It can be really hard to get someone’s attention.  From a business perspective, there are people walking around you right now who have money and could theoretically spend it on your product or service.  If you could get their attention – you might be able to sell them something.

The problem is that other than the fact that they are people and can fog a mirror, you probably don’t know much about them.  You don’t know if they have any money.  You don’t know if they already have a solution for what you do.  You don’t know if they would be interested in what you do or not.  In short, you don’t know them…and they don’t know you.

Did I mention it’s really hard to get someone’s attention these days?  We’re all being bombarded by thousands of messages every day…and it can be really hard for something to get through all that noise!

Seth Godin has a great quote on this very issue:

“Selling to people who actually want to hear from you is more effective than interrupting strangers who don’t”.

Interruptions used to work better…back when there was less noise, but now your best bet is to find people who want to hear from you. 

How do you do that?  First of all you have to know who you want to talk to…be very clear on your target audience.  The more defined you can be the more likely you can get their attention.  It’s the difference between talking to a ‘card players’ or a ‘Texas Hold-Em tournament players’.  If you’re a big fan of Texas Hold-em, you’re likely to ignore something targeted to just ‘card players’.  Conversely, if you’re not a Texas Hold-em player, you will ignore the message…because it’s not for you.

Once you know who you’re talking to, then you need to know what their problems are (ideally the problem that you can help solve).  That’s what’s going to draw their attention…you are speaking clearly to your target audience on a topic they have a strong interest in.

Back to the Texas Hold-em example, using a headline like “How to ACTUALLY make money playing in Texas Hold-em tournaments” would get some real attention.

From there, you need to deliver on your promise – maybe you got them to click through on a blog post or to download a report or watch a video.  Whatever it was, this is your attention to establish credibility and make them interested in you.  If you fail at that, they’re gone, never to be seen again.

But if you succeed at giving them something of value – then…and only then do you have an opportunity to sell them on something.  It can be a tough road, but it’s still easier than interrupting somebody!

What do you do to earn attention from your prospects?  Share your thoughts in the comments below, I’d love to hear them.

Shawn Kinkade   Kansas City Business Coach

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“If a good reputation is like Gold, then having Integrity is like owning the mine.”  John C. Maxwell / Jim Dornan – Becoming a Person of Influence

I had a great opportunity to sit in on a Core Advocates training session this morning that focused on the importance of Reputation when it comes to building your business by word of mouth.  I’m going to be doing some work with the Core Advocates team in the future and I’m impressed with what the ‘core’ ideas behind the training.

Reputation is a critical part of anyone’s business success (or success overall), but how often do you actually hear anyone talk about it or take the time to really think through what their reputation actually is and what they’d like it to be?

Your reputation is up for discussion every single day.  “I’m looking for a good plumber…do you know one?”  “I’m going to that new restaurant on Metcalf this weekend – what did you think of it?”  People will talk, and with the explosion of Social Media, they have an easy platform to share their opinions and they’re doing more than ever.

Do you know what your reputation is? 

There are several reasons why Reputation is critical – the obvious one is that people won’t do business with an individual or business that has a known bad reputation (shoddy products, unfair dealings, poor customer service, etc.).

Just as important, people will not refer someone they believe has a bad reputation – in fact, they are much more likely to tell others about a bad experience than a good experience, especially in the age of the internet!

On the flip side, if you can demonstrate a positive reputation – if people get to Know, Like and Trust you (even if it’s outside of work) they will consider doing business with you and they will refer you!  Think about the implications of that…social contacts, neighbors, parents that are at your kids games – all of them have the opportunity to experience your character, even if it’s outside of a work setting and if they like what they see they will jump on your bandwagon – possibly doing business with you or referring others.

Reputation Audit

List out all the characteristics that you are looking for when you do business personally or professionally.  Most people would include things like honesty, integrity, professionalism, friendly, helpful, etc.

Now – picture yourself at work…do you exhibit all of the traits that you expect from others?  Picture yourself out at a restaurant, a bar, your church, a crowded parking lot on a hot day…do you still exhibit all of the traits that you’d like to be known for?

Contrary to what Corporate Brand managers would have you believe, reputation only comes from the actions you take.  You might tell me what a great business you are, but I’m going to judge you based on what you do – not only at the workplace, but everywhere else as well.

“You can’t build a reputation on what you’re going to do.” – Henry Ford

What do you want to be known for?  What are you specifically doing to make that happen?  Is being yourself enough or do you need to consciously push yourself towards the reputation you want? 

I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.

Shawn Kinkade  Kansas City Business Coach

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