Do you ever sit down and wonder how you ended up where you are at that particular moment in life? Sure, we all have broad plans that lead us down general paths that contribute to our station in life, but chance always has a say. In that thinking, you also begin to ponder why you selected your career path as well. While there is some chance involved, there’s always a primary impetus for the path chosen. I do the same thing. I almost always have a moment during any day, good or bad, where I have to feel thankful for the role that I play in life. While the work isn’t always easy, it’s always fulfilling. I feel this way because clients always respond to both expertise and effort. There are so many talented competitors out there, and I know that I’m not the only one doing what I do. However, where I find myself separating myself in the marketplace has everything to do with both my passion for my daily grind, but also my understanding of a deadline. It doesn’t seem so special, but in this industry, it is.
I’ve been noticing more these days: selling my skill set isn’t that hard. I’m not saying that I’m selling more accounts than I know what to do with. What I am saying is that I’m able to connect with my clients and prospects, and it just doesn’t feel like I’m selling them. I genuinely love the challenge to help my clients and prospects to meet their business goals. I realized that passion is a universal truth. If you’re just yourself and speak from your passion, others catch on pretty quickly. Even if they don’t buy from you, they immediately identify with your transparency. If you’re not hopping out of bed every morning looking for new challenges to conquer, it’s only because you’re not looking for challenges where you feel most needed. Am I the most brilliant internet marketing mind out there? Probably not, but I aspire to be every single day. I love to learn from others in general, but I REALLY love to learn from others in areas that boost my skill set in my career field.
When I decided to branch out to make a living in a field that I love, it just felt natural. Sure, it’s scary to eke out paychecks from wherever you can conjure them, but not as scary as you might think. It’s also a wonderful feeling when you see someone struggling where you can make an immediate impact. That’s not to say that you don’t learn new things every day, but it’s nice to know that you have a mastery over a subject that others can find valuable. This is not to puff up my chest and feel self-important. It boils down to the fact that I feel needed, and I can genuinely help those that need my knowledge. The ability to problem-solve gives you an amazing feeling when you see what it does for others. It’s time for a story to drive my point home.
I had a wonderful interaction with a client the other day. She’s a tough, no-nonsense type. I was brought in by a partner to handle a project that caused the client significant frustration. She put words to paper that might make some question their purpose. Interestingly, her attitude softened inexplicably at some point during the project. Her demeanor with me was wholly different from what she had shown in previous communications, and I was surprised. I was waiting for the other shoe to drop. I was trying to not let my guard down, so that I would be prepared for the boom!
During a scheduled training session, the client and I had a moment alone while I was trying to fix an issue on a web page that mysteriously broke. I was trying to fix the code as quickly as possible because I was expecting her frustration from previous experiences to come back full-tilt. Interestingly, it never came. She began to ask me about my family, my kids, the reason I loved my work, etc. She was actually asking me personal questions! I love to share, so I had no issue with the line of questions, only I didn’t expect them from her.
As we continued to chat, she opened up about the source of her frustrations, and that she wasn’t directing any of her anger at me in previous communications. She could tell that I was trying my best to help her, and that she appreciated my effort. Again, I wasn’t sure what to make of it, but it was nice to hear. It finally dawned on me that she saw my passion to assist her in solving her problems. I knew the answers to the questions that were causing her difficulty, and I was working long hours to ease her concerns. I connected with her not because of what I was doing, but why I was doing it. I was trying to HELP her, and she connected with that.
There are many people out there that do what I do. Some have more experience, while others have less, but the difference that I’m able to offer is my genuine desire to assist others. I hate to sound so sentimental, but helping others is a universal trait that extends far beyond code, websites, and business. If you make this a central theme in how you treat your clients and prospects, you won’t have to sell anything ever again.
