZE THAT THE PURPOSE OF NETWORKING IS NOT TO SECURE A SALE. We've allseen her. "That woman" at a networking event who is so desperate for a sale, that every conversation is forced into a sales presentation. Slow down and get to know people. Slow down and listen... not for the "key words" that are supposed to show you that this person is a "prime candidate" for your product or service, but listen to WHO this person actually is. Find out more about their business, their family, or their career. Slow down and listen. Successful networking is SLOW... it is about building relationships over time.

Whether you are selling beauty products, massage packages, photography, coaching, website design, or girl scout cookies, your business (like mine) will grow most quickly when we SLOW down and start really connecting with people. Our businesses will growONE relationship at a time... one conversation at a time. Sometimes MORE is simply too much!

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Article Tags: chase, conversations, grocery store line, mantra, marketing, nbsp, networking groups, private clients, prospects, spending time, stamina, truth, wheels



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