Social Media Solutions & Small Business Consultancy | Contact Me: wendy@resolutioncoaching.co.uk

I’ve just read what I’d hope was a simple and informative article about measuring the cost of Social Media.  Instead, I’m so incensed by it’s contents that here I am at 10.30 p.m. penning this Blog posting instead of getting to sleep!

Why? 

Well, the article was basically a list of keywords strung together.  There were so many that I completey forgot what the whole article was about!  Look – I understand that almost an entirely new language has sprung up around Social Media.  We talk about ROI, Engagement, Benchmarking, Platforms, blah blah blah.  You’d need a degree in IT to understand half of it. 

But my point is that not everyone who has dipped their toe in Social Media understands all the terminology.  And I actually think that there are a lot more of you out there than would admit it… wouldn’t you agree?  Because I think that many people think that a lot of the termonology  is frankly Bull shit.

I published a book last year (gratifyingly free of buzz words and jargon). Before my publishers would allow the book to go to print I had my work scrutinised to the enth degree first.  Having gone through that particular baptism of fire, I  understand most of the rules for writing articles.  But I confess I’m still learning.  I understand that it’s not necessarily all about me – but I need to be able to write in such a way that gets my message across.

According to The Plain English Society, if you spend more than an hour a day writing, you are to an extent a professional writier.  And if you like writing like I do it’s vital that you get it right.

I’m on a mission lately to help Small Businesses join the Social Media revolution – but a huge proportion of the businesses I speak to really struggle with it, and one of the reasons why is precisely because they don’t understand the lingo!  Much of the language has its roots in the IT and Consulting profession (which invented ‘Blue Sky Thinking’ by the way).  It’s OK if you actually work in the IT  industry and understand the jargon and buzz words, but  for some business men and women it’s  a real turn off.  All it does is create a yawning chasm between the gurus out there and the people who they are keen to educate.

For instance, a friend of mine used to play ’Buzz Word Bingo’ in a previous life in the corporate world. But she admitted that she can’t play that now because she doesn’t understand any Social Media terminology. So  she feels alienated and her enthusiasm for it is almost non-existent.  I think they have a new term for that these days - it’s called ’lack of engagement’.

But let me say here and now that we’re being encouraged to litter our articles with key words and phrases in order to be picked up by Google – but honestly the article I read the other day contained so many of them it competely detracted from their message.  They made no attempt whatsoever to tell a story and grab my attention.  It was frankly, annoying.

So, for those of you who are out there educating us hard working business owners, some of whom have  just arrived at the Social Media Station and are looking for a friendly guide to translate and introduce them to this new territory (without scaring them off) – 3 words of advice. Keep It Simple. It works for me, it works for my clients and possibly 99% of the business community.

It’s tough enough running a business without the added challenge of deciphering something that should be openly accessible to all.

But that’s enough of my rantings…do you agree or am i being overly harsh here?  Do you think I’ve gone off the deep end?  Or would you also like Plain English to play a part in Social (New) Media? 

Should the IT Mavens and Manderines (i.e. bloody clever bastards) come out of their ivory towers, and instead of the rest of us having to pretend that we know what they are on about – why don’t they just tell us what we all want to know, in a straightforward simple way?  Then we’d all be on a level playing field and irradicate the ridiculous elitist attitude which frankly, winds me up! 

Rant over. Peace and Love everyone!  But to prove my point I’m creating 20 Free Videos that explain Social Media in a really simple way. If you want someone to explain it to you in a language that you understand – then I believe you will find this an enjoyable experience where you will actually take away something useful to use, immediately.

They are out very soon, so to get advance notification of these when they are published click here and register. 

Warmest regards

Wendy

Are you an entrepreneur?  Do you believe that Social Media is an exciting new development that you’d like to adopt to help promote your small business?  Have you got all enthusiastic about it, but somehow haven’t quite got to grips with it yet?  And because of that has it become an annoying thorn in your side?  You’ve done a few ‘Tweets’ and dabbled with Facebook, but not much more.  You’re not really in the game?

There could be a very good reason for this as I will explain.  Because if you don’t know how to use the Social Media tools properly - you’re doomed. 

Let’s look to sport for the answer.  When I was a kid my dad bought me and my sisters a tennis racket each.  Now in those days only a select few kids at school were given the privelege of learning to play tennis.  In fact I never did work out what the criteria was for being selected – it was all very cloak and dagger.  So we didn’t get any lessons, and therefore we didn’t have the feintest idea how to play tennis.  We all loved it of course, and during Wimbledon fortnight we’d spend hours glued to the TV. 

