As a business owner it can be very easy to get into the mindset that you just want to get people to do business with you.  After all, if you don’t have any paying customers, your livelihood is on the line.  However, in a worldwide society of in your face marketing, this seems to miss the point most of the time, especially if we’re new players on the block.

In service based industries, such as financial services, recruiting, business consulting and more, getting in people’s so-call face and demanding business is a big turn off.  If your breath doesn’t do it, our attitude will.  So how do we correct this?  First, let’s take a TicTac and a nice deep breathe.

When we think about those people we enjoy doing business with most, it’s usually those people with whom we’ve developed relationships.  There’s a seasonal ice cream shop I like to take my family to during the summer.  Now there are plenty of year-round shops in the area, but this particular seasonal stand really hits home for me.  It’s not because their soft-serve is any better than other places, but because the folks who own and operate the stand took time to get to know my wife and I when we were just dating.  They are a family name in our community because they approach every customer the same way, like family!  Now with ice cream, you could just sell the goods and be done (like Dairy Queen or McDonald’s).  But that’s not how you win.

So when it comes to making yourself known online, you must take the same approach.  You must get to know people, build those relationships, and get away from the mere transactional mindset.  As you do this, you’ll see your business grow faster than you could possibly handle.  It won’t happen over night, but it will happen.