Reach

​An Audio Version Has Been Prepared for Your  Convenience

Word for the week 26: Reach

Definition: to stretch out : EXTEND, to touch or grasp by extending a part of the body (such as a hand) or an object, to make an impression on, to communicate with, an individual part of a progression or journey.
​
Insight: I uncovered hundreds of quotes relating to the word “reach” and then I found just one that actually reached me from Dr. Maya Angelou, who said: ”The desire to reach the stars is ambitious; the desire to reach hearts is wise.” –
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Down to business…in thinking of the word reach this week, I’m not intentionally imagining the stars or the hearts of others …I’m simply concentrating on growing your database.
In the database fitness world, just as with physical fitness, you set goals and you strive to reach them.

You’ll hear many people say …you can never reach too high. Well never is another word I may tackle in the future, and it must be used with care. I’ve found that when keeping your goals in line with  realistic  expectations you can reach more success.

So I’m not saying don’t reach high…go for it, just put a realistic plan in place for success. And how does this grow your database? Well, start by asking yourself if you are doing everything possible to reach your audience, even when you’re  when you are sleeping?
​
Nothing is perfect, but it’s always a little disappointing to see a business owner who’s obviously spending money on marketing with a great Website or a nice looking social media footprint and then come upon a missing opportunity to reach them or an obvious lack of their attention to reach their audience. 

Little things can be big turn-offs in the process of reaching your audience such as:

1. Assuming your audience will take your call-to-action – Assuming you do have a clear CTA, of course you want to be positive about your efforts, but to assume that everyone you reach out to will take your CTA is not realistic. That is why (especially if you are working with a limited budget) you need to conduct double time on your outreach efforts.

2. Misusing the first few seconds or words to capture the attention of your audience – ADD or Attention Deficit Disorder comes with the title of entrepreneur and if you are communicating with other entrepreneurs or even other busy people, (that are not blood relations), they may not find your offerings as fascinating as you may think.  This means you’ll want to quickly put them first in your appeals and keep them first in your CTA.

3. Neglecting to use a business data capture system – An email address ending in gmail, or yahoo or Hotmail or any other service not representing the actual business, is a sign of unprofessionalism. Your business or organization should use a professional business email address, because it can increase trust and trust is a big part of reaching your audience.

That’s just three little considerations regarding ways to more effectively reach the goals you’ve set and in turn the audience you need to build your database.

I’ve got a list of ten and I’d like to share them all with you so let’s chat! Schedule a day and time that’s good for you and we’ll get started.
​
As you continue to reach for success, remember, whether it’s for the stars or for the hearts of others…your database is your most valuable business asset … Bye Bye