Are you hiding?
It’s likely that you are.
You’re probably hiding when you greet guests. You’re probably hiding when you host events. You’re probably hiding when you retweet that well-liked article. You’re probably hiding when you say no to an opportunity because it’s not free, easy, or comfortable.
I think it goes without saying that hiding is bad for your business. Especially in an industry like ours, hiding gets us the opposite of what we actually want, which is more connections and better relationships.
The reason we and our staff members hide is that it’s easier to look at the prospect that walked in the door as an interruption of our “real work” than it is to recognize them as an opportunity to use emotional labor to build a connection and make a sale. It’s easier to retweet than it is to figure out a way to connect to the audience we want by engaging in a conversation.
It’s easier because emotional labor is hard. We have a hard time quantifying the outputs from our emotional labor. But emotional labor is the only way out of hiding.
Practical ways to not hide:
Look up when somebody walks in the door. Smile. Make them feel at home.
Talk to somebody on Twitter in a meaningful and fun way. Comment on something they said that you find interesting. Ask them how their day is going.
Create the event, don’t just host it. Put together the content and team yourself. Greet every guest if you can.
Say yes to one opportunity this week that you would otherwise say no to, then give it your time and attention. See what happens over a month.
