Don’t ever be scared to try new things.
Last night, while packing my bag for a quick business trip, I had about a 10-second brain lapse where I forgot where I was going the next day. It is an important thing for me to remember because, depending on who I am going to see, I always try to dress the part.
For brand new clients or prospects, I tend to dress very conservatively with not a lot of flash. Simple colors, simple patterns, absolutely nothing that is over the top. But, for people I know and may have worked with for a very long time, sometimes my appearance may take a walk on the wild side.
This isn’t a fashion blog, but to make a point of reference I was packing somewhat conservatively because part of my upcoming trip was to meet someone that I have never met before with a proposition to win all of their business, not just the part we had been doing. After my brain refocused, I started going through my head with what I was going to say in the meeting, things to remember as key points about their business, and the whole nine yards of what you do to prepare for a new business meeting. After playing these scenarios through, while packing a change of shirts and socks, it was time to zip my bag up with the last thing to go in – it’s always my bathroom kit. While placing the kit in my bag, I thought back to what it used to be like to be “scared” or timid before meetings like this one. Years ago, there were a lot fewer of them and each one seemed to bring on a little more anxiety.
That gave me a great reminder – something my dad use to always say before a big meeting. “Don’t be scared. It isn’t like they are going to eat you if you mess up.” Not being scared to meet new people and try new things is what fuels business growth. No, even I don’t get but about half of the new opportunities I get in front of, so you will have to accept a decent amount of failure in these endeavors. But never, ever be scared of them. It is what makes life fun and keeps things interesting.