But the fact that we didn’t know how to play tennis didn’t deter us at first.  We tried, and we tried.  We went over the park and played and when we visited our grandfather in Cambridge we took over the tennis courts at Jesus Green in front of his flat.  The trouble was that the rackets were made of wood, we were skinny little teenage girls who could barely hold them up, let alone serve the ball!  In fact when we played we spent more time retrieving the ball from outside the court than actually hitting it over the net.   And because we didn’t know how to grip the racket properly we’d regularly either hit ourselves over the head with it, bash our ankles or it would be hurled embarrassingly across the court.  

In the end we gave it up as a dead loss – but not before we found one hilarious and unorthodox use for our rackets.  

My mum had two apple trees in the garden, and every autumn we would be charged with picking up the windfalls; and we’d use the tennis rackets to launch the apples over the roof of the house! And to our joy, sometimes these apples never made it but instead were turned into cubes made possible  by this remarkable, make-shift food processor - a tennis racket. Deep joy! 

Which leads me to my point about Social Media.  What if you’ve stumbled upon this, or been urged by others to give it a go.  What if you’ve found Facebook, Twitter and Linked In and have made a stab at things, but you’ve failed to see ‘the point of it all’, or haven’t really made any real inroads with it and you are investing time doing something that, quite frankly, you don’t understand? 

Is this because you’ve got the tools – the tennis racket – but don’t actually know how to use it properly?  Of course you’re looking around at other businesses who are absolutely exploding with the use of Social media, i.e. blogging, Facebook, Video, Twitter, Linked In.  Some are making eye-popping fortunes online.  And you are left behind thinking “why can’t I do that?”  – “What’s the secret?!”

I believe that like sport, you need a bit of training, to learn from some experts.  You need invest some time, effort and dedication.  Failing that you need to hire someone who will run your Social Media programme for you.  But if you’ve not got the budget for it, what do you do instead?  Because if you’re only dabbling, fooling around with it without any clear direction or instruction – don’t bother because you’ll be wasting your time. 

Well, what’s been your experience?  Do you agree? 

Image Courtesy of Google Images (c)

What marketing strategies REALLY work for small businesses, and what are their feelings about another alternative strategy – Social Media?

Well, it really depends which side of the fence your on doesn’t it?

Meaning that if you’re a small business which is still using traditional methods, i.e. direct sales, telesales, yellow pages, and networking, you could assume that Social Media or using the internet is indeed ‘The Dark Side’.  Phrases such as “trivial” “unethical” “glib” “superficial”"trashy” “just for kids” “unsecure” “childish nonsense” are commenly thrown at it. 

However, if you’ve actually bothered to find out what Social Media REALLY is – i.e. one of the most powerful mass influence strategies ever devised – you may well conclude that those on the ‘Dark Side’ are those businesses who’re still waiting for it to catch on and watching what everyone else is doing as they honestly believe is a passing trend.  Unfortunately ‘everyone else’ are the very individuals who’ve grasped what Social Media is very quickly and are running with it (i.e. using Facebook, Twitter and Linked In) and benefitting from it nicely already thank you.

Is the Dark Side a realm of traditional tried and tested, reliable methods, but which paradoxically for a Small Business are actually expensive, complex and for the inexperienced a complete waste of money?  Things like sending out flyers, writing sales letters (which require endless follow up with more letters and more phone calls) and costly telesales?  Is it something that they would ‘like to have’ – possibly need but can’t actually afford?

Whereas enter Social Media another ‘reality’ where for the uninitiated you’re only going to be wasting your entire day having meaningless conversations with total strangers whose only agenda is to sell someting to you, or waste your time on trivial nonsense?

But wait?

Surely a comparison is in order here – some statistics would help wouldn’t they?  Well no actually, because there are many business owners who’ve already seen these stats and are still saying “well…but why do I want to meet a million people online?  I prefer meeting people in person.”  OK what are you counterparts and competitors doing?  Is Social Media working for them?  Are they in fact galloping away and tripling their revenue? Is there any proof that absolutely convincingly concludes this question once and for all?  Does Social Media actually work?

The anwer lies really in what outcome you’re looking for.   If you want more customers, even some peoople when presented with the overwhelming body of evidence the ‘Habeous Corpus’ – still refuse to accept it.  There are some businesses that have exploded online, but despite this not everyone wants to adopt the methods or even the values associated with these business.  But my argument is – do you want to be successful or not, e.g. earn shed loads of money so that you can do more good in the world?

