This is my new friend Heidi Clifton. I met Heidi at the NAPW (National Association of Professional Women) Honolulu meeting a while back. I saw her at last month’s meeting because I wanted to run an idea past her. I was really excited about it because Heidi seemed like the ideal person for my new project!
When we finally had our meeting and began talking, my excitement started to fade. Heidi had been in business for 9 years (my project was for a business owner in business for 3-5 years) and knew a lot about business (my project also called for new business owners who were just getting started). I began to panic. This was not going the way I thought and my new project was going up in flames quickly. On top of that, what was I going to contribute to the conversation? Being in business for 9 years, she’s probably heard it all before and has more business knowledge than I do.
Well, Heidi sure surprised me! Not only, did she give me great feedback on my project but she also gave me a new idea for my project! We began talking social media and sure enough I found some holes in my other programs and she gave me great suggestions on how to make it better to my prospective clients (check it out here). Here are 3 things I learned from Heidi:
1. Things are not always what they seem
Even though Heidi was not my ideal client, it didn’t mean that the conversation was over. She was able to give me good ideas, critique, and show me other things that my clients might be looking for.
2. Get the outside perspective
When you are constantly working in your business and out your business, you seem to know what your customers want and need. Sometimes that’s true because it’s something you’re constantly getting questions about. Over time, those wants and needs change and you have to know when that is. Getting feedback from someone who is looking from the outside can help with that.
3. You ALWAYS have something to offer
With Heidi being in business for 9 years, what could I contribute to the conversation? It turns out, Heidi wants to meet new people and asked me about where to network. I definitely helped her out with that one! But it doesn’t matter who you’re meeting with, you always have something to offer. It may not be what you think!
In the comments below, let me know what meeting caught you off guard when you were able to offer something other than your area of expertise? Would love to hear about it!
Thanks Kristen! As fellow business owners we can still bring value and support to one another even if we aren’t each others’ ideal clients.
True! Thanks so much for your help Heidi! I’m glad we had our meeting!
I just found your site through your comment left on the Happy Black Woman blog!!
I really love that you were able to learn some lessons from the meeting with Heidi. I, too, have learned that it’s a great idea to get a different perspective on your projects. Usually, I chat with my boyfriend about content and my projects, and since he is completely out of the blogging realm, he often has great ideas!
Thanks for sharing!
You’re welcome Jennifer and I’m glad that you found my blog! Hope to see you frequently!