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3 Business Relationship Building “Must Do” Activities to Increase Your Brand’s Recognition

Andrea Patrick, Blog, Personal Branding

Okay… so….When does advocating for yourself and your idea of value, cross the line into negativity and criticism?  REALLY… I’m asking.. For me… I believe in being authentic and a self-advocate but, is it naive to think doing so won’t step on toes?  Sometimes, I’m learning, the dialogue between two people may be interpreted totally differently and misconstrued into something negative (no matter how innocent you may mean it to be).  So… if I’ve been the cause of any hurt feelings because of this phenomenon… I sincerely apologize.
Why am I bringing this up? Well, the business relationship is a very important aspect to my business strategy and I believe, it should be to yours as well.  Listen to this podcast and hear how my guest and I define BUSINESS RELATIONSHIP for a better understanding of my perspective and why I think it’s so important to brand growth. You’ll see it’s an effective tool you could be using to increase YOUR brand’s recognition.
What I want to do with this blog post is share my two cents on 3  BUSINESS RELATIONSHIP BUILDING “MUST DO’s” to increase your Brand’s Recognition.
#1 – The Business Relationship Requires You to Be honest.  I’m sure I sound like a broken record, but it’s because everything starts with YOU!  You have to be honest with yourself about who you are, what you want, your expectations and your value.  Of course you need to be honest with those you are doing business, but it’s only truly possible to be honest with others if you’re honest with yourself first.  The way to do this is to know your strengths, your weaknesses, your pain points, your non-negotiables, and your (for lack of better terminology) love language.  You have to be honest about what motivates you and what intimidates you.  You have to be honest about your fears and from where those fears come.  This is important because inevitably you’ll need to put it in check or keep it at bay because it will repeatedly rear it’s ugly head.  Part of honesty means knowing the root of it and how to fight against it.
#2 – The Business Relationship Requires You to Be Prepared.  In knowing what you want, you are in a better position to create, what I like to call, CIRCUMSTANCES FOR OPTIMAL SUCCESS.  Preparation means doing your homework on the events you attend.  If you’re interested in meeting new people for the sake of developing new business relationships, you should not only know the type of people with whom you’d like to meet, but also where you can find them, the types of events they attend, and what they need. Preparation means working on what you bring to the table so you’re confident in your value and can add it to the conversations going on around you.  A lost opportunity to share my value and do this was recently brought to my attention, and when it was I realized I had devalued myself by not sharing and contributing my expertise to the conversation. Had I prepared for the event in advance, I would have recognized my opportunity instead of feeling like I couldn’t participate and that the content didn’t relate to me.  When building authentic business relationships, it’s important to check yourself before you inadvertently offend someone because of you weren’t prepared to contribute to the content instead of leaving voicing your opinions.
#3 – The Business Relationship Requires You to Be Realistic.  Listen, I don’t want you to get the idea that building authentic business relationships is going to be all flowers and gumdrops.  The truth is, people disappoint and feelings get hurt (as unintentional as it may be).  Just like any relationship you’re forming, it’s important to manage expectations.  You should manage your expectations, what you expect of others, and what you expect to get from the relationship, in general.  The reality is, when two people/companies come together, each is bringing their own baggage/hangups.  Expecting someone to “just get you” is unrealistic.  Expecting your opinion to be the only one that matters, also unrealistic and can be….scratch that… will be a source of contention in the relationship.  Sacrifice and compromise ARE realistic, and should be used when building an authentic business relationship.
In the end, these 3 business relationship building “Must Do” activities increase your brand’s recognition because the relationships you forge with other business owners yields an amazing return by being the source of other, equally beneficial resources. They yield fruit by providing assistance in areas you lack knowledge, and in the actual development of friendships with people who are familiar with this journey called entrepreneurship.
Now I want to hear from you.  How are you using your business relationships to increase your brand recognition?

3 Tips to Master Brand Preparation

Andrea Patrick, Blog

We agonize over some of the simplest things in our business… why do you think that is?  We have incredible fear of failure and if I may be so blunt…there is often EXTREME GUILT!  To address some of these issues, I’m offering some of my tips to master brand preparation.  “Victory is the the child of preparation and determination”; it’s a quote I found that really speaks to the importance of being prepared.

Think about it, when DO you find yourself most afraid? If you’re like me…it’s when a customer seems unhappy or a deal seems to be going south.

TIP #1 is MASTER THE ART OF CUSTOMER SERVICE:  The idea here is to recognize CUSTOMER SERVICE is directly linked to the way your brand is perceived. The preparation required for a positive perception, is in the development of policies and procedures that reflect your brands culture.  Customer want to know you have THEIR best interest at heart and are sincerely vested in solving their problems.

