People will respond to what you project.   If you see your business as a hobby that happens to bring in some extra money, no-one else will take it seriously.  However, if you treat your business as any other job, complete with commitments and accountability, others will respond accordingly.  Carve out time for work and mark it on the calendar, just as if it were a business meeting or doctor's appointment.  At first, friends and family will interrupt. Politely refuse to be sidetracked. Soon, your friends and family will respect your limits. 

A friendly, helpful and professional attitude is important in your dealings with both customers and vendors.  I personally see each transaction as mutually beneficial.  My vendors are as important to me as are my customers.  If I receive especially good service from a vendor, I am quick to call or email a thank you.  I know how much it perks things up around The Bead Peddler® when we receive praise from a customer.  If I make a mistake with a customer, I am quick to apologize and make things right.  I also make it a point to thank each and every customer for every order.  It takes very little time and lets them know we appreciate their business. 

While I think a helpful attitude is important in dealing with your associates, I also think you must set limits.  If a customer makes an unrealistic request, I apologize and nicely tell them that request cannot be fulfilled.  Sometimes they get mad and go away, but then our two companies are not a good match.  I also prune out vendors that are not a match.  I don't yell at them, I don't try to change them, I simply find a new vendor. 

Finally, and most importantly, remain positive about your work.  Believe in your product or service, be proud of it and recognize it's true value.  Your attitude will come shining through in your dealings with others.

I know it can be difficult to remain positive and confident when you're just beginning or when sales are in a slump.  I maintain my positive attitude by three simple mental exercises:

Each night I reflect on the 'best thing that happened'.  It can be a major accomplishment, a very minor one, or even the fact that everyone was here and feeling good.  When I first started this exercise, it was difficult to think of anything to single out.  Now I spend quite a bit of time deciding which of the many good things was the best.

I also set realistic, controllable, short term goals. I don't set a goal to increase my sales by 10% in the coming year.  Instead, I determine to spend four hours marketing every Sunday morning during the month of January.  By the end of January, this marketing time will have become part of my routine.  I'll set a new goal to market for four hours every Sunday morning in February.  And on and on. 

The last trick in my arsenal is a physical reminder of major accomplishments.  I have a hatpin holder and like to make hatpins.  I make a new hatpin for each major accomplishment and stick it in the holder.  There's a hatpin for the first time our weekly sales went over 1,000 and over 5,000.  There's a hatpin for the first time I successfully imported beads, one for the first time I confidently handled a customer complaint and one for achieving a first page ranking on google.  The list goes on and on.  When I get discouraged, I glance at my hatpin holder and remember what a successful, accomplished person I am.

Each of you, in your own way, is as successful and accomplished as I am.  Let it show - now just to others, but also to yourself.

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