Page 52 - Social Media Marketing

Becoming Accountable through Personal Partnering 31

Avoid choosing a partner who is a client or customer, even if you
have a productive relationship with that person. The partnership
could result in mixing personal matters with business and harm
your client/provider relationship. Also avoid partnering with sales-
people you may be competing against. You don't want to put your-
self in a situation in which you reveal a vulnerability to someone
who could potentially use it against you. If you work on a sales
team with team members who are mutually supportive, partnering
with fellow team members could be the ideal situation.

Identifying Areas for Improvement

The ultimate goal of teaming up with a partner is self-improvement.
None of us is perfect. We all have strengths and weaknesses. I
am great on the telephone and talking with people in person, for
example, but I have to constantly work on improving my written
communication skills. Maybe you do a great job of making the initial
contact with a prospective client, but you have trouble closing the
sale or vice versa.

By identifying areas for improvement, you can more effectively
focus your efforts and establish a more balanced, effective approach.
In the following sections, I reveal several techniques for assessing
your skills and identifying areas for improvement.

Keep in mind that balancing your professional and personal lives
is key to long-term success, so you can include personal as well as
professional goals when working with a partner. Setting a goal to
stop smoking, start exercising, or spend more time with family is
perfectly acceptable. I could never have achieved the success I've
experienced without having a supportive family and a rewarding
personal life. Balance enables you to achieve your full potential in
all areas of your life.

List Your Lesser Strengths

What do you feel that you could do better to increase sales and
customer satisfaction? Jot down a list of at least 25 areas in which