Skip to main content

What's Your Story?

Yesterday, I was listening to a SUCCESS Magazine CD and one of the contributors was famous business coach Dan Sullivan. He had excellent advice for any entrepeneurs but one of his nuggets went farther than that...this is POWERFUL to any human being on the planet, in my humble opinion.
When asked about the one piece of advice he would give any entrepeneur, here was his answer: Make a list of 10 people you would like in your company, on your team, to be mentors, etc...and invite them to breakfast, lunch, or dinner on YOU. Then....you simply ask them to tell you their life's story and DO NOT INTERRUPT EXCEPT TO ASK QUESTIONS!! Do not mention at all your business, what you are currently doing, your family, or anything....THIS MEETING IS STRICTLY ABOUT THEM!!! He said this is the most powerful tool he knows for anyone wanting to be successful. Everyone has a story, and truth be told, everyone wants to tell it...but no one seems to want to listen! He went further with this and said that if you truly do this...the referrals that will come your way will astound you! Why? Because you have earned their trust in the most important way possible!!!

True Networking is like this...it is about the OTHER PERSON and how you can help THEM, not how they can help you!!! It is also the basis for what we call 1 on 1s....getting to know the other person...not pushing yourself or your business on them. Nothing is more irritating than going to meet someone and them spending all the time talking about themselves and their business and realizing they could care less about you! You simply fulfilled a quota for them!

Also...this is a very powerful tool for the person seeking a job opportunity! You can realize where the person came from, their background, and what made them who they are today. It will help you narrow your focus or possibly suggest to you a new avenue of inquiry.

I have to confess....I LOVE THIS IDEA!!! I LOVE to hear someone's story because I am an auditory learner. I remember this about a person so much more than what they looked like....or what they wore. I was just telling someone over the weekend that my favorite college professor got me to LOVE history (where I had always had football coaches teaching me in High School) simply by telling one story after another. I started reading Historical Fiction books voraciously after that because it made the era come alive to me! Whether or not every little detail was completely true was immaterial to me....I understood the big picture and felt how the participants must have felt and that was extremely powerful to me!!!

So....your call to action is simply this: FIND 10 whom you WANT to be associated with: in business, personally, with a charitable enterprise, or just to learn from and practice this and let me know how it works....because it undoubtedly will!!!!

To your success: Raising my cup of  Earl Grey Cream to you!!!

Sheila Williamson
www.sheilasenergy.igniteinc.biz

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Confessions of a Tired Caterer; Burned to a Crisp

Recently, after 8 years of owning my own catering business, Tea 'n Mystery, I announced I was retiring on June 3. I am quite happy with my decision, but it has surprised so many people.....I am surprised. Of course, the ones that were the most surprised never actually worked alongside me...so they never actually experienced all the highs and lows of this business. Truly, I can say to you....unless you are in the ditch digging business...you have probably never worked that hard physically in your life! For a taste of what my days were like....read on...and maybe you will see why at 57, I am retiring and working my Plan B. Typical Day 1 of job: Lists, lists, and more lists. Products needed, serving supplies to retrieve from storage, paper products needed, decorations needed, etc...and then the shopping begins. 1. Restaurant supply for large quantity items 2. Costco for smaller quantities or certain cheeses, fruits, eggs, heavy cream, paper products 3. Party City for decor and or pap...

Sheila's Senior Adventures

I love the word adventure, don't you? It sounds like so much fun and hopefully it is. When we grow up, sometimes our spirit of adventure suffers from adult syndrome and the fun aspect goes away. Well, I have determined that THE BEST IS YET TO COME for me so....my adventures are just beginning! Whether it is a night out with the girls, day trips in and around our Metroplex, or even exploring true Texas treasures, I LOVE having fun adventures. New experiences are exciting for me and I am finding I meet new friends everywhere! Here are THREE simple ideas: 1.Schedule a GIRLS ONLY night around a shopping/wine/chocolate experience. Suggested location: Watters Creek for all of it. Many dining/wine options, shopping extraordinaire, and Sublime Chocolate to top it off.  2. Invite your neighbors over for a Dinner Club party. How this works is YOU set the theme....such as my last one, A Flip Flop Summer Dinner Party. We made the entree and sent simple recipes out to our friends to pr...

Memorial Day Recipe: Red, White and Blueberry Pie

When I think of Memorial Day weekend...I immediately think of sun, water (usually the pools open this weekend), BBQs, and Flags. This is a weekend to enjoy with family and friends, but to remember those who have gone before us as well. Here in the United States, we pause to remember those who gave their lives in service to our country on Memorial Day. I hear "Taps" playing in my head and see images of white crosses lining Arlington National Cemetary. This is a time of remembrance and to count our blessings as well. Hopefully, wherever you are, you have this tradition in one way or another. I have been very blessed in my life and as such...enjoy giving back now...whether in my own community, to disaster victims, to help others get back on their feet, and to raise funds for needed improvements to landmarks, etc. I especially enjoy helping raise funds for programs that offer a hand up, not a hand out to change people's lives forever. All that being said...when you are th...