3 Business Relationship Building “Must Do” Activities to Increase Your Brand’s Recognition
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?
Self-Doubt, from Childhood to Adulthood with Reea Rodney_BTBTV
I’ve been coaching about it for years and Reea comes along and makes a case for living your value, loving yourself enough to be yourself and leading with intention and purpose. Listen as she shares her experience with empowering children to find their confidence and overcome self-doubt.
The parallels between adult self-doubt and the self-doubt of children is uncanny when you look at them. I believe the tools Reea uses with children are definitely applicable to adults. Find answers you’ve been looking for – not only your kiddos, but yourself.
How to Persevere and Build and Authentic Brand_BTBTV
In this episode of Be the Brand TV, today you’ll learn The P.E.A.R.L.S of Perseverance. There are lessons waiting for us in every experience. I know my own experiences make me uniquely qualified to share these P.E.A.R.L.S with you and I have the professional and personal results know they’ll help you persevere as you continue on your leadership journey.
Be sure to give it a thumbs up, leave a comment answering the question I ask at the end (I’d love to hear how you persevere in your business/life), and then… as always SHARE & SUBSCRIBE!
YOUR REACH: 3 Directions of Mentoring
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:
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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.
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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.
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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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How to Go from Startup to Expert in Your Niche
I’ve coached many small business owners and they all wanted to become and expert in their industry. The truth is, there are no shortcuts. There is no magic wand to wave that gets you there faster. In this episode of Be the Brand TV, I’m giving away some of my secrets to going from startup to expert in your niche. If I had to pick a theme for this episode, it would be ACCOUNTABILITY. The sheer will it takes to stay the course on this leadership journey means we shouldn’t allow anyone else to take the driver’s seat as we head towards our success.
Watch and share your thoughts in the comment section below. I want to know your secrets to being an expert in your niche. I also want to hear about any struggles you may be having to reach your expert status.
Once your done, be sure to like this post, share it with friends, and subscribe to my Youtube channel. As a special thank you, you can grab my special gift by clicking the link below!
