Often there is a sharp intake of breath before entering a business meeting and switching on your game face. Why do we do it? Do we hide our real face and replace it with an efficient business one because in fear that we may not be taken seriously? Or, do we feel do it to save ourselves from potential embarrassment should we fail?
In business and life, it would be fair to say we want to make a good first impression and will intentionally or unconsciously put on a game face. However, to progress to a true client-partner relationship, it is best to bring our real face and genuinely delve into our client’s business challenges, problems or needs. This requires thorough fact-finding which ideally involves asking both basic and challenging questions to get to the root of the problem.
However, sometimes we may not ask enough of these basic fundamental questions in an attempt to position ourselves as experts. Simply put, we don’t want to come across naïve. On the other hand, sometimes we may not explore the difficult questions because we might not have the answers or solutions ourselves. The game face is still on!
I love how this relates to ‘our’ brand. In today’s world, whilst many still don their game faces it is important for us to aim to be more authentic and not pretend to know all the answers. Each client is different and thus deserves a customised approach. If we are genuine in our desire to establish a long standing professional relationship, we must bring our real face (your authentic self)! Ask the genuine probing questions and clarify any uncertainties until you get to the root of the problem. This will result in the development of a more robust and sustainable solution! Furthermore, you will have also built a stronger business relationship.
Let’s switch back our faces and be genuine in life and business!
Enjoy quirky shifts to your brand and marketing, I’ve recently released my own book – ‘Unleash the VOICE in your Brand’
Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash.
