May 10, 2017
We all seem to know what we’re good at. Some people are very creative; some people are very knowledgeable and know how to impart that knowledge in a good way; some people are people-oriented, some people are not.
I think you have to look at what are your qualities? If you’re not sure what it is in business, look at what it is in your personal life.
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Today my special guest is Janet Benedict, also known as The Canadian Networker. The Canadian Networker helps small businesses and direct sales businesses connect through various means including monthly meetings, networking showcases, speaker events and more.
In this episode we touch on a handful of things like sales, entrepreneurship, and finding your unique proposition, but Janet also shares some deep detail about what’s happening behind-the-scenes in her personal life and the struggles she overcame.
I am sure you will get a lot of value out of hearing her story and how she got over her hardships and went on to become a success.
Janet’s personal story
“I’ve always been a nurturing person – that’s who I am. Mom, grandmom – you know, the whole thing. I’ve always given freely of myself and so that is something that’s always been in me. If I can share something to somebody and it’s going to help them further their business, then it’s my moral obligation to do it, to give it to them!
…But I think for a long time, because our family life changed so dramatically and I needed to get out there and do more, I was always afraid that I would be seen as maybe not a strong business person because I still have to make sure everything’s taken care of with him, and that he’s OK…So I think what it was for a long time is I used my husband’s condition as an excuse to not take myself seriously.
…I never really grieved the situation. You think of grieving when somebody’s passed on, but this is a totally different person now. My strong guy isn’t there anymore. It’s a different person. I never allowed myself to grieve that loss; I went from wife to caregiver.”
How do you monetize networking meetings?
“There is not a lot of income in doing a networking meeting…Where I found my revenue has come from is some of the courses, the other teachings that I do, I’ll bring in. I’ll do a workshop and people will pay to come to that.”
Janet’s outlook on sales
“Actually, I'm very comfortable with sales. My whole thing when it comes to networking and putting yourself out there is about building relationships.
People are going to do business with people they know, like trust – we’ve all heard that a zillion times. If you come across too salesy, and I think we’d probably all been in a situation where somebody’s walked up to us and they’ve grabbed their business card and basically thrown it in your face…we just back off, because it’s like, ‘Hey, listen, I don’t even know who you are.’”
“Always remember it’s about the other person.”
How do you know you’re passionate about what you do?
“You’ll know you’re passionate when you get up in the morning and you can’t wait to get at what it is you do – that’s when you’ll know you’re passionate. I think when that happens, you know that you’re doing the best possible job you can.”
Mentions
Connect with Janet on LinkedIn and Facebook, or email her at janet@thecanadiannetworker.ca
Visit Janet’s website http://thecanadiannetworker.ca/
Learn more about The Successful Sales System here