Build It Strong And Stay Strong

Last week, the world was witness to a powerful example of determination and resiliency, after a couple of sociopathic losers inflicted massive physical, psychological and emotional damage on one of America’s greatest cities.

I lived in and around Boston for 17 years, and attended many Boston Marathons. One year, a few buddies and I even spent the annual Patriot’s Day holiday hawking items on the street outside Fenway Park and near the now-infamous Marathon Finish Line, dodging police who kept asking to see our official peddler’s licenses and enjoying the festivities in between doing some actual selling.

I lived in the very areas and neighborhoods that dominated the news all last week, including one summer I spent in a house in Watertown, less than a mile from where one courageous citizen helped end an all-out manhunt that had paralyzed an entire city and captured the attention of an entire nation.

The attack and subsequent hunt for the killers brought back memories of so many good times and great people I knew during my time in Boston, and of the overall unbreakable spirit of the city of John Hancock, Paul Revere, John Adams and many more.

I even re-connected with one of my best friends from 25+ years ago on Facebook, and got the real nitty-gritty on just what the week’s events really meant to true-blue Bostonians. (Imagine that – a real-life friendship rekindled thanks to social media!)

Like millions of Americans, I was overwhelmed with “Go U.S.A.!” and “Boston Strong” pride when I watched on TV as a giant flag was unfurled over the “Green Monster” in Fenway Park before Saturday’s Red Sox game, to deafening roars from a packed house of fans, players and law enforcement officials the day after the second mass murderer was captured and a city was back on its feet.

The climax of the pre-game ceremony came when David Ortiz, the most popular and longest-tenured Red Sox player (pictured above), took the microphone and gave a brief but heartfelt and rousing speech to the crowd, ending it by proclaiming:

“Nobody is going to dictate our freedom. Stay strong.”

When I think about myself and the thousands of business owners, entrepreneurs, executives and sales professionals I’ve known and helped over the past 30+ years, more than any one thing we all have in common is our love for and dedication to personal freedom.

My wish for you is that when you go to sleep every night, wake up every morning and all throughout your working days, you remember those words of David Ortiz and vow to yourself, “Nobody is going to dictate my freedom. I will stay strong.”

As far as I’m concerned, that is the very essence of a successful business leader: Someone who values their freedom and then takes consistent ACTION to make it a reality for him or her self and their family, and defend it against anyone who tries to snatch it away.

Stay strong, fellow entrepreneur.

Now back to our series on Catching Your Big Fish…

This is an especially appropriate subject right now, because perhaps more than anything else, becoming adept at Catching Big Fish can be the key to your long-term freedom, success and strength in business and in life.

Here are a few things you need to do and consider in order to prepare for your first face-to-face meeting with your potential Big Fish…

• Make a list of what you want to accomplish during the meeting
• Anticipate your prospect’s potential concerns
• Check to make sure that you are completely prepared
• Plan to listen more than you talk
• Bring support staff with you
• Use and respect the client’s format and agenda for the meeting
• Always follow through with any promises you make
• Ask for the commitment you need from your prospect
• Work to simplify your client’s life
• Find ways to boost your credibility and believability
• Plan to constantly build and nurture relationships
• Always learn from your “no’s” – find out what didn’t work, so you know what to change for the next time

These are all-important things to do before, during and after your presentation.

By having confidence in your company and product, and taking the right steps, you will start to consistently Catch Your Big Fish.

The next step of the process – and one of the most important – is negotiation. This can seem a little intimidating at first, but with a few tips and tricks (and plenty of practice), you can become a true pro.

Next week, I’ll reveal specific ways to sharpen your negotiation skills. I’ll also teach you how to leverage your relationships to the best benefit of all involved, so you can dictate your own freedom and…

Stay strong.

If you need help with anything in the Catch Your Big Fish process, try my FREE test drive of SSSMarketingUniversity.com to get access to a wealth of great tools and resources guaranteed to help you reach the goals you want, at the speed you want to go:

—–> SSSMarketingUniversity.com/guidedtour