Joe Fox: It wasn't... personal.
Kathleen Kelly: What is that supposed to mean? I am so sick of that. All that means is that it wasn't personal to you. But it was personal to me. It's *personal* to a lot of people. And what's so wrong with being personal, anyway?
Joe Fox: Uh, nothing.
Kathleen Kelly: Whatever else anything is, it ought to begin by being personal.
There are many reasons I love "You've Got Mail"... This was a movie Aaron and I used to watch every so often when we had our own 'shop around the corner' - the boutique bookstore in Remuera we owned back in 2006.
Kathleen Kelly (Meg Ryan) is the store owner who is all heart and has to watch her bookstore succumb to big business when a Borders-like store opens in her district. And I always remember the lines both from The Godfather (which Joe Fox/Tom Hank quotes) "It's not personal, it's business". And Kathleen's response that it IS.
As women I think this is so often innate (and I'm sure for men too!). So often our businesses are born out of a desire to help. A struggle we've overcome that we want to help others avoid. A product developed out of desperation that you couldn't find that thing you needed to help your baby. Or your mother. Sometimes the lines get blurred and we so want to help that we end up undervaluing our product, or burning ourselves out in the process. But that's for another blog post ;)
I really feel as if I've come full circle with this thought. And the place I'm in now is truly one where it is all very personal to me. This business, each and every job I do, and each and every client I have. Yes money is important and we've set up our business to make it. But people aren't going to pay if they don't know we CARE. About their business. About their budgets. About their goals and hopes and dreams. Some decisions we make are going to come down to the dollars. Still. But now, more so than ever, we are able to make those decisions in confidence. We know where our value lies so we can serve our existing clients better because we are confident that we can truly serve them well. It really is about our people. And it is personal.
I Guess What It All Centres On Is SERVICE.
The kinds of questions we like to ask to you and of your business...
How can we be of service to you?
How can you be of service to your clients (and clients-to-be?).
How can we help your business grow, succeed, thrive?
How can we make your online presence stronger and more captivating?
Or how can we help convey the heart and message of your business so that you can sell more workshops for example, and reach more people?
This is why we go the extra mile because we are committed to following through until all the boxes have been ticked. Even the ones we didn't know would be there at the beginning! (I think I put in 60 hours recently to a fixed price of 20 hours eek!!) I can't help myself. When I meet with a potential client and get to know their business all I want is for it to be all that it can be. I want their customer's experience to be easy, simple, fun, and I want to create systems that WORK. I want their business to succeed so they can continue to do that great thing they do.
Make It Personal Goals And Lessons Learned
- Listen in order to understand, not reply
This is SUCH a discipline. And I still have a long way to go. But there is something nice about just listening with no agenda, and often the best communication happens in this place. - Exude passion for work and compassion for people
I like this way of looking at the difference between the person and the brand/business. - Remain open to new ideas and opinions
Always. - Proactively seek solutions to problems
There is no perfect technology or one-size-fits-all solution, but sometimes the biggest issues create the best breakthroughs. And when you do it together all the better! - And over and under it all: RESPECT for everyone
You know that one already I know.
Would love to hear how making it PERSONAL has helped you in your business!
