The focus of #Smallbizchat is to end small business failure by helping participants succeed as your own boss.
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How to Build Relationships on Video that Drive Sales
SmallBizLady: Why is it more difficult to build relationships on video than face-to-face?
Julie Hansen: Relationships need certain essential qualities to be present in order to develop. While qualities like being a good listener, credibility and empathy are expressed quite naturally when face-to-face, they are often missing on video because of how the camera reads certain behavior. For example, rapid movements make you appear nervous or lacking in confidence, while darting eyes make you appear disinterested or suspicious. Understanding how to adapt for the camera is critical to avoid misunderstandings, miscommunication, and allow a trust-based relationship to take root.
SmallBizLady: Why is it so important to make eye contact with the camera?
Julie Hansen: If you’ve ever felt like an actor or tv personality on your screen was talking just to you, you know the power of personal eye contact. Eye contact is one of the quickest ways to build a relationship and people who make direct eye contact is thought to be more likable, friendly, confident, and trustworthy – all-important attributes if you’re trying to sell your product or service! It’s counter-intuitive, but if you’re not looking at the camera, you are not actively connecting with your customer.
SmallBizLady: How can we start to improve our video presence?
Julie Hansen: Like an iceberg, ninety percent of your body is invisible to your customer on video. That means your customer is making assumptions about you, your message, and your intentions from the ten percent that they can see. It is critical that this ten percent communicates and reflects your true intent through your expression. Too many people hide or tamp down their feelings on video projecting a blank video face I call RBF – Resting Business Face. RBF makes it difficult for customers to connect with you. Using your face to express how you feel is an important part of improving your video presence and your ability to connect with others on a deeper level.
How to Grow Your Solo Business
SmallBizLady: Does every business owner have to seek to build a billion-dollar brand?
Ramon Ray: No. Much of the news covers billion-dollar businesses like Tesla, Amazon, Facebook, or Google. In fact, the WSJ recently had an article about how these companies are the new General Electrics of the world – platform companies. However, what about you? Most of us don’t want to or need to build a billion-dollar business to be successful. We can focus on solving a specific problem for a specific set of customers and have a maniac focus on them and solving their problems. If we do this, we’ll be on our way to a successful business. It might not generate billions of dollars, but it will be highly profitable and provide for your family and enable you to support your community. WE small business owners can succeed AND build a SMALL business that serves us.
SmallBizLady: Can a business owner scale yet stay small?
Ramon Ray: YES. You can scale to the size that works for you and your needs. Most successful solo business owners have at least one team member who can help them scale themselves. This team member could be an executive assistant who can help you manage your calendar and delegate non-revenue generating tasks. Instead of you organizing the client meeting, you can delegate this task to your executive assistant. Instead of you planning your weekly email newsletter, you can work with a marketing assistant to help you. A solo business doesn’t mean you have to be ALONE. You focus on the vision of your company and serving your clients.
SmallBizLady: What are tips for better time management?
Ramon Ray: We say yes too often. Instead, say no more often to enable you to say YES to more and better opportunities. If you want to have the time to do things you LOVE and the things you NEED to do, that others cannot do, you must say NO to other things. Also, build “white space” into your calendar. I love seeing Friday where there’s nothing on my calendar. This gives me more time to work ON my business or to enjoy time with family and friends or my church. Managing your time will absolutely set you free.
How to Fix Your Business Mindset
SmallBizLady: How can our mindset affect our business success?
Kirsten Franklin: We hear this word mindset thrown around a lot these days. The way I define it as simply being the thoughts we have about ourselves, the definitions we create for ourselves, our reality. For example, and this happens often with first time business owners and entrepreneurs. If you come from a family and social background of have and have nots and no one you know has ever owned a business, you might build a subconscious (and that is the key, it is subconscious meaning you don’t even know you have this thought or idea) that you are not capable of owning and operating a business. Despite your conscious mind watching a bunch of tutorials and getting pumped you will more likely than not go out and fail. You will get confused and overwhelmed, you might get “stuck” and feel like you don’t know which step to take next or you might slack off and lose focus and get “distracted,” all because of this tiny idea in your head somewhere where you don’t even hear it, saying “you are not a business owner, your family doesn’t do that, you can’t do that, who do you think you are” etc.
SmallBizLady: How do we know if we have mindset issues?
Kirsten Franklin: Easy. Are you wanting to or trying to achieve anything and failing? Do you gain and lose money? Do start a business but somewhere it ends (you lack time or resources or something else impacted it success)? You are running a business, but it only does $1 million a year and you struggle to make ends meet or you keep trying to ramp up the marketing to hit $2 million but something always happens. You have the same personal and professional relationships that end the same way? I could go on and on, but bottom line if you want something go for it. If you fail at something your mindset might be affecting your outcomes. The saying, whether you think you can or think you can’t, you are right = it leans more to your subconscious beliefs versus your conscious beliefs. It doesn’t matter what your strategy is, if you don’t have the right mindset to execute consistently, you will lose (and by lose I don’t me fail entirely but it won’t be at the highest level of success).
SmallBizLady: Ok, How do we change our mindset so we can get what we want?
Kirsten Franklin: That is a big answer. But the very first thing everyone needs to do is to learn how to become aware of it. I know everyone is like I know exactly what I think blah blah.. ok so take a look around you and do you see anything in your life you wish were different? Anything you wish you could improve? Your home, job car, relationships? Financial status? Anything? If so, you have a mindset issue. Because you are not in the mindset to take action or make a difference. You are trying to change it, but it isn’t working. So how can you become aware? This is the first exercise I do with most of my clients, and it is a game changer. I call it no negative week but literally do it for life and your life will change. I still do this every day.
Did you find these interviews helpful? Please tell me how they helped and then share them.
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