Imagine you are in a business networking event. Someone you know (even an existing client of yours) approach you and ask you “How is business?”. What is your answer?
Most business people I have asked this question gave me the default response (in some form): “I am busy”!
Did you notice what you have just done? You directly damaged the growth of your business.
If your best clients think so highly of you, why aren’t they referring others to you? Could it be that your own actions are convincing them they shouldn’t?
I was surprised and partly annoyed that business people gave me this same answer also during the last financial crisis period, where we all know that it wasn’t so busy, to say at least, for a lot of people. Why?
Some of us try to demonstrate our importance by showing and expressing how busy we are, and we communicate our “busyness” in any number of ways. How do you communicate your busyness?
In his now legendary piece, “The Busy Trap” for the New York Times, Tim Kreider, the author of “We Learn Nothing” wrote:
“Busyness serves as a kind of existential reassurance, a hedge against emptiness; obviously your life cannot possibly be silly or trivial or meaningless if you are so busy, completely booked, in demand every hour of the day…”
It seems that busyness has become a status symbol—a sign that you are in demand and thus important.
You could be projecting “I’m so busy”, also, by the way you talk to others or in how you enunciate your words. It could be by comments you make during a meeting or the time you dedicate to others in meetings.
Your busyness might be communicated by constantly taking work home with you, or not having time for yourself etc.
Do you pass off clients’ questions to someone else? Do you tend to leave clients “on hold” for more than a few seconds? These are also indirect “I’m busy” signs you send your clients.
I do not want you to get me wrong. If you are really busy it is perfect! There is nothing wrong with being busy. To be busy can mean that your business is successful.
But, looking busy is a totally different scenario. This definitely has its downfalls and directly prevent the growth of your business.
Did you ever think what the effect you have on your clients when you say ‘I’m busy”?
The more your clients see you looking busy, the more they may want to protect their own relationship with you.
By not making you busier with more referrals, they may, either consciously or unconsciously, want to protect both you and themselves.
Your clients that like you and your services want to protect and help you. So if you are busy, they do not have any intention to make your life get more hectic that it already is.
They know that if they give you another referral, you will only have more work to do.
And, if they were to give you, say, three to five new referrals, not only would your life be made worse, you may not even be able to get to those new people in a timely manner—which would make you feel bad, the referrals feel bad, and your client feel bad.
Moreover, did you know these words “I’m busy” may even expose your existing best clients to be easy targets for your competition? Let me explain.
If you are busy, your clients are concerned about your busyness. Thus, they will prevent themselves from calling you with all kind of questions with regards to their business.
So, if anyone else—who is apparently willing to take the time to answer a few questions for them, they may start business relations with them.
What If that someone else is your competition? They are getting a chance to demonstrate not only competence to your clients but also that they have the time to really work with your clients.
Your busyness may prevent you from getting additional money from your existing clients. Some clients may think that if you don’t have time for a relationship with them, you may not have the time to do a great job—to fully manage their account.
They will be more careful with their commitment to you and your business in order to protect themselves. As a result they don’t commit new money to you.
Even in case you ask explicitly from your existing clients to introduce you to new referrals, as a result of you being busy, they tell you they’ll think about it. They want your time for themselves.
Sometimes, they may refer to you new clients but sort of referrals that won’t take up much of your time —not exactly the kind of referrals you expect to get and grow your business! A lack of referrals to potential good clients.
I am sure you know that it makes more sense for us to take care of our existing clients than it does for us to try to find new clients.
By sending the message to our existing clients that they are important to us, is one of the most effective ways to take care of those clients. We make others feel important—and connected—to us by taking the time to PAY ATTENTION to them.
So do you want to get more referrals? Do you want to learn how to send the message to your clients that you have time for them?
If you always seem busy, your best clients may be reluctant to send you referrals. Here’s what you can do about it.
Hereby some practical ideas you can use immediately to ’neutralize’ your busyness behaviour and to attract new clients and grow your business:
1. Clear your mind
Before meeting a client or participating in an event, try to give few moments of silence to yourself. Let’s say 10-15 second of silence. Why?
By giving this “silence break”, you give yourself the sign to simply stop what you are doing, clear your busy mind, and give time for the other person you are about to meet. Then proceed with your appointment.
This simple action, I practice on a usual basis myself, sends a sign to your brain that you have time and you’ll make time if needed to new clients that will be sent your way. It gives place to accept new referrals in your business.
2. Act in a slow Behaviour
Acting deliberately in a slow behaviour will send the message that you appreciate the other person, consider him important and willing to spend extra time on him. It will neutralise your busyness behaviour.
You can do it easily by for example, standing up and walking over to the person you are meeting, taking a moment to shake his hand while gaining eye contact.
Practice it and see the effect it has on your relationships with your clients and demonstrate to them that you have time to invest in them (and any other contacts of them they may refer to you).
3. Control the speed of your talk
As mentioned, you could be projecting “I’m so busy”, also by the way you talk to others or in how you enunciate your words. So learn to enunciate and sound out your vowels when you talk with your client.
Your communication will have more emotions, and you’ll express yourself with more passion and compassion.
In my experience, in this way, both you and your client will be more emotionally involved in the conversation, and you’ll tend to feel more connected with each other.
It will certainly give the conversation more impact and make it feel more complete. This compounds the involvement both of you will feel.
4. Ask Questions and Listen to their answers
I mentioned many times in my keynote presentation and my trainings that one of the most effective ways to build good relationships is to be a good listener, encourage other people to talk about themselves. This is defiantly true when we want to build more business referrals.
If you ask your clients and your relationships sincere questions and you demonstrate your ability to listen to their answers, you will definitely give them a genuine opportunity to think about you and refer more business to you.
5. Create Unexpected Opportunities to thank your clients
Let your clients know, when they least expect it, that they are important to you. Do it a consistent basis.
By for example, simply writing and sending a personal handwritten card of appreciation a day/week to one of your clients you’re sending a message that you’re willing to take the time for them.
Have you ever received a letter of appreciation or a gift that you kept for a long time? How did you feel when you received it? How long did you keep it?
These special appreciation gifts in unexpected moments will force your clients to pay attention to the fact they are important to you and you are willing to dedicate time for them.
The fact that you took the time to write them and mail especially for them, will allow them to become more willing to introduce new referrals to you.
Last word.
You need to start investing more time to harness your client relationships and you have a giant sales force that will directly impact your revenue and margins by increasing referrals.
Empowering clients to share your services is the easiest way to increase referrals. With a little practice and time, these ideas will easily flow with every client opportunity.
No one is more inclined to refer you than your clients and no one is going to have more impact on the number of referrals than YOU!
Remember: our insistence on staying busy can have damaging effects not only on our business for also on our mental well-being: more stress, exhaustion, burnout, and an inability to focus on the present. But I leave that topic for other experts.
QUESTION: Do you also find yourself using the phrase ‘I’m Busy” when asked how is business? Which other strategies do you implement in your business to show your clients that you actually have time for them and value them?
“Itzik is an International Speaker, Bestselling Author, Business Mentor & Attorney-at-law. The Global Leading Authority on Business Development, Business Networking, Referrals & Relationship Capital & Founder of THE SWITCH® and THE SWITCH HUB®”