Is it human nature to wait until the tide comes in before acting?  Are there always going to be individuals who will wait on the beach denying the enevitable, while others (the early adopters) eagerly get their surf boards out to welcome in the tide of change? 

Social Media isn’t necessarily about going over to the Dark Side.  It’s actually tapping into the very thing that prevents many business owners from embracing it entirely – preferring to watch and wait and see ‘what everyone else is doing’.  The paradox is that they are prepared to be influenced by a large proportion of the population before they make their choice. 

But why wait to be influenced when you could begin to be one of those businesses influencing large groups of people using Social Media, therefore being seen and heard.  Get it?

What’s your opinion?  Share it here.

Now, it is a truth universally acknowledged that men think that women talk too much.  Am I right? 

Now, what men DON’T realise is that this talking serves a really useful purpose, in fact several purposes.  Back in the days when men were out hunting Woolley Mammoths and bringing home the bacon, the women were either in the fields bringing in the harvest, or they were looking after the children (or each other’s children), or making clothes and cooking.  The role of women was to build and maintain the community.  They learnt to rely on each other and support and encourage each other.  I mean, let’s face it giving birth with no anaesthetic, in all weathers was probably one of the scariest events of a woman’s life (apart of death of course). So having a supportive tribe of women around you was an absolutely essential.

Bringing up children requires strong communication, listening and empathising skills.  Whereas men are designed and programmed to fix things, take action, hunt wild animals, fend off attacks from other tribes and solve practical problems.  Caring, nurturing and empathising doesn’t come into it. 

Even in studies with new born babies – boy babies respond to mobiles made from  inanimate objects, whereas girls are more responsive to mobiles featuring pictures of human faces.

But what’s this got to do with Social Media?  Well – from where I stand (and feel free to disagree if you wish) – Social Media is where people come together to discuss, evaluate and share their thoughts.  Blogs build your reputation, Facebook create communities, Forums provide a platform for sharing experiences.   These you’d agree are strongly feminine activities.

In research in general, men are better at systematizing (the desire to analyze and explore systems and rules) and that women are better at empathizing (the ability to identify with other people’s feelings).  Which may explain why in the internet age men are busy designing new pieces of kit, software and clever systems to help Social Media join together, whereas women haven’t the slightest interest in the technology, they just want to talk to each other! 

BUT if women realised that the technology was there to help them do this – if they got over their fear of the technology they might begin to enjoy the experience more.  This article on Mashable goes further “Why Social Media Means Big Opportunities for Women”

“Human beings have always gotten together, collaborated through their church groups and PTAs, told stories over coffee or over the backyard fence.  Social media merely allows us to do what we’ve always done faster, better and with scale… From a persuasive standpoint, social media can be used to surface engagement opportunities and increase participation through building new social norms.”

Margarita Quihuis – Stanford University

Women are transferring their natural inclination to listen, discuss, share and empathise onto Social Media – through the technology which is being developed on the most part (dare I sat this at the risk of sounding sexist), by men!  Yes, yes, yes the IT industry is beginning to attract more women,  and paradoxically there are a lot of men out there who are completely flummoxed by technology.  So there are some exceptions to my argument.

But my point is this;  If you’re a woman who likes to meet and connect with new people, would like to become a thought leader, demonstrate your expertise, raise your visibilty in your industry and is keen to belong to a like-minded community.  The tools to connect, discuss, evaluate and share through the medium of Social Media are ready and waiting. 

You can take the conversation off line as well – that’s still part of the process – but don’t ignore the other secondary, virtual world which could give you opportunities previously out of your reach or take you to places you’d never imagined!

Do you agree?  Share your thoughts here…

Years ago I sat beneath the Lighthouse at Cape St Vincent in Portugal (the Southern most tip of Europe), eating a banana.  Myself and my 4 sisters were all sitting there watching the waves crash against the rocks.  When we’d finished eating we threw the banana skins over the cliffs hoping they would be swept away by the tide.  But the wind was so strong that it blew the banana skins back right into our hands.  Every time we did this, the banana skins would always fly back up.  It was hilarious! And was one of the most delightful experiences of my childhood.

Mistakes can be like these discarded banana skins.  Refusing to go away. But what if you are struggling to let go of the feelings associated with making a mistake?  Everything you tried wasn’t helping?  Problems like unfavourable feedback from one of your customers, not getting the contract, losing a member of staff, persistent technical problems or loss of important data or just saying the wrong thing at the wrong time.  We’ve all been there haven’t we? 

