So yesterday a  friend of mine was asking for a bit of advice about a presentation he’s got coming up to a young group of up-and-comers in his industry. The group of us all had some fun stuff to share to help him with what we thought would be the best topics to share with them.

“Don’t forget you’re going to start out as the newbie. not the top person”
“Don’t forget why someone is ACTUALLY hiring you (and it’s not to give you money)”
And a few other things.

After our chat, I thought it a bit more as there was one part of the conversation that I feel can help anyone in the success of their life. If you’re an entrepreneur looking for clients then this really can 10X your results.

It’s about doing your homework and learning what’s involved with the “bigger picture”.

Let me explain a bit…

We used the example of a programmer.
You’re hired to write code.

But, there’s way more to it than that. You’ve got to understand what’s going on with all the other moving parts or you’ll be at wits end with anyone you’re working with.

You need to know what the designer’s vision is for the look and feel.
You need to think like the customer to make sure it’s easy for them to use.
You have to know what the client’s goal is with the product. (AKA make money)

These are just a small part of all the moving parts that can be involved with something as “simple” as even building a website.

You’re ability to communicate with others will be the deciding factor in how well you’re liked by those around you and how much they will value you as a part of the team.

As an entrepreneur, you’re entire income is based around these skills. In the corporate world it’s “soft skills”. I call it “communication & caring”. It’s the skills you need to engage your prospects, let them know you know how you can help them AND make them feel you really care about the results they get.

With my previous web & graphic design agency, my primary role was salesman and project manager. Once I grew to having a team, I was the one who talked to the clients and convinced them our company was the right fit to help them with their online marketing efforts. I had to do my research on the company. I had to know what the industry was like. I needed to know who their competitors were. What made them different?

I also had to know about the people I was working with. Who was actually making the decision? Was it the owner, the manager, the owner’s spouse, or was it a few of those people taking a vote? My research into those people made a world if different in building rapport with them. Did we get along? What was their stance on different world issues? Where they dog lovers? Etc.  🙂

That was all just to convince them I was the person they should trust.

Then it came to my team. I had to relate all my newly found knowledge to my designers so they would understand the direction we were going and what the client wanted. What was the goal of the new site? What did they expect? What image were they trying to relay to the world?

The entire look of the site and first level of happiness of the client was built on my ability to communicate their needs to the next person in line. (The next moving part of the machine)

Next was the coder or programmer. They need to also be aware of what was going on and be part of the conversation. Without that, they would be likely to code something that had a bunch of features no one wanted or cared about, and missing a bunch that were critical.

Again, it’s all about me doing my homework first in order to keep everyone on the same page.

This is just a basic example but I want you to see what the moving parts can be in a project. In dealing with a single client.

What are the moving parts in YOUR business?
What are you doing to make sure you’ve done your homework with your clients FIRST?
How are you communicating all those important pieces to everyone involved?

You may not have a big team yet (or even a small one), but you need to start with doing your homework before you even have the first opportunity to smile at your prospect. What do they really want? Who else is involved? What else will help you provide the best results with them?

Every time I do a coaching call with a new prospect or client I do a bit of research first.

• What do they “Really” do?
• What have they been posting on Facebook?
• What’s their true passion?
• What hobbies do they have?
• What books do they read?

10 minutes of research can turn those prospects into clients and those clients into raving fans in no time at all.
You show you care and know your stuff.

It’s such a rarity that they will be VERY impressed!

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