Multiply Your Leadership Magnetism to Win over your internal customers

Marketers, do you love your job, love your business but there are some very challenging people who you must serve who take the shine off your day?

Well the truth is that there will ALWAYS be those whose ego dominates their style or those who are totally indecisive. There will ALWAYS be time-poor people more interested in quantity than quality. There will ALWAYS be the “poor- me’s” who blame everyone else including you.

Now I know this can drive you crazy and/or leave you totally deflated and undervalued. However, if your internal customers do not respect your expertise and opinion, its time to ask yourself what YOU can do to change that. It’s easy to blame others. But you see, you can NEVER change anyone else. If you are to be successful then you have to learn how to manage people like that and it all begins with you. We can ONLY change ourselves. So how do you do that? How do you begin to adapt and find approaches that win them over?

First it takes a change in attitude.

You see your job is not just about how well you can market your internal and external customer’s products. That’s one skill set. Let’s call it your “Technical” skill set. But the more challenging skill set that differentiates the top marketers from the also runs is that the top marketers have GREAT people skills. They build RELATIONSHIPS. If you do not know how to win over the egotist, the disorganized, the indecisive, and the poor me manager, then a glass ceiling looms over you.

In order to create the type of magnetism that attracts and wins over those difficult internal and external customers so that they seek YOU out instead of you running behind them, you must make your people skills a priority so that you can demonstrate what powerful and strategic communication is all about.

Begin to step up with confidence, ask powerful questions, and become a great listener, quickly size up and mirror back what your internal and external customers are looking and what they value and are interested in and show empathy for their challenges. When you respond quickly with sincerity then you begin to build trust and respect. That’s what will make them look at you differently.

Here’s how to have some fun with this….

Make a list of the top 4 key internal or external customers you service
Rate your relationship with them on a scale of 1 – 5 where 1 is “miserable” and 5 is “Extremely happy”.

For the relationships you want to improve, honestly complete the following phrases…

I have /have not honestly spent the time with ……………………..recently.

a) I do/ do not understand what (Name) is looking for from me and my team.

b) I do/do not understand the strategy behind why this is needed.

c) I do/do not have clear documentation of what is expected

d) I do/do/not know what the consequences are if it is not delivered on time/budget.

e) I do/do not know what they see as my greatest strength

f) I have/have not honestly shared with then what I feel I can bring to their team

If you’re answers are in the negative, then YOU need to have a conversation along the lines of…

Name, I’ve been thinking about your business and how best I can deliver the project for you. I have a few more questions I need answers to to fill some of the gaps in my brief so we really do a great job for you I’d like to:
a) buy you a coffee so we can talk about it a little more
b) spend about 30 – 60 minutes with you in private
Do either of those options appeal? When can we get together?

Then at the meeting, be enthusiastic and positive. Show that you have a passion for your work. Reinstate how important it is to do a great job but the job is only as good as the information that backs it up. Then ask your open ended questions one by one, drilling down and listening intently to the answers. Make notes. This is not just about the project. Get behind it; understand why it’s important to their business and the consequences if it does not work.

Ask to be invited to some of their meetings so you can update them regularly. Position yourself as a team player, not just a supplier. People value RELATIONSHIP. You need to build TRUST and DELIVER in order to gain RESPECT.

Just loving your profession is never enough for your magnetism to be IRRESISTIBLE to others. You’ve got to then leave your ego at the door and turn that energy and passion toward them, bring them into the picture and show them how you are genuinely keen to apply it their world.