Entrance strategy: Build respect and trust
—by Paul and Sarah Edwards “In small business, much of our success is personal.”
It is said that breaking up is hard to do, but breaking into a new field or a new community can be just as hard. There are some right and wrong ways to approach getting established in a new venue, though, and going about it the right ways makes getting under way a lot easier. Here’s what we mean.
When two women moved to a new community at about the same time, they each needed to establish their professional practices from scratch as quickly as possible. One took a gung-ho approach. She placed ads in the local papers, gave out cards everywhere she went, wrote articles about herself and her work, and posted cards and flyers around the community—always careful to emphasize her strong qualifications and prior successes. She quickly created quite a splash and soon there was a buzz about her business.
The other woman took a more laid-back approach. She joined several organizations that were compatible with her values and interests. She volunteered to help with community activities. If people asked what she did, she told them and offered a business card. When they expressed interest, she invited them to a complimentary evening even in her home to find out more. Before long she had many new friends and others who knew of and respected her.
Two years later one of these women has left the community. “I just couldn’t get anything going around here, she confessed. “People are just not open to newcomers.” The other woman has a goring professional practice.
If you had bet $100 on who stayed, who would you pick?
If you picked the second woman, you’re right. Her approach may seem out of place in our fast-paced, in-your-face, marketplace, but perhaps that’s exactly why she has been so successful.
As small-business professionals, much of our success is very personal. It depends on people getting to know and trust us. When we respect and value them as people, not just as potential clients or customers, they come to respect and value us and what we have to offer.
So the best way to break in is to join in.
Paul and Sarah Edwards: Lifestyles for the Millennium
They can be reached at www.workingfromhome.com
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