Last week I set off for London, suitcase in tow, and pitched up at my mate’s doorstep to camp on his sofa . Five days later my mind was in overdrive, opportunities were jumping out at me from every street corner, and it was all because……….I’d stepped off the precipice (cliff edge!).
Sometimes you have to take a fresh look at life and that means doing the same old things differently, if that doesn’t sound like too much of a contradiction! A few weeks ago I met a great guy at a networking event and he, in turn, introduced me to one of his London colleagues who happened to be travelling 200 miles north to my home city. As luck would have it, we got on like a house fire and, within hours, I found myself telling him about my desire to open up the London market. Rightly or wrongly, I believed that the UK capital was probably less touched by the recession and, consequently, there was probably more business opportunities to be had further south. He listened carefully and said: “Well, if you’re serious then you can spend a few nights at my London apartment until you find your feet.” That’s all he said.
Now, I had a choice. Did I let that moment pass or did I ring him up later and say ‘did you really mean that? And that’s exactly what I did. He reiterated his offer and, within a week, I was winging my way to London.
I headed for the Big Smoke on Jan 4th (slang for London!) which, with hindsight, was probably too early after the New Year. However, it did give me the opportunity to get my bearings in a slightly slower environment, although I must confess to feeling so overwhelmed by the sheer size of London, that it was hard to know where to begin cold prospecting. Did I challenge the city by geography (ie pick out an area and work the companies in that area), or did I prospect by sector?
Whilst both were valid strategies, I took another approach. I began getting a copy of the London Evening Standard every night and read it corner to corner, over a latte, circling possible opportunities. Then I hit the phones. Within a day I had secured a meeting with the MD of one of the world’s leading up-and-coming swimwear brands. I was on my way.
As the days in London passed my fears began to dissipate. I became familiar with South Kensington’s coffee shops, restaurants and even the newspaper vendor. It became my new ‘norm’, however, the excitement of doing something so new gave me a renewed sense of passion and confidence, and it is that passion that translates into new business. If people sense a ‘can do’ attitude they want to meet you, maybe even do business.
So, sometimes, it pays to ‘renew’ by stepping out of the box. Fear is usually in your head, but when you turn round, look at the ghost that is stalking you and say ****k you, the ghost turns and runs because it knows it is only a phantom, a figment of your imagination, and, at that moment, it holds no power over you. Step out of the box and tell your ghosts to take a running jump over the precipice! Here endeth today’s sermon
Reverend Hopkins!