The thing about working for yourself, or running a small business is that disappointments and setbacks can be tough to recover from.  When you are part of a bigger organisation – the impact doesn’t hit home with quite as much force – it’s not you that’s affected – it’s the company, so it’s not personal. 

But when YOU ARE your company of course you have no choice but to run scenarios through your mind over and over and ask yourself after the event “What if I’d done that instead?” or “How did I let that happen?”, “I must have said the wrong thing“, or “They don’t like me“.  And because nobody else was there at the time to compare notes with – it’s hard to find the right person to offload onto who can help you talk it through.  If they weren’t there, how can they relate?  Or maybe the people around you have too much of their own stuff going on, or haven’t the time to listen in depth to you.

So, the setback never goes away.  And then you have another one and the same scenario repeats itself.  Until you have a pile of setbacks weighing you down, eating away at your self esteem. 

Some of these setbacks can be so major that they get in the way – big time!  Until that is, they turn into ruddy great road blocks that destroy your motivation altogether.  Logically you want them to go away, but positive thinking ain’t working.  I once knew a business owner whose only strategy for dealing with setbacks was to fire a member of staff! 

Then you lose interest, get discouraged and the enthusiasm you had for even the smallest task disappears.  The passion you had in the beginning starts to erode. Nothing gets done and the voices take over.  “I’m not good at this” “why am I even bothering?”. 

Well I have two solutions for you.  The first one is, to be honest, not to everyone’s taste and might seem a bit full-on and in your face.  But let’s give it a try.  It’s an NLP Mantra devised by Richard Bandler the Co-Creator of NLP.  He says that when you start down that road of feeling sorry for yourself and the self talk has turned very self distructive and negative, all you need to do is utter the following phrase…

Are you ready…?  Here it is…

“Shut The F*ck Up!”  yep.  That’s all. 

Just say that to yourself when you’re being less than nice to yourself.  I did say it was quite extreme.  But I bet you’re smiling aren’t you? This is a very simple strategy, just get over it and get on with it as soon as possible.

But if that doesn’t work the second strategy is a little more complex.  This is a technique that I bring out when all else fails.  I use this to help my clients get through a road block that just won’t budge.  We could talk about it for months of course – but you don’t have months do you?  You want to get going and be ‘up and at ‘em’ asap!  Because the world needs what you’ve got doesn’t it?  It therefore doesn’t need you to be languishing in self pity after a minor hiccup as temporarily short-circuited your progress. 

It’s a technique call EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) and I am a specialist in this technique that I have been using for a few years to help people get over the things that they logically know they should be over, but just aren’t.  I’ve used this techniqe on all sorts of issues, from fear of preparing for Christmas, I’ve worked with a Falklands Veteran going through a severe anxiety attack, a Concert Pianist with performance nerves, plus I’ve used this with fear of flying or to resolve family feuds.

What strategies do you use to let go of past mistakes and move yourself on?

Share your ideas here.

Warmest regards

Wendy Dashwood-Quick

With all this talk of “The Law Of Attraction” “The Secret” etc, how can a natural and habitual pessimist succeed?  If your natural inclinication is to see a glass half full – surely that goes against the accepted thinking of “make your own luck” or ” fake it till you make it” kind of thinking…?

I’ve been doing some research to put together a short talk about teams, and was looking for an example of a really GREAT team.  I wanted an example of how diversity can be an asset.

Anyway, last year I was very fortunate to have heard Chris Boardman (Olympic Gold Medal winning Cyclist) speak last year at an EEDA event.  He was talking about his ‘Secret Squirrel’ team who were responsible for creating the greatest Olympic sporting triumph in cycling history. 

Being one of my sporting heroes, and having just watched the World Cycling Championships on TV. I thought I’d include one of his quotes in my slides, and then I came across this video, which demonstrates that not all winners are made the same way!!

Now, for anyone who is serious about succeeding in any arena, we’ve all had it hammered into us to think positive.  Thousands of books exist telling us to think like a winner, eat adversity for breakfast and to plaster our homes and offices with affirmations like “I am A Tiger!”.  We are all programmed not to entertain any thoughts that could undermine our self esteem, or dilute our self belief.

Then a confirmed pessimist comes along who openly admits to not believing that they had it within himself to win a gold medal in cycling or build a successful business promoting one of the most innovative and exciting bikes in the world. 

