By Susan Guillory
Going with the flow may be best for you and your business.
When we ‘grow up’ in the business world, we learn the importance of meeting goals within a timeline:
Close the sale this week!
Call 25 new prospects!
Get a yes today!
And yet this is a very masculine approach to doing business. I’m not talking about gender here, I’m talking about energy. Masculine energy in the workplace looks like this:
- Go Go Ga
- Work 60+ hours no matter the need
- Press to close the deal
- Be aggressive
But as we see more of a spiritual approach to things, we also see the feminine aspect come in:
- Waiting to respond
- Allow
- Listening to intuition
- Using Compassion
When we allow this feminine aspect, we invite to flow in.
What is flow?
When you try to force something, how often do you actually achieve what you wanted? Maybe you’re trying to make a deal. The potential customer has not given you an answer. So you call her.
And email her.
And tweet her.
As a result, she never responds and you lose the sale. What would have happened if you had just let things take their natural course? Maybe she didn’t respond because she was sick. It may take longer for her to make a decision. In that case, don’t force the problem convince her to buy your product.
Sales experts try to convince us that if you let a lead go cold, you will never make a sale. That’s a male point of view. Definitely follow. But then back away. Realize that you’re probably not the center of this potential customer’s world, and bothering them too much can miss the opportunity.
Yes, it takes a shift to move from that assertive/aggressive approach to sales we’ve all been taught to just sit back and wait, but in my opinion the latter is a better way to be successful in the businesslife.
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When things don’t go according to plan
If you have a business plan, I invite you to grab it and look at it. Depending on the last time you updated it, the goals you have in your plan may no longer align with where your business is located.
And that’s okay.
Companies are living, breathing entities. They are meant to change and adapt to their environment (how many of us had to adapt because of the pandemic? Show of hands?). A business plan should just be a loose guide to where you want your business to go in the near future. It should be updated to reflect where you are currently located. You may need to change your target audience, the products you offer, your pricing level, or your marketing plan.
I learned the hard way not to expect things to go according to plan. Customers end contracts abruptly. Project scopes shift and creep. Customers pay late. Instead of getting out of shape that things aren’t going the way you expected, let go of expectations and get into the flow.
To go with the flow, see the big picture
When I lost a customer in the past, my mind immediately went into a panic thinking about the loss of revenue. That no longer happens, because time and again I have replaced that gap in income with an even bigger client.
It is often difficult to see beyond the moment you are in, especially if you have no idea how the problem will be fixed. Just remember: this is temporary and there is a reason for everything. Maybe you let a client leave to make way for an even bigger and better one in a few months.
Just try to be present and know that good things are coming.
An exercise to allow the flow
If you’re type A, the idea of going with the flow is likely to make you stressed. You have trouble letting go of expectations. Let me ask you: what good is those expectations if they always fall short?
Humor me by trying this meditation and visualization.
Sit back and close your eyes. Take three deep breaths.
Imagine a stream, with water flowing in one direction. Just observe the water for a while.
Now imagine the problem that is bothering you. If it is a demanding customer, go to that person. If it’s a pile of unpaid bills, check out the bills. Whatever’s going on, watch it flow down the stream from you.
Let it float away.
You might even chuckle a little to see your discerning customer wave as he flows downstream. Humor is healing.
Now see something positive to replace that first stressful thing you sent away. See clients you enjoy working with. See piles of money. You can imagine this flowing in the direction of you from upstream. See yourself standing in the water and accepting this gift. Feel gratitude for the gift.
Take three more breaths. Open your eyes.
You can do this visualization when you are feeling blocked or stressed by a situation. You could even write down what you see so you can look back later to see how you overcame those obstacles.
About the author
Susan Guillory is an intuitive business coach and creator of content magic. She has written several business books and has been published on sites like ukbusinessupdates.com, AllBusiness, and SoFi. See Susan’s articles and full bio at AllBusiness.com.
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