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STEP 1: Go Fishing for the Real You.
It’s time to focus on what you do better than anyone else and put that
out there to your customers and prospects. You have to peel away all the
layers that have made you a jack of all trades and hone your skills to
become an expert at something that’s valuable right now. Perhaps you own a
boutique ad agency and you can design anything, but what you do best work is
build b-to-b websites. That’s your vein of gold, and where you can drive
revenue to your customer’s bottom line.
STEP 2: Use Your Differences as a Lure.
In extraordinary economic times like these, the natural tendency is to
just hunker down, do the work, cut back on expenses and try not to lose the
business you have. News flash: That’s exactly the strategy that will
probably hang you. Because if you’re not standing up, standing out, and
standing for something important, your days may be numbered. Use the
strengths of what makes you different to make a difference with your
customers.
STEP 3: Find a Few Fish like You.
Step 3 on the path to fearlessness is to build relationships so that you
can anchor yourself in these rough seas. Now is the time to reward your
customers for their loyalty, get on an airplane and see them, take them out
to lunch (nothing fancy or you’ll look out of touch), and stay connected
through social networking sites. This is the moment to deepen customer
relationships to ensure your security and your company’s future.
STEP 4: Swim in Their Ocean Your Way.
Every time you pitch a prospect you are a fish out of water. When you
finally get inside, it’s important to learn how to be part of the culture
without getting lost in it. As a small business owner, it can be deadly to
get so entrenched with someone else’s culture or demands that you can’t find
the real you. Instead look for what resonates with you and don’t buy into
what doesn’t feel right. Stay true to your core values. If you don’t, at the
end of this recession, you may not recognize yourself or your own company.
STEP 5: Put Yourself Out on the Line.
Businesses who shine a light on what’s different about them are perfectly
positioned to make a difference. It’s not the wallflower who’s going to help
their customers go green, or the conformist who will invent the new business
model. Getting behind a cause is good for business and makes you look like a
hero. Volunteer, join a board, make a major donation. You may be paralyzed
by fear and feel like every minute you need to push that rock up the hill.
Shake it off. Give to others instead and watch what you receive in return.
STEP 6: Evolve by Casting a Wide Net.
Conformity is not distinguishing. The way to live deeply is to keep
reinventing yourself, changing with the times and with the your customers.
Holding onto the essential you while updating your style, your website, your
advertising and your thinking is the fastest way to the top. Step 6 of being
a Fearless Fish asks that you use your place outside the circle to always be
relevant to your customers and industry. It’s about staying true to the
essence of who you are, and then recasting your image to feel brand new.
STEP 7: Reel in Your Unique Power.
Uncertainty makes everyone question their personal value and the value of
their business. The fearless among us overcome these doubts by practicing
their ABCs—action, belief, and courage. It’s time to stop wringing your
hands and start raising your hand to make a difference. Believes in
ourselves can either propel us, or hinder us. The story that you tell about
your company is what others will believe. Use your unique power to make them
believe that you are indispensable and that is exactly what you will be!
Copyright © 2012 Robin Fisher-Roffer author of
The Fearless Fish Out of Water: How To Succeed When You're The Only One Like You
Author Bio Robin Fisher Roffer is the author of The Fearless Fish Out of
Water: How To Succeed When You're The Only One Like You. An acclaimed
speaker and CEO of Big Fish Marketing—one of the entertainment industry's
preeminent brand marketing and digital advertising agencies—she fearlessly
advises clients like A&E, Bravo, CNN, Comedy Central, FX, MTV, NBC
Universal, and Sony Pictures. For more information, please visit
http://fearlessfishoutofwater.com /
and http://www.robinfisherroffer.com
February 2009
