This advice is for my fellow female doctor entrepreneurs. In fact, this advice applies to men, too.
In business, don’t ever, ever feel bad about asking the other side, “What’s in it for me?” Especially when there isn’t anything obvious you’re getting, in return.
Your time is valuable. And so is what you build. If the other side doesn’t value what you bring to the table enough to throw something – anything! – your way, then it’s clearly a good idea to reconnect at a later time.
If the other side doesn’t value what you bring to the table enough to throw something - anything! - your way, then it’s clearly a good idea to reconnect at a later time. Click To Tweet
This happened to me just this week.
A startup founder met with me on a call, after pitching to “work together” with what I had built. It was clear to me that there wasn’t any effort made, from his end, to check out, and understand what I built. He had a minimal understanding, really, when he got in the call.
All I kept hearing, when he spoke on our call, was ME ME ME. He suggested that I promote his event to my audience, because it could “help them.” Well, they’re something I’ve never heard before.
I’m being facetious, of course.
Practically every single pitch thrown my way touts to “help” my audience. It’s the oldest line in the book. And I’m sure that it’s probably true in many case. And that in the mind of the person who’s pitching it to you, it’s true 100% of the time. So it’s up to us to spell it out for them. Because clearly, they either haven’t considered that they should be “giving” in a give-and-take relationship, they just don’t value what you bring to the table, or are simply playing you for a fool.
Doctors today are doing SO MANY things on the side. Join an exclusive Facebook community for doctors only (accepting medical docs, dentists, podiatrists) to discuss everything from publishing, to real estate, to other ways to keep other ways we stay busy (& happy).
So entrepreneurs, before you hop on a meeting with someone you want to do work with, do your homework, and try to angle the conversation a bit more on THEM. Reframe your “ask” so that they’re feel they’re being given something, and feel valued.
Make sure there is a significant, and ideally equal, “take” on BOTH sides.
THAT will take you a long way, my entrepreneur friends.
