I have a confession to make. Last week I was challenged in the technology department. I’m usually pretty good at figuring tech problems out, but last week, it didn’t happen.
Firstly both my websites went down. Probably had something to do with the Telstra issues. What can I say. You have to love how the whole of Australia can be affected by one telco company. Quite scary really!
Where was I? So my website went down. Was it a disaster? Not really, but I was spending money on Facebook and Google adverts, sending people to links that didn’t work. Thankfully I realised relatively quickly, so didn’t have too bad a dent in my marketing budget spend.
The next thing that happened was every single app on my computer decided to stop working. Just like that. No goodbye. No warning. Just switched off. Went on strike. Had a break. It was extremely frustrating and time consuming trying to fix everything.
Lastly, my printer, that I rarely use, ran out of ink when I had to print something really important. Off I went to Office Works and spent approximately half my months salary on printer ink. Is this stuff made of diamonds? Seriously.
Of course given the week I was having, you can guess the rest. One cartridge was the wrong size and the second didn’t work…
It would have been easy to spit the dummy, throw a hissy fit, dump my computer and find the nearest pen and paper, but I didn’t. Life tends to throw these small irritations our way. It’s not about the issue, it’s about your reaction and how you deal with it. Stop and ask yourself, how much will this affect me in 24 hours, 1 week and 1 month. Your answers should give you a guide about what scale your hissy fit should be (if at all!).
Why am I telling you this? Because it’s engaging you. It’s letting you all in on a snippet of my week. Some of you won’t care. Some of you will giggle. Some will unsubscribe. That’s ok.
Business is about people. It’s about connection and it’s about showing the real you rather than trying to fit in with what you ‘think people want to see and hear. Whether you are working for someone else, or working for yourself, you can’t pretend to be someone you’re not, forever. It’s impossible.
My tip for you this week, is to engage your clients, audience and subscribers with something real about you and your business or you and your life. It could be something small such as sharing an image of your morning coffee on social media, writing a personal article to share on your blog or booking in for a coffee with a client or supplier, just because you enjoy their company rather than wanting a sale. There are so many ways to connect and engage with your audience, simply by being you. Make sure you’re showing your true colours.