Reality - In A Hypothetical World

I’m a thinker. I like to think. I like to ponder and construct strategically complex jigsaw puzzles in my head. I like taking time out to solve puzzles in a theoretical imaginary world that mimics reality in multiple ways where situations twist and turn with infinite possible outcomes. For some people, this is frustrating because for every minute I’m thinking, I'm not actually doing. After all, how can things be moving forward when there is no evidence of a quantifiable and measured development in our business?

Years ago during my engineering apprenticeship, I became aware of the ‘Right First Time’ philosophy. In other words, a good Engineer will take time to consider all parts of a plan and work through them thoroughly before commencing production on the shop floor. This is to ensure that any physical work is only ever done once. It is so that an army of personnel operating expensive machinery and processing precious materials only use their time in adding value rather than producing scrap.

You may ask why this is relevant. Why right a blog about such an odd topic like thinking and pondering? Well, the reason is that, for almost three years, I have been questioning how we can manage to grow on a major scale across geographic regions by replicating a recognised process. It has without doubt been a challenge to find a procedure suitable for our type of company because customers only seem to respond to a subjective, emotive connection they have with a supplier - someone they know and trust on a personal level.

Well, the stages spent constructing puzzles and hypothetical solutions seem to have finally started paying off because in the last few weeks we have visited exhibitions across the UK, read numerous articles and interpreted countless teachings that finally conclude smaller puzzles which in turn form pieces of the solution to one big puzzle - the puzzle that has intrigued me for so long. It is like a final concept has been constructed on a grand, master scale and is finally ready to be built and developed in reality.

Even though it has taken so long and cast so much doubt in the process, I’m glad this lengthy period of physical inactivity has occurred because for the first time in years I’m brimming with a new enthusiasm. I suppose you could compare it to a game of chess where a player takes a very long time to make their move but when they do, they do it with the confidence that every move there after is planned to such a degree they are going to achieve check-mate no matter what.

The Relevance Of Irrelevance

I’ve never heard of you, I don’t know who you are, we’ve already got someone who provides your service and we’re happy with our current supplier. These are all the typical replies we hear when contacting potential customers. In addition, all they really want from their chauffeur provider is reliability. So if their current supplier ticks the box, why change?

After a year of trying to grow DrivenByQ in a different geographic area, I have come to the conclusion that selling a chauffeur service to corporate clients (business-to-business) is a tough challenge. I don’t mean tough as in hard graft, just that whatever we try has little effect. It can often leave you wondering if you should even try at all?

Luckily, after years of running a business I have learnt to become analytical and identify when ideas stop flowing or when the creative spark dries up. In response, instead of feeling frustrated, I simply recognise it is time to do something different - like engaging in what appears to be an irrelevant exercise. This is because it is becomes relevant to the overall situation.

Attending a random event or having a change of environment often helps to clear a mental block. To the outsider looking in, it can appear somewhat absurd but to the business owner who understands the value of the outcome, it is priceless. So if you were to meet me at a designer cheesecake festival would you be surprised?

Social Media And Time For A Pint

Would you walk in to a bar, stand on a chair and shout out loud “I would like to introduce myself. I’m X, I sell Widgets and I’m brilliant. Here are my contact details”. What if you threw your business cards at everyone and then walked out? Would you expect a flood of enquiries?

When it comes to social media and online networking, some people forget that as humans we have been around for thousands of years. Over that time our social skills have developed, matured and evolved to an undeniably refined level. In addition, we have learnt to discriminate and distinguish between what we like, what we don’t like and in particular, who we buy from.

In the last two blogs I wrote about face-to-face networking and how trust or credibility in business grows with time. However, some people assume that because social media is a new technology, a new set of communication skills must be employed to engage with it and age-old methods can be forgotten. Unsure of what these new skills are, they broadcast random comments in discussion forums and hope for the best.

Personally, I think electronic communication requires more effort, not less - the very fact that our tone of voice or body language is not available to help convey any emotion or meaning behind a message means we have to work harder to establish our credibility or authority on a subject and this is only done through open discussion rather than one-way broadcasting.

So for the business owner who ventures on line, maybe they should realise people haven’t changed and neither have their social skills. The only element of difference is purely and simply the technology! I wonder if they ever walked in to a pub, bought a drink, stood by the bar and made some small talk with a stranger. After all, is that not what 'being sociable' is all about?

The Basics Of Networking

Following the theme of last week’s blog, you might have noticed a lot of networking clubs and meetings popping up? Demand for them is strong and it goes to show small businesses are searching for new customers or have recently just started up. The thing is though a lot of the people who attend such events, do it without the basic skills required for effective networking. Sometimes they are oblivious to the etiquette they should be following.

As a member of a weekly breakfast group, I regularly deliver educational content to members on networking skills. To the uninitiated, my advice (when attending an event) is to identify someone alone and approach them or alternatively look for two people standing at ninety degrees to each other. The reason being, a ninety degree stance reflects an open posture and invites a third person. In contrast, two people directly facing each other are discussing business and it is rude to disturb them.

Once you have approached someone, say ‘Hello’, make some brief small talk (to break the ice) and ask ‘who are you’ and ‘what do you do’? In a short space of time you should be able to establish what line of work they are in; whether they specialise in any particular field; how long they have been established and if you can put them in touch with someone useful who might need their services or could supply them with something they need.

Now the most important thing to achieve from the person to whom you are speaking is enough curiosity for them to ask for your business card. It is simply good manners to wait until you are asked because if you force your card it reflects badly on yourself and even more so on your business. Once you are asked however, it is an ideal opportunity to ask for their card in return. You should then be kind enough to let your new contact continue meeting other people and of course, you should move on and meet more people yourself.

Would You Give Your Keys To A Stranger?

Would you do business with someone you just met? Maybe you would, maybe you wouldn’t. How about a stranger who spoke very loudly at you while they were eating food? What if they never asked what you did? What if they forced their business card on you and all they did was talk about them self?

At one of my first networking events, an experienced businessman very kindly gave me some excellent advice. He explained how networking meetings should not be viewed as a quick fix to finding new business. In fact it is the opposite. It takes time, it takes patience and it takes persistence.

He went on to ask me if there was something in life I really wanted. Something I would work my whole life for? I said yes, I would love to own a classic Ferrari sports car. He then asked me, “If you had that car and it meant a lot to you, would you hand the key to a complete stranger and let them take it for a drive?”, you can probably guess my reply.

He went on to explain, it takes time to build a business and your customers are the same as the Ferrari. You would not let a complete stranger anywhere near them because of how precious they are to you. So if somebody approaches me today and asks for an introduction to a customer, do you think I do it within six months of meeting them?