MereuVerde

Archive for June, 2012

My Angel and this video has convinced me !

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gV9_P2Oc3U&feature=player_embedded

Introverts can be successful in business too. Motivation, determination and innovation is the key.

Does the idea of a small talk make you cringe? Does the thought of making a cold call fill you with horror? Many (although not all) introverts find the idea of having to sell themselves or their business ideas daunting, while outreach to connect with others for business purposes can seem downright scary rather than as an opportunity.

This doesn’t mean that introverts can’t be successful in business––indeed, many successful CEOs through to salespeople are introverts. The key to success isn’t always about being able to be the most outgoing person––in fact, quite a lot of extroverts tend to get tangled up in believing that all talk and bluff is good, when it can actually wear out clients and scare off customers.

1. Don’t fight your nature. Constantly forcing yourself to mingle, chit-chat and cold-call will take its toll. Doing things that you hate on a regular basis is a surefire recipe for burnout. All that stress can take years off your life! Don’t try to be someone you’re not. Instead, try to develop the business model that fits the real you; learn to be comfortable with who you truly are. And most importantly, believe that you’re as capable as any other person at succeeding in business––for an introvert, belief is everything because you don’t like to present a dishonest or embellished front, so if you believe that you can do it, you are already on your way.

Although each person is individual and expressions of introversion vary in both type and intensity, common traits of the introvert include a tendency to think before speaking or acting (sometimes seen as slow to act), able to make good eye contact when listening, less so when talking, softer when talking and may appear to be hesitating or hunting for words, need frequent solitude to rejuvenate as too much socializing can drain their energy, feel stronger when in a one-to-one situation over group situations and tend to prefer a few close confidants/friends over befriending everyone.
2. Focus on your strengths. Sometimes there is a tendency to suggest that introvert qualities are inappropriate for business wheeling and dealing. Detractors might suggest that being quiet, slow to sell oneself and unwilling to party on are not helpful for sealing deals and convincing customers. This is shortsighted and undermines the aspects of being introverted that can actually make an enormous difference to business. For example, being good with one-to-one discussions is a definite advantage when convincing individual clients and others because they are made to feel special, totally focused upon and treated as an equal. This cannot always be said for a more forceful approach to selling that doesn’t let up and tends to keep pounding away at the client––some clients (perhaps introverted themselves) can be repelled by an all-talk, never ending spiel about the benefits and wonders of a product or service that barely lets them think or get a word in edgewise. It’s therefore important to identify your strengths and be able to apply them to your planned business tactics. Here are pluses for your personality type in business:
You appear calm and composed rather than hyper and evangelistic in pursuit of the sale, the goal, the teamwork, etc. In-your-face, pushy and over-excitable selling is now a thing of the past, as consumers have become far more savvy and have higher expectations of building trust and mutual relationships that they can rely on should things not go according to plan.
You’re less likely to approach a deal as having to happen right now, giving clients or peers time to consider and think through what they’d like. It might surprise you but less pressure can often bring a client to agree instead of not going through with a deal, precisely because they were given space.
You’re likely to be great at building trust, mutual agreement and a sense of respect through your listening skills and your desire to ensure that the customer, partner or other relevant business person is on the same wavelength as you and will return the respect.
You’re less likely to feel a need to sound right all of the time or to put words/thoughts into the other person’s mouth or mind. This is because you understand and respect the need for space and thinking time. Indeed, you are likely to be very good at picking up body language clues showing a person shutting down or glazing over more than an extrovert can (or wants to), and adjust your approach accordingly.
You respect the questions asked of you. While extroverts can be brilliant at explaining things and emphasizing benefits, they can also oversell and create a false sense of just how good a deal it really is, out of over-enthusiasm and a desire to keep things really positive all of the time. An introvert is more likely to listen, to analyze the concerns of the other person and seek ways to solve the problems raised by customer’s questions rather than brushing them aside with platitudes.
You, far more than an extrovert, will connect with the introvert customer. This means that you’ll listen carefully, acknowledge concerns, give space and be prepared to let the person walk. An introvert customer is far more likely to come back, even months later, because they will remember your consideration for their feelings, needs and interests and the fact that you didn’t brush them off.