TIP #2 is MAINTAIN BRAND CONSISTENCY:  Consistency MENTALLY creates trust, but it requires you to tap into your value in an honest way.  The preparation required for this tip is in the work it takes to ensure your brand communication (both verbal and non-verbal) speaks AND relates to your customers issues.  It’s important for your brand messaging to attract the “know, like, trust” relationships from those you’re targeting.

TIP #3 is MANAGE YOUR GOALS & ANALYTICS:  If there’s one thing I know for sure… it’s that you must have goals, they must be quantifiable, and you must manage them through analytics.  The preparation required to manage these areas is in creating S.M.A.R.T. Goals and testing, testing, testing.  There is no magic bullet to getting the success formula right the first time.  Doing business is called a “numbers game” for a reason.  Determining the right Marketing Mix formula can only be done by testing different strategies and learning from the analytics gathered in the wake.

Your success is in your preparation and your preparation comes from knowing your value and having the confidence to make decisions based on it. The rapport you build with your customer is the result of being prepared with a brand identity that represents your values, a brand message to which your customers can relate, and the ability to share it authentically.  This brings me back to the quote I mentioned at the beginning of this post, “Victory is the the child of preparation and determination”.  Have your VICTORY! Be prepared!

I know it can be difficult to get it all done.  This is especially difficult if, like me, you’re a one person show.  That’s all the more reason to think about your preparation.  If you liked this blog post please share your comments below and become a VIP Member.

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YOUR REACH: 3 Directions of Mentoring

Andrea Patrick, Blog

In my years of being a small business owner, I’ve realized the importance of my REACH.  It has determined the height of my success, the depth of my relationships, and the resilience of my strength.  My reach is what pushes me to my most extreme limits, but it’s also been what calms and soothes my fears and anxieties.  In this post, I want to explore how your REACH can do the same for you.

Let’s start with UPWARD REACH:

  • The first thing I will recommend is to look for someone who is doing what you want to do, the way you want to do it. Let them be your inspiration.  I found it is easier to use the examples of others as a starting point, then interpret their style to fit my own. I truly believe in the saying, “people don’t care what you know until they know that you care”.  This means it’s important to be yourself in all things (Hence, INSPIRATION. It should always take precedence over IMITATION.

  • Mentoring – Finding a mentor is another way I’ve reached up.  I have experts in my industry I look to for advice and encouragement.  Having someone who has been there and done that to run ideas by, work out frustrations, and/or celebrate accomplishments is necessary to the ultimate goal of success.

In this article from Inc.com titled, 10 Reasons Why a Mentor is a Must, there are 10 solid reasons to consider the concept for yourself.  My advice would be, don’t think too hard about where to find A mentor, the value comes from the knowledge they bring at just the right time.  What I mean is, instead of actively seeking that ONE person to mentor you in all things business, keep your eyes and ears open to the opportunities that come in the MANY people you come across on a daily, weekly and/or monthly basis.  Chances are, you’ll find mentors all around you, just allow yourself to be a sponge for their subtle lessons.

In this podcast, I’m chatting with my husband,  who’s been both a mentee & a mentor in the past.  I think you will enjoy both perspectives, so when you get a moment check it out.

 Now let’s look at DOWNWARD REACH:

  •  “Your talent is God’s gift to you.  What you do with it is your gift back to God”.  This quote from Leo Buscaglia really rings true for me.  Whether you’re a spiritual/religious person or not, the truth is, when you give you get so much more in return.  Use your talents for good. Don’t withhold information for fear of competition, share it and be encouraged because you’ve contributed to the success of another.  Being a mentor is about transparency, honesty, and vision. You have to be open to share your experiences in failure as well as your accomplishments. You have to be authentic in how you provide information and you should be able to encourage and inspire the decisions of your mentee so they find value in what you share overall.

OUTWARD REACH is the final topic I want to cover in this week’s blog post.  

  • It’s near and dear to my heart because I’m a social person and I love seeing what motivates others and makes them tick.  It’s hard enough being a “startup” OR a “start-over”. Doing it alone shouldn’t even be a consideration. Yes, I’m a social person but even if you’re not, it’s a good idea to ride along side of like-minded individuals who are moving in the same or similar direction at the same time as you.  Having a partner(s) along your entrepreneurial journey adds fun to the mix, pushes you to your limits, and provides a built in accountability mechanism. Don’t settle on an island. Find others going in your direction and create a support group to tap into as you climb to success.

 There you have it.  REACH should be multi-directional.  REACH up to get the help you need, REACH down to be a help to someone else, and REACH out to find your accountability and motivational push.  

 Now as a special gift for reading to the end, I used my research and these conversations to create a checklist for you.  If you find this blog post and podcast valuable, be sure to join my VIP LIST TODAY! Each week I do a weekly round up and there’s always something special in it pertaining to that week’s content.  This week I am sharing tips surrounding the topic of REACH. Learn from my experts how you can get better at REACHING Up, Down, and Out.

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