Judge Not, Less thee be judged. You’ve heard, perhaps used the phrase. Maybe it doesn’t apply to you though.
We are slowly being let out of lockdown. Clean your teeth, brush your hair and look in the mirror and take a hard look at yourself. Smile. It’s time to up your game, before the game even starts.
People are watching us. You make judgements and you are not alone.
How are we being judged?
Fairly or harshly. Given the year we’ve all been through it might take some effort if we are to avoid slipping into old habits.
When we are introduced to people on Zoom meetings, online, in a live situation etc. we make judgements. We decide what those judgements mean to us. So do our prospects, our a referral partners and our customers.
The tradespeople who spend money on advertising to get the phone to ring and then don’t pick it up or have it picked up for them. How many times does it ring, and what is said when they answer the phone? What’s the tone of the reply? Is it clear, upbeat, and welcoming?
Oh, I should have mentioned. I’m not talking about tradespeople. I’m talking about you.
The esthetician promoting their beauty salon but they haven’t noticed that the windows are still dirty and the paint around the door frame and windows are peeling.
The bookkeeper still has the same cheaply made business cards prompting their yahoo email address. I think they were free, plus postage. No point in buying new one’s until I’ve given out the ones I suppose.
The ‘lifestyle coach’ always chooses free, not wanting to pay for advice or baulking at meeting costs – at the same time they insist that his/her expertise is paid for and can’t understand why their ‘mindset’ keeps them in struggle mode.
We want people to think we are reliable but we’re often late. We do not turn up when we say we will do not carry through with the promise we made at the spur of the moment. We say we’re committed to being there for others, but only when we feel like it.
My favourite saying
“what you do thunders so loudly above your head I can hardly hear the words you speak!“
Ralph Waldo Emerson, maybe,
Do we dress to impress? How do we look and sound? I don’t mean accent or dialect. Are we interested in others and how would they know?
How do we sit or stand – confidently, relaxed, disinterested [body language]. Do we have a smile in our voice and a sparkle in our eyes? Does our spoken word sound enthusiastic, upbeat, downbeat, or dreary? Do we talk too much or too little? Are we too serious or do we joke all the time risking that others will not take us seriously?
These are all factors that will influence people before they even consider your competence, your service, your product. Small nuances in isolation but habit and reputation form when repeated over time.
Before you spend good money on a new website, social media services or marketing literature to make you look good on screen, consider how people see you in real life.
Remember, people you meet this week will decide on these factors before they consider doing business or passing business referrals to you.
The day of judgement is nigh and lasts the whole day, every day.
Make it a great one.
Paul Clegg – Creator of Marketing Crew – conversations about marketing