3. Find the right business. Jumping from one business opportunity to another and quitting everything you start––does this sound familiar? People fall into this trap because they get excited about the profit potential but fail in doing the work involved. When evaluating potential businesses, ask yourself: “Will I really be able to do the work involved in the business?” In other words, choose a business that you believe in, passionately. No matter what the motivation for your belief, it has to be there, so that you can throw yourself into it heart and soul, with total conviction. That way, you get to stay totally honest and free of having to worry about embellishing the business’ virtues and benefits because you’re already totally sold on them. For an introvert, this sense of personal belief is vital to success in business and must not be overlooked. It doesn’t mean you have to love or even like every aspect of your business (see the next step for getting the right help) but it does mean that the underlying reason for going into this business is what drives you and has meaning for you.
Pursuing business opportunities that you absolutely love will show in your ability to connect with others. An introvert who is doing what they believe in and are passionately driven by tends to be happy talking about it. In fact, it can be hard to stop an introvert in this situation from talking too much! This added confidence can help you to open up more when socializing and networking.
4. Don’t go it alone. Nobody is an island and nobody can be a master or mistress of all trades. You can try but you’ll be worn out and worn down in no time. Hire the right people, the best people, to do those aspects of the business that just aren’t you. This begins by being honest with yourself about what you are good at and about what you’re no good at doing. It’s not a judgement that weakens you––it’s just the opposite because by getting a strong team in to cover those things you don’t like doing or can’t do, you become stronger and are freed up to concentrate on doing what you do best. Nobody expects one person to be brilliant at accounting, legal work, sales, marketing, advertising, service provision, design, writing, speaking, running conferences, and so on. Pick your fortes and then find your team to cover the other aspects. At the beginning a business, good financial and legal advice can be purchased by the hour and is worth every dollar it costs you.
While your tendency as an introvert may be to research it to death all yourself, don’t let this lull you into thinking you’ve got it all covered. Practical experience is something that takes time and you are best getting the help of others to help you learn processes and to better understand consequences as a novice business owner, manager or participant.
Try to get an even balance between extroverts, ambiverts and introverts in your team. Too many like people and you’ll all agree with one another until inertia; too many different people and you’ll risk spending all day clashing.
Outsource direct selling and cold calls. You can––and probably should––hire other people to do any direct selling that you find overwhelming. Even if you’re on a budget, you can still get “commissions-only” salespeople who get paid a percentage of sales, which means no upfront cost to you. However, do the interviewing of these people for yourself so that you’re satisfied they are who you want as part of your team. Secondly, go back to the step about strengths and be sure that you’re not neglecting those sales where you might be best at the helm, the times when your one-to-one connection will really make a difference.
5 .Be pragmatic rather than hung up on perfection or being real all of the time. Pragmatism allows the introvert to be an actor, to rehearse before social events, business meetings and sales and marketing moments. Forewarned is prepared, so the pragmatic introvert is wise to do their homework about each upcoming social situation, learning names, likely topics for discussion and knowing the product or service that they need to pitch/sell/promote/inspire others about in total detail. You don’t need to deviate from believing in what you’re doing but the pragmatism does require some suspension of concerns that you’re doing something that isn’t as true to yourself as you’d like. Everyone has to step into personas professionally and it isn’t about lying––it’s about putting forth the best self for that occasion, about making others feel comfortable and about letting your business shine rather than seeming lackluster. This does require effort but then so do most things when running a business. A pragmatic introvert will do at least the following:
Study the background, motivations and interests of clients, competitors and peers. Don’t ever be caught off guard; homework done will be repaid tenfold.
Study before big events, business meetings, conferences, and any other schmoozing occasions so that you know who is attending, where they come from and what they’re likely to want from you. Don’t go in blind––no business person ever should but even more so when you’re trying to protect your introvert nature from being overwhelmed.
Network. While this thought may make the introvert quake, networking is really about making the right contacts and staying in touch with them. And you can do this one-to-one, even outside of actual networking events and you can stay in touch by email. Really, it is that simple but it is so important!
