Written by Dr. Dorothy Martin-Neville
In speaking with an associate today we were discussing a common problem for many entrepreneurs, seasoned or neophyte; you know you have an amazing program, product, etc. and yet no matter how many times you offer it, no matter how you say it, there is little to no response.
It can leave you discouraged or even defeated and looking for a full-time position after a certain number of failed attempts. It can convince you that you don’t know anything. It can also cause you to reevaluate, how did the market change? Has your language not kept up with life’s changes? Is everyone else out there truly more competent than you?
Have you gone there? Done that? Have you spiraled out of control because you can’t figure out what the problem is? Or who it is? Welcome to the life of the entrepreneur…. It’s a constant reassessment of yourself, your message, your delivery, and your market. Overwhelm is an option. So is a simple step back into looking at the fact that you may have a terrific program etc. but what is missing is an up-to-date presentation.
Ironically, a strong ego in conjunction with true humility is the perfect combination. Humility is truth. If you are great at what you do, own it!!! If your audience doesn’t see it – the issue isn’t you, it’s how you are presenting it. Get help from someone for whom that skill is a gift (Not your mom who knows you’re a genius or your sister who wants you adored so she can meet all the new people in your life.) Their love is wonderful but an objective evaluation is a gift to receive and grow from.
How does this apply to your life? As an entrepreneur? As a partner? As simply someone who is trying to meet friends, meet that someone special, or even meet a community you want to be a part of? Self-assessment is a necessity in life but so is noticing how you come across. I was speaking with a prospective client last week. He is an excellent salesman with his potential customers and yet he has no tolerance for his co-workers or supervisors. They get in the way of his objective. He can be admired for his dedication to his career yet as part of a team a few
more skills are desperately needed if he is going to keep his position. How you are hard is impactful – or not...
As a business/leadership coach, I am so aware that one strong skill is a gift, but it is not the whole picture. Decades of experience, combined with my years as a coach, make it so clear to me that we are what we sell, we are what our clients buy. Many folks are selling what we sell. Why go with us?
When they trust us, when they know we really are focused on them, they trust us completely to be there for them. Not to be perfect but simply to be willing and able to be there for them. As a team member it is also imperative to step back and see how we can support everyone, not just those who become our clients or customers, but all those we work with in any way.
To owning your gifts and having the ability to let the world know what they are!