You have worth. You have value. And best of all you have an incredible idea you KNOW is going to be a huge success. Guess what. So does everyone else where you are and doing what you are trying to do.
I don’t write that to discourage you. Just the opposite, in fact. I told you to help your perspective and teach you the first step you need to be successful. You need to consider what the prospect wants. That prospect could be a potential boss, manager, client, or partner. No matter who they are, if they have something you want, you need to offer something they want.
With that foundational principle in mind, consider these 3 ways to achieve your goals and get what you want from other people.
Understand your plan
Every entrepreneur has an idea that they desperately want to call a plan. But every investor or successful entrepreneur understands that their “plan of an idea” is mostly enthusiasm, BS, and smoke and mirrors. If you want to be taken seriously, you need to do the difficult work. Crunching (realistic) numbers and making projections that make sense to more than your ego. But why “understand?” Simple, because you need to be able to easily and succinctly communicate that plan to anyone, anywhere, in 30 seconds or less.
Don’t be stupid
This point is not about taking risks. This is about getting educated. As a professional in whatever field you choose, continuing education is not an option. It’s not a luxury or something you “get to.” It’s something you MUST do. You have to stay current to be relevant, and whatever you think you know now may be obsolete tomorrow. If that happens, you never want to be the last to know. Make banishing ignorance a vital aspect of your day-to-day business protocol.
Get help, you need it
This is not about making an appointment to deal with your personality disorder. This is about having the right people in the right places. And that begins with understanding your strengths and not ignoring your weaknesses. If you are terrible at something, find someone who is amazing at it. Bring them on board (remember point one) and give them an opportunity to be awesome. These partnerships will create little successes that will add up to a reputation of bigger successes and consistency, which can be priceless currency in the business world.
One final thing has to be said: there is never going to be a foolproof way to guarantee you will always get the exact response you are looking for. People have priorities you may honestly not meet. Or they may just be “different.” When that happens, the best response is to take it in stride, make the best impression you can, and … walk away with your head held high. If you are any measure of a success in your career, there will be more than one time a previous “no” calls you back and says they changed their mind. So be careful not to let a “no” become a burned bridge.
