Tiffany Southerland is a career confidence coach who works with both young, and experienced, professionals who are ready to make their career mark on the world and who want to increase their fulfillment in the work they do each day.
She helps individuals evolve, thrive, and perform to the best of their ability.
A business cannot exist without clients, so it is crucial to have a solid relationship with your buyers. Tiffany serves individuals one-on-one in a group setting and believes that, if they are not happy – if they have not improved or realized results – she has not done her job. It is, therefore, very important for the success of her business that she continually better herself in order to do better for her clients.
The goal is not to simply make more money but rather to help the clients. A salesperson who pushes her own agenda over the needs of her clients is likely to lose those clients.
The natural by-product of happy clients, however, is increased sales.
Tiffany recalls failing to launch a group program twice because she had locked herself into reaching a specific number.
She was focused on that target instead of the service she wanted to deliver. Once she removed the target and focused on the experiences, services, and opportunities she wanted to provide for her clients instead, she began to see results.
Her level of stress was replaced with positive energy. People began to react differently to her as a result and her new goal was reached.
Our unique gifts
Tiffany knew that she wanted to build her business for the sake of changing people’s lives and she wanted to leave a legacy. She had to realize and believe that she was capable of doing so. She needed to believe that she was uniquely gifted to provide her services in the way her clients wished to receive it.
Tiffany was serious about reaching her goal. She knew she was capable of making an impact in a way that only she was qualified to do.
Tiffany believes we are all uniquely gifted because our lives are all different. We came into our particular roles in a way that no one else did, even if we are doing the “same job.”
Once you internalize that concept and apply the difference to the way you do business, you begin to walk authentically and in your own unique voice. Regardless of the metrics or the sales targets, if you can show up authentically, it becomes easier to do anything. You are no longer working to fit somebody else’s mode.
You will be perceived differently.
People can tell when you are trying to be something you are not.
If your product or service can meet the need, the entire perspective and experience for both the buyer and the seller shifts. Rather than ‘just selling,’ you are literally meeting a need.
Comparison is the thief of joy
It is easy to fall into the trap of comparing yourself to others in the same field and to doubt your ability to provide any unique service. Realize that you don’t have to reach a million people. Rather, you need to show up and impact just those people who need to hear your voice.
We live in a world now where some people have thousands of followers. But if you have 10 people behind you – who really believe in you – that is a foundation upon which you can build everything else.
Tiffany does not claim to be a celebrity by any stretch but she has a podcast audience that shares and believes in her. She, in turn, benefits when they share and connect her to others.
It is impossible to be grateful and to take advantage of what you have if you are too busy comparing your achievements to others.
Don’t worry about what other people have. Be appreciative of what you have. Have the right perspective and learn how to make the best from what you have been given.
When Tiffany embraced this change, she was able to launch her business successfully. She was free to focus on her clients as opposed to focusing on herself and the bottom line.
A call to serve
Tiffany strongly believes that, regardless of industry, we are called to serve first. Focusing on metrics, for example, serves no purpose other than to appeal to our vanity.
As soon as Tiffany changed her focus to the creation of a great product that would change the career trajectory of other women, she was able to truly connect with her clients.
It was no longer the work she did for herself; it was the work they would do together that made the business successful.
The feedback from her clients has been wonderful. They feel heard. They feel that they are getting so much more out of their experience with Tiffany than they expected.
For Tiffany, that is the only result she really needs. Her clients register to improve their interviewing skills, or resumes, but they leave knowing how to clearly articulate what it is they are really good at doing and what they want in their careers.
They are able to figure out, and seek out, the right opportunities with increased confidence. Tiffany says the change has been phenomenal and the impact extends well beyond career confidence.
The work self and the personal self will eventually collide so they have to be congruent. Don’t go to work as an employee. Go to work as the individual that you are. It will give you the clarity to determine what opportunities are for you, and which ones are not.
Have faith not only in the qualifications on your resume but in your ability to deliver. You have to believe in yourself.
Focus on service. Take the pressure off yourself by focusing on the people around you instead. Focus on the company you work for, your colleagues, and your clients. When the focus is on them, the pressure you used to place on yourself no longer exists.
“Give Them Your All” episode resources
Tiffany’s next ‘Elevate your Career Academy’ will launch in March. It is an 8-week faith-based, group career coaching program for women. Learn more about it and register at www.Howdoesshedoitpodcast.com or www.fourcornerscoach.com.
This episode is brought to you in part by our TSE Certified Sales Training Program, which teaches you to improve your sales skills, find more customers, build stronger value, and close more deals.
The next semester begins in March.
This episode is also brought to you in part by mailtag.io, a Chrome browser extension for Gmail that allows you to track and schedule your emails. It’s super easy, it’s helpful, and I recommend that you try it out.
You’ll receive real-time alerts anyone opens an email or clicks a link.
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