Now this really does fly in the face of what you’d expect from a sporting hero doesn’t it?  Especially when he succeeded at both.

Well I listened more to the video and heard Chris Boardman saying “I was an out of work carpenter with a wife and two children and no money.”  There he was sitting on the start line, on his famous Lotus bike in front of an audience of millions.  But then he thought to himself “Sod it!  I will just concentrate on being as good as I can be and then look at the board when I cross the finish line”.  And the rest of course is history because from then on he gave up trying to win and instead focussed on being as good as he could be.  That coupled with a tremendous amount of focus and effort of course!!

So, a very open admission by anyone’s standards, has led me to reflect that in fact its about not competing  against everyone else, but playing your own game and focussing on your own journey - i.e. by working on becoming a first rate version of yourself on your own terms.  Instead of scattering your energies on that big global word winning (which when you come to think about it could bring up a lot of negative feelings and associations) – whereas, just working on being as good as you can be – you can’t do any more than that can you?  And if you don’t win as a result – at least you know you’ve done all you can.  Makes a lot of sense really, when you think about it.

So work on what you have here and now, build on your natural strengths and abilities, whatever that may be – and eventually success will come to you. 

What do you think?? Is Success “out there” or right here under your nose just waiting for you to give it some attention?  Share your thoughts. Are there any more successful pessimists out there…?

Have you pushed yourself so hard on the road to succcess that you are on the point of burning out? Have you experienced a health scare, but your lifestyle and way of doing things is so second nature, that you have no idea how you are going to change…?

Are you like Dan ‘Scarecrow’ Burnside who found himself at the Doctors one morning when he’d been given a wake up call?

He sat facing the locum at the Doctor’s Surgery. His usual GP was absent today, but the man sitting before him looked strangely familiar, in fact he was probably the happiest and jolliest Doctor he’d ever met in his life. He read the nameplate on the desk which read ‘Dr. M. Unchkin’. He was so short Dan could barely see him over the desk, as the Doctor read out the roll-call of stress related ailments that Dan was suffering with – IBS, High Blood Pressure, High Cholesterol and he had recently added eczema and a stomach ulcer to the list.

Dan was constantly hyped-up and ‘wired’. Paradoxically however, he was very successful and actually thrived on stress until very recently. Because success came at a price. The trouble was there were only 24 hours in a day and he was constantly running around like a headless chicken. Dan worked extremely hard but he regularly missed meals, rarely took any time off and frequently over committed himself.

This was beginning to affect his health, his behaviour and his relationships. In fact, he had started to realise that if he didn’t stop and take stock, he would burn out altogether and his marriage would be in ruins. Dan was literally coming apart at the seams. His chaotic lifestyle was reflected in his out of control blond hair and appearance, even though he only wore the most expensive suits and bought ludicrously expensive shoes.

The Doctor continued, “Now, Mr Burnside, I’ve looked at your notes for the past six years and it’s becoming increasingly evident that it’s a lifestyle thing. You need to get a grip on your stress levels, because I’m not going to prescribe any more drugs. To be honest with you, they wouldn’t do you any favours anyway. “ “Oh,” thought Dan. “So what are you going to do for me instead?” he asked.  

• Dan had to admit that he struggled with his time management.

• He found it hard to delegate, ask for help and say no to anyone’s demands.

• He enjoyed taking on the whole world with one hand tied behind his back, and still be home in time for tea!

His success was reflected in the car, the bank account and the big house. However, he knew that he must learn to use his head to work out a new strategy otherwise he could lose everything, there wasn’t enough time to stop and think these days!

Find out what happens to Dan and what he did to change his lifestyle and improve his health in my new book “Discover Yourself On the Yellow Brick Road – 7 Core Principles of Career Success” click here to find out more…

“I have read so many self-help, motivational and coaching books during my career and it takes a lot these days for me to put my hands in my pocket and add to my book collection, but ‘Discover Yourself on the Yellow Brick’ road is brilliant. “  Gail Smirthwaite     – Golf Mind Guru

“In the busy world we live in where the ‘to do’ list is always way too ambitious this book really gives you a moment to take stock and really think. It asks questions that you may squirm at answering but it does genuinely give you a fresh insight into what makes you tick.

“For someone who rarely reads books like this it was like a stroll by the sea on a beautiful day – deeply satisfying, inspiring and invigorating.”

