There are a lot of common threads connecting us. We all got up early today. We’re dedicated to our businesses. We’re here to network. We’re smart, trustworthy, responsive, and we care. Every week, we present ourselves. And we edify and acknowledge each other. And that’s just inside Elevate. We also have commonalities outside the group. We build committed relationships with our families and our friends, and show up for the people in our lives, including our clients and customers. We’re moving our businesses forward and we’re all in various phases of growth.
But all of us are also different. In fact, it’s in the very foundation of this structure — one seat per profession. Every single person in this meeting is different in our professional pursuits. Architecture, Interior Design, Dentistry, Marketing, Real Estate, Legal Practice, Coaching, Therapy, SEO, Wine, Websites, Jewelry, and the list goes on of course.
So we’re the same and we’re different.
And that is also exactly true about our clients and customers.
They all have different needs, different stories, different budgets, and different value systems. They have different skill sets, levels of leadership, communication skills, and education. Different tolerance levels, different egos, and personalities, different taste and senses of style.
And yet, they are all the same — human beings who also wake up in the morning, go to sleep at night, and care about those close to them. They’re looking forward to life continuing in the direction they hope to go. They desire happiness and satisfaction, enough money to buy what they want and enough time to enjoy it. They struggle, feel pain, have a birthday every year, and hopefully celebrate the wins when they can.
They, like us, are all different. And yet also the same. And this is true of all clients and potential clients — even the big, scary ones.
So it’s simple. Let your humanity connect with theirs. Networking and business growth are all about relationship. See these people for who they are, discern their needs, and understand how you can support them. Clarify the problems they need solving, and crystalize how you solve them.
We must maintain awareness of what makes our product, service, and brand be the one they need, the one they want, the one with which they can connect and have a positive experience.
But first and foremost, we are all humans on this ride.
We get to discover and embrace both our unique details, and our common, connected realities. So we can build with our clients and prospective clients the relationships which will yield results in our businesses.
Here’s to our humanity — to our similarities, and to our differences. To business, business relationships, and business growth.
