From Trash to Cash: the Dribbling never ends

jo70mo

Even other people do have these dramas . up and down the country every minute of every day are families going through dramas. you are being proactive you are seeing the counsellor. there are patterns in your family that have built up over many years. it will take time to change them. Its not impossible though. you may be the only person commited to that at the moment. but often it does only take one person to want to change and to take action to work things out. in the meantime the dramas will continue but over time you will see new ways of dealing with things that then helps the others see new ways of doing things.
They are not ready to be told those things cos they are not asking to be told them. you are asking by going to the counsellor. then they will start to see those things in you which is a much more valuable way to learn.
you have the hard bit as no-one is being a role model for you so you have to go and seek out the answers in order to model it for your family.
There is a way between being a doormat or not involved at all. but its not always intuitive because of our own experiences and baggage. I think its fantastic that you are doing what you are doing even if for now you cannot see results or a light at the end of the tunnel.
Jo x

jo70mo

NLID maybe, and I really don't know here, you are too bought into the marketing speak eg closing the deal etc because of the type of company you have worked in before that had sales people with "specialist" sales skills.
sometimes people can just sense your vibe and lack of confidence that you are getting it right and doing the right thing, saying the right thing etc.
many small business owners don't have that backgrounf. My dad for instance had a shop for 30 years it did well. it was based on his hobby and sold for a pretty good amount when he retired. I doubt he knew any sales jargon or ever considered it in his life. yet he had very loyal customers and every where I went in the north west I seemed to bump into people who spoke of his shop fondly.
He had a confidence in himself and his product and genuinely wanted to provide what people needed.. I have known him tell people they didn't need the £60 item they came in for as the £20 one would do the job better. people appreciated that he was honest helpful and knew what he was talking about. they came back year after year and brought kids and grandkids.
maybe your lack of confidence in sales feels to them like a lack of confidence in your product/ability.
I really think people would rather deal with someone who makes tham feel at home and seems natural and genuine and enjoys what they are doing than someone with a slick sales pitch. thats not always an option for most people but it doesn't mean they wouldn't prefer it. hey I hate dealing with the people who sell me car insurance or similar but one of them will get a success from me cos I need car insurance. if I could do that through a small one person business and deal with a person not a sales person I would love it.
Its not really a viability in the car insurance business but it is in yours. it could be an assett to you.
Jo x

elly68

even ,thats all there is for it sometimes you have got to be selfish and think of yourself and hope the others come round ,oh is always telling me off for getting involved and trying to help others but at the minute i am trying to do our stuff first and then help others in family and freinds when i have the time.
always feel guilty but think he is right the problem you have is it is your immediate family but dd1 now has her own section and she has to learn to cope with those being her priority even if her oh is bad for her she needs to see the light and eventually will come to the conclusion that her dd comes first .
hope you enjoy your tea party though lol

elly68

by the way weight same this week oops

nolongerindenial

Jo,

I always prefer constructive criticism which is what that was than people saying everything is going to be ok. I think the one thing that may not have come across in the last post is the work I have done on my weakness's

Training courses into self confidence issues and resisting change.
1000+ hours reading blogs of many marketers as well as reading and buying books on writing copywriting that sells.

I know it sounds weird, and the thing with me as a outsource provider I am dead against outsourcing any of the work clients give to me. However over the past 15 months I have also realised that doing all aspects of the work myself it is only the client which suffers and there is an essential aspect of my business I have no option other than to outsource whilst I grow my business, there are processes which I would be stupid to outsource - IE the day to day admin, any web development/SEO (The core business).

jo70mo

maybe you have overwelmed yourself with info then NLID and rather than clarify stuff its made it harder. I don't know. also when you are reading about marketers are they marketing small businesses like yours. most small business won't have marketers and the strategies amy not be right for what you are doing.
Perhaps think about your business as it is right now size wise etc and look for the tools that work for a smaller more personal business.
maybe small business forums and blogs rather than leading marketers and corporate strategies.
corporate strategies may work as your business gets bigger and then you can afford to address them in a corporate way.
again I am commenting from the point of view of not much knowledge of your situation and just putting ideas out there.

nolongerindenial

Hi Jo,

I agree about the personal touch - it is key in a small business however it is a self confidence issue with me cause the doubt on the phone and this costs me the one thing I cant afford to be cost as a business - revenue.

evenstarcrafty

Probarbly no time to sell tickets
Does anyone live near Glasgow and like courtney love...lol
Id be amazed if anyone says yes

jo70mo

wonder if the confidence thing is because you really believe that selling your skills is a specialist skill in itself and don't feel qualified. lots of people sell their stuff without ever knowing a "sales skill " in their life. but maybe thats because they haven't learnt to feel inadequate because of it being seen as a "specialist skill" that is not their profession.maybe just concentrate on your customer and listen to them and think how you can address their needs and help them. forget making it too good to resist, forget closing a deal. just think your customer needs help and really listen to them and their situation and explain just how you can help them personally. they are only getting in touch because they have a problem and need help. they are vulnerable too and need help in sorting things out. if you can really really listen rather than thinking ahead how to "get" them you might be able to give a more personal, understanding response that shows you understand their unique situation and how you, having listened to them might be able to help them.
instaed of listening to how marketers work maybe do some research into what customers do and don't like. larger companies don't necessarily provide that even when they are succesful but, because they generate many enquiries and then do the job well on those that convert, they are succesful. however that doesn't mean the sales technique is necessarily enjoyable for the customer. can you look at what people prefer about dealing with smaller companies and build your confidence up that way.
Jo x

jo70mo

ok I am stopping longposting and board hogging now . honest. sorry everyone