Sing it Loud for All to Hear

This morning I was chatting with a friend, who also happens to be a badass female business owner, and we were talking about what we wanted & needed in our businesses in the this year. She was talking about potentially breaking it off with a client who wasn't a great fit and was feeling a little hesitant because of the obvious reasons and I asked her, 'well what is it that you DO want?' I was hoping to get her to specify who her target customer was and what she had room for (mentally, physically & energetically) so that I could help in some way, keep my eyes peeled and my ears primed for anyone who may be in need of the kinds of services she offers which would ease some of her stress about saying 'So long!' to that less than ideal client.

I read a book about dating once The author said that when we're 'looking' it's incredibly critical to actually say what you want, out loud, to whoever will listen really to advertise our availability by word of mouth. So many of us, when we're on the market - not me anymore (Hi Wauker!) - actually fail to tell anyone. So if that's the case, how in the hell is it supposed to happen? You never know who is newly single, who knows who, who just moved back to the area etc. So what we ought to be doing is talking to others about it, spreading the word - a d v e r t i s i n g. To borrow from Buddy the Elf, or was it Papa Elf? Either way...'SING IT LOUD FOR ALL TO HEAR'.

And really.. its the same for business. The most incredible, free & easy way to market yourself, your services & company are to chat about it with those people in your real life network. Let them know what you want, who you're looking for & what your goals and dreams are. Not only does vocalizing our dreams help solidify them in our minds & hearts but putting it all on the table gives those people who genuinely want to support us the information they need to tell their circle about us. It's like adding more people to our own personal marketing team.

Now, before you go texting every single person in your phone in all caps saying BUY WHAT I'M SELLING...I'm talking about having open, honest, authentic and joyful conversations with other humans! Yay!

If you're feeling a little unsure, get some paper and work through the exercises below.

Get your elevator pitch SOLID. This is 3-5 sentence paragraph that clearly and concisely describes who you are and what you do (OR what you want to do if you're on the market!). 30 seconds or so is the best practice.

Identify who your target customer, audience, employer or partner would be.

Start with a Friend Tell them exactly how you're feeling - unsure, anxious, nervous, excited, lost - and follow with what you're looking for. Like the conversation with my friend I had this morning, I see her a few times a week and I didn't actually know what she needed until we had a direct conversation about it. Now I'm on the ready to keep my eyes peeled for her.

Surrender, this is so incredibly important. I've had wonderfully surprising chats with fascinating people when I allow my self to just settle into the moment and let conversation flow. Let go of any judgement of the other person, of ourselves and just BE there, you never know what could evolve. Genuine & open conversations lead to genuine & open relationships. Which is exactly what we all need more of in our lives.