Walking home from the park with my three year old last week, his hand tightly in mine as he balanced on the bumpy stones, I caught the eye of a smiley looking man on the other side of the road.
I love smiling at strangers. Seeing someone’s face transform as the smile reaches their eyes is magic. So whenever I’m out and about, I’m always on the look out for a smile to share. As this gent’s eyes met mine for a second time, I thought for a split second that I’d met another me (albeit with less hair!) but then he opened his mouth and his motives suddenly became clear.
I have a window cleaner. He’s not very regular and it always feels like a bit of a swizz because he never does the windows out the back. But still, he’s ours and I know he’ll call again one day. So I thanked the man, let him down gently and he carried on his way.
As I carried on home with my son, my mind started mulling over the exchange and left me feeling rather proud of this man’s business gumption.
The window cleaner wasn’t sat behind a desk staring at the ‘phone, willing and hoping that someone would ring and hire him. He was out, walking the streets, ladder and bucket in hand, doing the job. Whether he was on his way to another job or just drumming up business, the window cleaner proved that he meant it by getting off his behind and working.
What can you do today, right now, to ‘walk the streets’ with your business?
Imagine the scene if the window cleaner had just walked up to random strangers and asked them if they’d like their windows cleaned. Or how about if he stayed on one spot and called to passers by like a market stall holder?
Whilst it wasn’t the deepest or longest lasting relationship on the planet, the window cleaner took time to at least make an effort. It wasn’t until he had caught my eye twice that he asked if I needed his services.
What can you do today to build rapport with your potential customers?
According to the trainer at a web-design course a friend of mine went on last week, the average new visitor to your website will decide in the first 8 seconds whether or not he’s going to stick around. The window cleaner spotted me, my smile, and the opportunity to grab a new client and he was in there.
You need to do all you can to make sure you’re in the right place, at the right time, with the right website and products. Knowing your audience is important (the window cleaner is unlikely to approach a teenager for work) as is making sure your site attracts your target market.
What are you doing to make sure that you and your website work together to make the most of all business opportunities?
So there you have it. Three easy business lessons from a window cleaner. Does it sound too good to be true? Don’t knock it until you try it. Take some tips from the man with a bucket and then come back and let us know how you got on.
Got questions? Ask away.
Hustling! haha oh yea! when you is up high 10 story building you better be hustling
My recent post Top Secrets To Continued Success
So how can you 'hustle' people to come visit your website?
It's cool how you quickly you made an analogy between what a window cleaner does and how to promote your website (or your business for that matter) it would had never struck me that a window cleaner can be such a great man (I mean/think that everyone who sees a window cleaner doesn't think about him as a man who has initiative and doesnt sit around waiting for someone to hire him, he takes matter into his own hands).
And like Dennis E. said when we see a widow washer we should be inspired to start networking outside our safe environment.
I have a renew respect for all people who do this kind of jobs.
I also want to say that from your post you sound like a warm, kind and 'smiling' person,but I think I am a little influenced by your about page too.
My recent post Curse Masini de Teren
Funny thing is that the day after I posted that comment my sister had her baby and I am now an uncle. So i quite understand how a mother takes care of her child (especially her first one).
I am now reading your other post, How to make your customers adore you – once and for all and I can already see your touch in it.
Oh, by the way, no problem, you don't need to thank me about the idea
, I hope I can give you more!
My recent post Imbraca mireasa
Congratulations on being an uncle! That's wonderful news. Off to write that post for you
Have a great weekend
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Excellent post El. It prompted me do a quick audit on my own promo work in the last week.
Just been 'hustling', 'relationship building' and 'grabbing opportunities' despite being full of cold! Fear-not I have kept all germs contained … I've been engaging on-line.
At times like this when one feels 'less-than-sparkly' it's still easy to achieve an effective level of promotion by dipping in to Blog Commenting, just like I'm doing here!
Checking my CoHuman work management tool I see that I have been answering questions within professional groups in LinkedIn, and adding new discussion threads too. I noted that I have made several new connections via this route.
I cannot resist reading the blog posts that arrive via my email in-box: this is another way of making spontaneous connections and promoting ones 'business wares'. I always feel excited and interested enough to leave comments. I consider this method of social engagement just as useful as face-to-face networking.
Your window cleaner guy was confident enough to take a chance on you because you showed him a warm human side. The biggest chance I've taken this week might not result in anything of worth but I enjoyed the gamble nevertheless …. I posted a comment on SkySportsNews on-line in answer to a discussion about whether the Ryder Cup Teams should be allowed to tweet during the tournament or not. I stated in no uncertain terms that they should have employed a strategy for the team whereby a group of ghost-tweeters were hired to keep tweeting and sending out photo's for their fans and the general public. And, of course, Virtual Assistants in Wales my biz brand could have easily come to their assistance!