One of the most important strategies you can use to build your business is leverage.
What do I mean by leverage? Simply put, it’s making use of the resources you already have available.
It’s a way to amp up what you’ve already got, bring it into the light. Every time you use leverage, it lets you shine your light a little brighter.
Here are 3 strategies, powerful ways to leverage those connections that you’ve started and nurtured:
Leverage Strategy #1: Reach out.
Ask the people you know for help.
There’s a myth that being an entrepreneur is like the Lone Ranger, solitary and independent except for a faithful companion.
The truth is just the opposite.
You can’t build a great business without a great community. Whether it’s your team, your clients, your family and friends, and your larger circle of connections, they all contribute to your success.
So bring them into your success even more by asking them to be clients, or for referrals or help in making new connections.
One way to do this in a focused way is to create a list of your Inner 20 (you might have more). These are the people who can help you in some direct way. Either by buying your product or services, referring you to someone who’d be interested, or by speaking on your behalf in some way to a new connection. My own Inner 20 has been incredibly valuable to my business, and to me personally.
Reach out to them not just when you need an infusion of income in your business. It’s a good practice to keep a flow in this process on an ongoing basis.
Leverage Strategy #2: Find out.
When you need to know something, a great way to learn is to ask someone who’s been there. Being able to dip into someone else’s experience is a tremendous resource.
Arrange a time to meet. Define how long the meeting will be, and stick to it. That’s respectful. They’ll know what to expect when they make the commitment to meet.
Be present to the other person when you meet. Don’t just be focused on what you want. Listen, and respond in a conversational way. Give them space to speak. Let them tell you what they want you to know.
Find a time when the other person isn’t busy or distracted. They’ll then be able to focus on your questions.
This leverage strategy also gives someone an opportunity to spontaneously offer you more help in the area that you’re asking about. Many people will.
Leverage Strategy #3: Stretch out.
Stretching out to your larger sphere is leverage too. One of the ways to build your business is to make use of available platforms to spread the word about the value that you offer.
Here’s a quick list of stretch-out ideas: guest blogs, networking at events, consistent participation in online forums, guest articles, speaking at conferences, being interviewed for radio or print, or giving a workshop at a conference or event.
What’s perfect is that these platforms need you too! They wouldn’t even exist without the participation of people like you.
Leverage strategies don’t have to go just one way. A valuable thing you can do is to use these leverage strategies to create a circle: a circle of leverage. Make use of your own connections to help someone else. It will help keep your connections alive and vibrant.
Leveraging your connections, the people you know, will not only give you a chance to draw on the resource that is other people. It also gives them a chance to help you. Don’t rob them of this gift. Really! Most people would love to help. Why not give them a chance?
How have you leveraged your connections? Share in the comments below!
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Here’s your Alchemy Assignment, your chance to transform what you learned in this article into awareness and action for you and your business:
Which of these leverage strategies can you make use of right now? Choose one that suits your current situation, and make a plan to follow through on it. Schedule (that’s right – in your calendar!) a time a month from now when you pick a second strategy and plan out how to use that one too. Keep going! Making this a regular practice will provide you with ongoing support. And don’t forget to complete the circle – how can you help someone else?