The evening started out in a very uneventful manner as my wife, Renee, and I decided to try out a steak joint in West Des Moines that had been given rave reviews. We were in a good mood on a Friday night anticipating a nice meal and good conversation.

Shortly after we sat down a young man walked over to our table with a big smile and said, “Hi Bill. What’s going on? Haven’t seen you in a long time.”

I was surprised and happy to see my old friend, Mark. We had a brief and enjoyable chat as we waited for our food to be served. It was in that conversation that he talked about his family and mentioned that his brother had begun a landscaping business. We asked for his phone number which led to a substantial decrease in my bank account over the next five years.

Mark’s brother, Chris, ended up doing some major landscaping, selling and planting bushes and trees to us as well as something called Border Magic which accented all of his work. We were happy to find someone whom we could trust and who would do excellent work at a fair price. He was thrilled that our evening out, which I thought would cost around fifty bucks, turned into a substantial up-sell thanks to a chance meeting. Our unexpected encounter with his brother turned into a bonanza for Chris.

I share this story to illustrate that you absolutely never know when the service or product that you have to offer is going to be a perfect fit for someone. Your daily task as a small-business owner is to promote yourself and your business whenever you have the opportunity.

As you hone your skills and develop your expertise in your products, services and concepts–you are making yourself a valuable asset to your company and your customers. The more you tell your story and the better that you do so, the more likely you be successful in selling to your primary prospect.

Additionally, there is also a very good chance that the customer will recommend you to someone else.

We were looking for someone to fill a need that we had and were appreciative of finding just the right person. There may be someone out there who will look at you exactly the same way.

Tell your story and tell it well. You and your company will be rewarded richly for your efforts.

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