If your business makes more income than it loses, then you have a real business. This makes you a business person. As such, you need to act accordingly, but how?
Value of Time
Time is your number one asset. However, other people will not respect it if you don’t. Any meeting with a prospect or client should never take over 60-minutes. A business meeting with a prospect shouldn’t last more than an hour, unless you’re going to close the sale right then and there. If you spend more than an hour with a prospect, then they’ll see you as desperate, and willing to accommodate to their rules. You must not afford them that privilege.
Make it clear right up front that you have another meeting in an hour. Glance at your watch before 60-minutes is up and state that you’ll “need to leave momentarily.” They’ll get the message that you need to wrap things up. More from: GIORDANY / EpicLaunch.com –
Emails
Try to get everything in writing. Try to conduct all business through emails. Even though meeting face to face is better than emailing, it’s more cost efficient to just email.
Also after talking to a client, always email them after the meeting and reiterate what they said. That way there is no misunderstanding of what the meeting was about. Plus, if you forget, you’ll have a way of remembering what was it that the client wanted.
Contracts
Always have contracts ready. Always try to seal the deals then and there. Try not to let the client leave without signing, however, don’t try to be pushy about it either. Sometimes, they’ll have to think about it, and consult other people, and that’s okay. Let them have a copy of the contract so that they mull it over.
Make sure your contracts dont have spelling mistakes, it looks very unprofessional.
Business Cards
Don’t get free business cards. Man up and get 250 cards for less than $30 dollars. Try to get full color back and front. You can get your designs from Graphic River, and search for business cards.
Vocabulary
Your vocabulary should aways be positive or neutral, never negative.
“Cheap” becomes “affordable.”
“Bad” becomes “okay.”
“Slow” becomes “in a timely manner.”
“Expensive” becomes “a little pricey.”
Scheduling
You are never free. Even if you have a week of nothing going on, you still say you “may be available.” You want to seem like you’re always busy. Perception is reality. Reality is perception. Just because you’re not busy now doesn’t mean you wont be busy later.
When you’re scheduling with a client, always give them your available times. Don’t give them exact times, give them chunks of time. For example say, I’m available Monday afternoon, Tuesday evening, Wednesday morning.
Don’t ever say “I’m available ALL DAY Monday.” Say “I’m available after 11am on Monday” even though that means you’re available most of the day anyways. Don’t ever say “I’m FREE ALL DAY Monday” either, that’s even worse. That just makes you sound desperate.
Extra Tips
Always Keep Composure
Don’t Make Business Decisions based on Emotion.
Stop Making Excuses for Everything. Own up to it.
{ 4 comments }
So simple actually – act like a real business person and you will be a real business person!
I concur wholeheartedly with the premise – be a business person / act like a business person!
As professionals and business people of course we must adhere to a higher standard.
Well, I am trying to act business like! LOL
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