Relationship Marketing | Build Your Online Business

This is a guest post by Barbara Lopez, The Elevator Pitch Coach.  I like to say that Barbara elevated my elevator pitch as a Direct Sales Consultant so that I became much more effective at networking events.  I chose this article by Barbara because she wrote it so well that I did not need to, and it is so easy when you are new to internet marketing to want to try to be like the ‘gurus' in order to cover the fact that you are relatively new.    The downside to this is that you would not be authentic and people can see through pretense.  Instead of building the know, like and trust factor this is more likely to alienate the very people you want to attract.

“There is only one you for all time. Fearlessly be yourself.” –Anonymous

Have you ever received some advice, but it didn’t really “click” or resonate with you until many years down the road? When I was a teenager, and I’d be getting ready to head out with my friends, as I’d get to the door to leave my father would always say, “Remember who you are!” At the time, as a naive yet typical teenager who thought she knew everything, I’d always think to myself that it was such a weird thing to say – of course I’d remember who I was! How could I forget? I know who I am! I’m Barbara!

It wasn’t until many years later, when I became an adult, that I really understood the meaning behind those words, “remember who you are”. I realized that my father wasn’t telling me to remember my NAME, but to remember who I am as a person. What he was trying to advise me at the time, very gently, was to remember who I am as a person, and to be true to it. That, no matter what activities I’d be up to that evening, no matter whose company I was spending time in, that it was important for me to be true to myself – and to not stray from that – ever.

As I’ve grown older, I think that is actually the best piece of advice I’ve ever received. It’s great advice for a teenager, but I’m also seeing how applying it to my adult self has done great things for me both personally and professionally.

Reflecting on this advice of “remember who you are” recently, I also realized this is SO important when making a first introduction. There are a few reasons for that; allow me to explain.

You are more relaxed. When meeting someone for the very first time, if you just remember to be yourself, you’ll automatically relax a bit and enjoy the introduction more. Plus, if you’re attending a networking function where you’re meeting a lot of people at once or giving your elevator pitch to an entire room of people, you’ll feel more at ease. (more…)

Many people scoff at positive affirmations and hold to the theory that they do not work.  Do they really work?  What are affirmations? Affirmations are basically a form of self-talk.  Look at this realistically.  Every day, several time each day we talk to ourselves, and no not because we're crazy.  Unfortunately, most of it is negative.  Don't think so?  Let's look at these two scenes:

1) You get in your car in your driveway and you suddenly remember that you left your cell phone in the house, but it's important to have it with you. You immediately start berating yourself on being forgetful and may call yourself harsh names for not placing the phone by your keys as you usually do.

2)  You just got back from the office supply store and you slap yourself on the forehead as you just remembered the main reason you went to the store was to purchase copy paper and you have a 30-page e-book you want to edit before uploading to your website.  You may begin to call yourself stupid, ‘I never can remember anything', and quite a bit of negative self-talk.

This type of talk is not up-building,  it does not make you feel good, and does nothing for your self-image.

Positive affirmations, on the other hand, affirm the best in you and focus on your good qualities.  They encourage you to improve in areas in which you're having a challenge.  “I'm getting better at remembering things,” “Everyday I learn from my mistakes and avoid repeating them.”  These are examples of positive affirmations as they help you to see yourself as you would like to be and the goal you are reaching for.

Author, Julia Cameron, notes that “Affirmations are positive statements about positive beliefs.  They help achieve a sense of safety and hope.  If we can become one-tenth as good at positive self-talk as we are at negative self-talk, we will notice an enormous change.”

What can you affirm about yourself today so you that could have a positive impact in your business?

Do you have small children?  Are they home for the summer or will be off from school soon?  Are you dreading the disruption in your home-based business schedule?  Many mothers who work from home are already agonizing over the adjustments they will need to make, and it's understandable.  But instead of adding to your stress by worrying about it, may I suggest you take a moment and reflect on the fact that one of the reasons you were attracted  to a home-based business was the flexibility it afforded you.

As women we wear many hats and being an entrepreneur,  a business owner, comes with it's own challenges.  However,  while it's essential to have systems in place so that you can manage your business successfully, these systems cannot be so rigid that you can't allow for  changes in your schedule when the need arises.

I will admit that when I'm working to meet a deadline or have a number of projects I'd schedule to be completed within a specified period, I've felt annoyance when I had to stop and take care of something that I'd not planned for.  Having a sense of humor often helps and I try to laugh at myself at how ‘worked up' I'm allowing myself to get over nothing, do what I have to do, and get back to my project.  That's flexibility in action!

During the time I'm working in my business, I'm my own boss so I can take some time off if I need to.  You can too and  try to view flexibility as a means to add diversity as you work from home.

What are your thoughts on flexibility in your business? Please share in the Comments.