Use these five steps to develop your ‘hustle muscle’
by Terry Brock
Terry Brock is a marketing coach who helps business owners market more effectively leveraging technology. He shows busy professionals how to squeeze more out of their busy days by using the right rules and tools. You can reach Terry at 407-363-0505, by email at terry@terrybrock.com or through his website at terrybrock.com. Also, look for Terry on Twitter@TerryBrock.
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The old adage, “He who hesitates is lost,” is more true today than ever. Business is moving fast, and results (more sales) go to those who are poised and ready to take action. But those attributes are not sufficient alone.
There is no mystery to the fact that you’ve got to hustle. That means moving rapidly to achieve results. It does not mean just scurrying about in a frenzy, hoping that you’ll impress others (or even yourself) just by being busy. Today, we hear many talk about how busy they are, as if this is the ultimate goal. Successful people focus on goal-achieving, rather than tension-relieving action.
You get paid for results. Period. You’ve got to generate results, and for we entrepreneurs who believe in cultivating relationship marketing, it means you must have the mindset that says, “Take action now!”
Here are five steps you can implement to accomplish what you need to do.
#1: Plan how you are going to hustle.
Think about how you need to take action. For many of us today, that means having the means available to quickly send a “like” to someone on Facebook or retweet a good quote from someone. When you see a contact doing something right, take the time to recognize them and give them a shout out. Make this a regular part of your daily routine.
Usually this doesn’t take more than a few moments, but it means a lot to the person getting the shout out. I know as I’m one of the people who feels great when someone tags me on social media promoting my work. It doesn’t have to take a lot of time. Plan for this.
#2: Put your systems in place to hustle.
Don’t wait to have your systems working for you. Put them in place now. Plan on how you’ll have your tweets, your Facebook likes and replies ready to go.
Bonus: One of the best ways to get text into your computer is through dictation. I’m using that regularly now. You can talk faster than you can type. Plan for it, and learn how to make it happen. Yes, you’ll have to practice a bit, but it pays off richly.
Extra Bonus: Use a noise cancellation headset to increase accuracy of diction and speed entry. I use a headset in the office for phone calls, dictating text (often on these articles) and sending other email messages, Facebook posts, tweets, LinkedIn messages and more. Noise cancellation is very important as it increases your accuracy, thus saving correction time.
#3: Streamline your personal contacts.
We know that the more personal the contact the better. A personal visit is better than a phone call. But these can take a lot of time. I’ve found that using tools like Eyejot or even a quick video on YouTube (use the “Unlisted” open for more privacy) makes a big difference.
Video is hot. Now with Facebook’s ability to do live streaming, your community, your tribe, can get to know you better. Look at wonderful video tools like Periscope and Blab (from Blab.im), and see if they are right for you to develop your Hustle Muscle.
#4: Streamline your connection process.
Just recently I got a tool called ScheduleOnce. It gives the ability to present a block of time slots where I am available for conferencing, calls, meetings, etc. When I send a link, people can choose a time that works for them for us to connect. It saves time in the selection of a time to meet. Because many meetings for me are on tools like Zoom or Skype, this makes it faster to put meetings together.
A competitor of ScheduleOnce is TimeTrade. I’ve heard good things about both. Find the right tool, and build relationships by streamlining this important process.
#5: Follow up, follow up, follow up!
This is the secret sauce of building relationships. Many people go through the motions of saying hello, sending the “good to meet you” notices, etc. However, the real gurus in relationship marketing practice regular follow-ups. Find lots of good reasons to provide value to others. Continually provide value, and don’t worry about keeping score.
As you implement these features you’ll be able to build your relationship marketing; it is never over and it is ongoing. This is just like, well, relationships! You can’t do something once and expect to coast. You need continual value contributions. This is not selling, but providing value.