Gail Clark  - The Marketing Specialist 

What do you do with a client who doesn’t respect you, won’t acknowledge your e-mails, treats you like dirt and then refuses to discuss their issues with you?

You could of course get a gun out and shoot them [not recommended], and that might be going just a little too far (even though you might feel that’s the only solution when you’ve just taken another ear bashing or are reeling from the latest e-mail bombardment). 

Occasionally the person in a key decision-making role or at the helm of an organisation, sometimes forgets how important their behaviour is.  It is like they are immune and can do exactly what they like – leaving a trail of destruction and low morale in their wake.  Take the recent case of the Police Commander who was recently given a 4 year prison term for framing an innocent man over a personal dispute about money.  He used his position to bully and intimidate others, and in so doing turned himself into a ‘Criminal In Uniform’.

I find it strange that some highly intelligent people in positions of responsibility could be completely inept at dealing with other people, despite their credentials. 

It’s the ‘my way or the highway’ brigade; e.g. the senior manager who never sends an e-mail in their own name so that can’t be held responsible for any of their own decisions, the boss who’s fixated with digging up the shortcomings of their colleagues in an attempt to divert attention away from their own.  The key decision-maker unable to discuss any issues with their suppliers in a civilised manner, leading to a complete breakdown in communication. 

Meanwhile their colleagues and clients spend their time avoiding them, complying or ending up on long term sick leave because they feel powerless to do anything about it.  Occasionally these problems arise because the person in charge has a profile which doesn’t make them the best person to handle staff issues or talk to suppliers for example.  They should never have been given the responsibility of managing others. I’ve worked alongside more than one person who possessed technical brilliance, but were hopeless at handling staff issues.  And they were so out of touch, it took a staff crisis of mammoth proportions for them to acknowledge this and for the issue to be faced head on.

But what if you’re a supplier or business stuck with a toxic client who’s on a power trip, and feels the need to assert themselves and in so doing is using you as a punch bag?

• Firstly, even if it goes against the grain of “providing 100% customer satisfaction”,  make it your chief aim in life from now on, to get rid of them as a client.  The energy expanded in keeping them sweet just isn’t worth it.  It will wear you down and destroy your enthusiasm and confidence.
• Resolve not to get drawn into any petty mind games or fights.  Talk adult to adult and don’t fall for the parent/teacher control drama – some individuals relish humiliating others – don’t give an inch if you suspect that this is their game. 
• Remember, the only person you have any control over – is yourself.  Trying to appease or cater to the giant ego screaming down the phone will only make them grow stronger.  Focus on yourself and your response and what you value. If you know you’re doing a great job – keep reminding them of that. Stick to the facts as you find them.  If you start to make allowances in the beginning – what next?
• If a client is unable to express their concerns in an adult way – it’s their problem.  You don’t need those kind of clients because their toxic influence will eat away at you.
• Learn from the experience, i.e. the next time take time to explain to your clients what your terms of service are – e.g. incorporate regular reviews or face to face meetings.  Explain that you are in the business of building long term relationships and you encourage and expect your clients to be up front and honest about any issues.  You are not a mind reader and are always there to help when problems are brought to your attention early enough. 
• Follow your gut instinct.  If something doesn’t feel right about a client in the beginning – or they demonstrate bad behaviour – walk away.  Stand up for yourself and your values.  If you compromise right from the start you are setting yourself up for more problems later on.
• State your terms clearly in writing – so if they start to muck you around at least you’ve got some recourse should things turn nasty - tell them what their responsibilities as a client are.
• Make it clear that all your clients are happy with your terms as a rule, and remind them that it is actually OK for them to bring their concerns to your attention, because you pride yourself in delivering quality.  So, it’s actually in their interests to be honest and up front with you.
• Find out what their previous experiences of working with consultants or supplier has been like.  If they have any concerns arising from this, you can address any concerns up front and reassure them which in itself will go a long way to building trust and transparency. 

What has been your experience of dealing with toxic clients?  Did you do anything differently? What would you do if it happened to you?  Leave your comments below.

But just calm down a minute, because you are not alone and this is really, REALLY common; I confess to being absolutely terrified the first time I went to a networking meeting, AND it was first thing and I am not a morning person. Once I even set my alarm incorrectly so I arrived at 5.45 a.m. instead of 6.45 a.m. (did I feel stupid or what? Fortunately, there wasn’t anyone around to actually WITNESS me feeling completely stupid.) But we can all do with a little bit of help sometimes.  This topic came up again and again in my recent survey as a matter of fact.