Avoid conflict. You probably already do but how you avoid it matters. You can avoid conflict and still get your passion across by one of several methods. One way is to simply be patient and listen to everyone else, then to speak out, drawing in all that you’ve heard beforehand and to seek compromises that work for all. Another way is to evade the conflict; this simply means constantly monitoring the risks through listening, watching and noting subtle changes of demeanor and manners and either changing tact if you’re in charge or removing yourself if it’s a group issue about to blow up.
6 .Turn challenging situations into an issue of tact, diplomacy and manners instead of a battle of good versus evil or honesty versus dishonesty. Introverts tend to have a strong sense of justice and a strong desire to be honest, sometimes to the point of being blunt and too real. Clearly, being too frank can be plain rude at times and being undiplomatic can destroy your reputation and possibly also that of your business. If you feel that your principles are challenged or that people are beating around the bush instead of getting to the point, seek the ethical higher ground of resorting to good manners and being diplomatic. With practice, you can be tactfully forthright and people will still respect that you’re not compromising without feeling like you’ve bulldozered them into noticing reality.
7. Plan smart. There are ways around having to spend an entire day or night around people, even in a business context. As a professional, it doesn’t hurt to let people know that your time is valuable and that you can make social events for a short time but that you have “other pressing engagements” (even if it’s just feeding your cat and curling up by the fire in relief at having quiet time by yourself). And even when you can’t get away, such as at big conferences and the like, plan to slip out for a refreshing walk during a break or simply take five minutes to regain your composure in the fresh air outside. In your own workplace environment, try to carve out a corner for yourself, even if you can’t manage your own office. If you own or manage the business, work elsewhere some of the time, like from home or use travel time to dictate notes, etc.
At conferences and seminars, it never hurts to turn up to morning tea or lunch slightly later when at a conference (you’ll avoid the queues for the buffet anyway) and then slipping away earlier than everyone else, explaining you need to get your papers/affairs in order. Also, people understand the need to network at most business occasions and this can be used as an excuse to get away momentarily or when you’re starting to feel overwhelmed.
Make the most of the time you do spend networking to ensure key people have your business card before slipping away and be sure to follow up with an email. Actually do follow up––so few people do this that you’ll be remembered and a good relationship can be built up from here by way of emails and online networking.
8. Use on-line networking to the maximum. The Internet allows people to find the right business contacts and skip the usual schmoozing. You can network with people through discussion forums, social networking websites like Twitter and Facebook, or simply by sending an e-mail to introduce yourself. Using the electronic contact is easy, efficient and not intimidating. It’s also considered the norm in current times, and nobody thinks any the worse of you for using these methods––in fact, it’s now expected!
9 .Market on the Internet. Even people who hate selling can succeed in Internet marketing. Your website does all the selling so you don’t have to. Orders are placed on the website without your intervention, and customer service is done via e-mail. The Internet is truly an introvert’s dream!
If you’re great with design, words and layout, you might be able to do a lot of this aspect yourself. However, it still doesn’t hurt to get help to ensure that you’re on the right track.

Tips:
Think of a time when you’ve had a business transaction or a consumer transaction where you felt totally cared for, listened to and engaged in the transaction. What about this occasion caused you to feel special and unrushed? Try to pinpoint the exact things and use these when approaching your own business transactions, to help customers and others feel comfortable in your presence.
Learn how to cope when things go wrong. Throwing a tantrum or ripping up a contract in disgust won’t win you friends and can soon become a reputation for being difficult to do business with. Instead, learn to calm yourself using such techniques as deep breathing, counting or meditation, aim to sleep on angry responses and always seek to be mindful at of how you respond to negative situations and people. There will be plenty of negatives in business, so it’s best to expect them than to hope it’ll all work out. Sometimes it just won’t, and you’ll need to brave it out with the help of coping techniques. Also, surround yourself with a few key supporters to whom you can turn when the chips are down; most introverts only need one or two chief supporters to refill their confidence––just make sure you have such people in your life!
Even if you fail or fall short of your anticipation, don’t worry. This is probably your best stepping stone for your next challenge.