Sunday, September 29, 2013

What are the ABC's of your business?



Do you have any rules of engagement with your clients – guidelines of how you will work together?  Well maybe you need one.

At our Kitchener breakfast during introductions, Jennifer Roggemann, a local lawyer who had switched to focus on immigration law, shared what she tells clients at the outset.  It was so good, that several of us asked her to repeat it, so we could write it down. 

So here are the ABCs that she’s developed:




A         Admit you need help.  Reach out and ask for it
B         Be engaged.  This is your life, not mine
C         Come clean.  I need to know all the pertinent facts if I am going to represent you. 

And you can see how relevant these particular conditions are – not just for a legal practice, but a counseling one or any other business where you are helping someone. 

So it started me thinking about what the ABCs would be for Company of Women – and of course, I came up with many.  Here’s my first attempt at it.

A         Attend.  Be an active member, get involved.  Ask how you can help someone else.
B         Be authentic.  Forget the aggressive sales pitch, it just doesn’t work in this group. Build relationships instead.
C         Connect with one another – personally and professionally. People do business with people they know and trust.  We are a community of women who care about each other.

What would your ABCs stand for?  It’s actually quite a useful exercise to go through as it
makes you focus and narrow in on what is important.

My thanks to Jennifer for sharing her story and creating an opportunity for us to think
beyond our usual definition of our business.

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