thinblog - Filed under 'rainbow-colored unicorns and watercolor butterflies'

thinblog

enthusiastic babbling, sprinkled with a light dusting of coherence

10
Mar 2010

Fancy footwork facilitates fine friendships & good help is greater for it...

Ever had a really good foot massage? I'm not talking about a footrub, either. No general squeezing-rubby-rubby. Nope, I'm talking about a foot massage so sublime that it was like acupressure for your soul; leaving you relaxed and refreshed at the same time. Good help in other areas is like that, as well, don't you think?

The folks who really know how to do this seem to sense the trouble spots, too. Right when you feel them moving over an area that's been tripping you up, giving you discomfort you say something like: "Oh. Right there. That's it..." And they seem to have already known this; they may nod or smile a little, happy that their intimate knowledge has lead them to help relieve you.

And it's precisely this intimacy that enables them to be so effective for you. They've taken the time and made the effort to hone their skills to perfection, and to embrace your needs. They're extremely open to you. They listen to what your body, your situation has to tell them.

Combined with great skill, the openness of empathy enables good help to become a great asset. The folks helping with your business efforts should be as adept at listening, understanding, and empathizing as they are at organizing, managing books, or marketing.

In your business you collect cash. You make money. But the true currency of your business is relationships. And one of the best relationships you can have is the friendships forged between you and your service providers, your vendors, your partners, and subcontractors.

How much have you heard online (web, email, social media) experts tout their unparalleled expertise? And how often do these same folks actually take time to research you in the context of your industry, ask you questions, and really listen you? What would you have them hear?

09
Mar 2010

The Psychic Cleaners or "The veteran loudmouth blowhard is not just my neighbor, he's my new social media pro, too."

Psychic_cleaners

Wow. The magic of convergence. The yard guy's also my auto mechanic? Sure: Yard's fantastic, but my ride runs in circles like a sprinkler. But that's OK. The back seat's a hothouse for tomatoes! I'm going, green, baby!

Lots of newly minted web experts have cropped up recently. Who knew? I'm so glad, too. I mean, the (not-so-former) real estate broker is now a social media strategist. Awesome. And the failed marketer is now a design expert. And SEO genius. Fantastic. So what's the rub? Oh nothing, really. Just the fact that what they all have in common is mastering art of self-promotion, very often at the expense and to the detriment of the very businesses they're bilking - er, uh - I mean serving...

I know, I know. No need to be snippy. But really, just think about it for a second. While professionals in all sorts of industries successfully re-make themselves all the time, there's a difference between going to a seminar or watching a webinar and being proficient at things.

So take a good look at which counter you're leaving your precious finery on when you're considering the Psychic Cleaners, because there's no stain remover in the crystal ball.