What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received? We decided to ask the experts. In the first of a series, this week, Lynda Kavanagh, sales and marketing expert, owner of WOW Communications, and one of our guest presenters, passes on some great words of wisdom she was told during her own entrepreneurship journey:
The best advice I’ve received was in year one of my business (1994) from John Francis, president of FWJ Communications, an advertising agency in Calgary. I gulped and made a phone call to him because he was considered the guru of marketing at the time. I asked if he would give me 15 minutes of his day to help me get a system in place. He agreed to meet. My 15 minutes turned into three hours because he introduced me to his entire staff and told them to “help me out however they could.” His parting words to me are advice I continue to live by:
Be yourself. Even if your personality is quirky, be yourself. If you aren’t, you’ll miss out on all the fun. You will always run into people who have an issue with your personality – to heck with them – when you are truly yourself, the right people will appreciate you.
I’m not sure he realized the impact he had on me.
Lynda’s experience asking for help and guidance when she first started up is a good example of what happens when you reach out. Many new entrepreneurs feel uncomfortable contacting big names for input, when in fact, most successful business owners will gladly give you 15 minutes of their time. They don’t feel threatened by a newcomer and more often than not, you’ll leave with some valuable input. Try it and see.
In her recent book, Sales suck…NOW WHAT? Lynda shares the story of how to recognize your ideal customer through a humorous tale of buying a pair of pink suede boots in Munich. She readily admits one of her quirks is an obsession with shoes and boots – which she’s turned into an advantage by building it into her marketing strategy.
Thanks for the great advice, Lynda!
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