I recently put myself onto a course that a friend of mine is holding called “How to Present You and Your Business to Attract More Clients”
Marie Claire Carlyle is a fantastic coach and inspiration to not just me but a lot of other people too and to show you her willingness to help her friends out, here is the reason why she started the course in the first place:
We were walking back from a local networking event and my friend Christine turned to me and said “I need to learn how to present my business”.
Christine is a cranial sacral therapist who like many small business owners, is brilliant at what she does but is shy about getting out there in the marketplace. “OK Ill help you” I said , and less than two weeks later I invited a select group of just ten local entrepreneurs to a 6 week class on “How to Present You and Your Business to Attract More Clients”
Today business is more about co operation than competition.
Once a week this group of entrepreneurs meet and support each other as they learn how to be clear about what they do and how they can add value. We learn what to say to that dreaded “and what do you do?” question. We get a chance to practise the “One minute to Win it!” speech within a safe environment. And we share best practices as we look at the messages we are giving in our branding and the way we present ourselves and our respective businesses.
Over the weeks we get to know each other and how each of us can help one another. In this way we are setting up a natural network of potential referrals. In fact, some of us are already swapping services! We act as a support network as we brainstorm ideas for each other and most of all we show that you can do business and have a laugh at the same time!
You should have heard the laughter last night as our local “Tantric Sex Expert” joined the group,…but then that’s another story !!
So how has this helped me so far?
Week two has just passed, we talked about branding and tag lines. Being a designer, branding is what I do so this wasn’t a problem for me at all, but what the discussions did do was make me think of new ideas for the other members of the group.
Our homework for the first week was to describe your business to a stranger in one sentence as a new member was joining us for week two, and I came up with:
“Koogar can help you make your mark and create the face to your business”
The new member guessed at the type of business I was in and said Marketing which I supposed graphic and web design does for a business. I was also please with the feedback from the other group members too.
I shared a lift with another member of the group and on the way home I said that creating this sentence was worth going on the course already as this helps me tell people what I do without saying the normal “Graphics and Web Design” reply.
This is more creative and this single sentence prompts people to ask me a second question of “so…what exactly is it you do?”
So in conclusion, I would recommend this course to anyone who needs to be taken to the next level. I know this is only week two, but this week has made me think about my business, how I want to conduct business and where I want to take it. See what it can do for you…
For more information, visit www.themiraclecoach.co.uk
