What does Valentine’s Day have to do with business or professional life? More than you might think! Valentine’s Day conjures up many associations, but one of the strongest is “attraction.”  We know what attraction means in a romantic relationship, but what about in a business or organization?

In the work world, attraction is about a business or organization and its owner and staff being so aligned with their mission, their service and their products that they attract customers and clients. Just like chasing after prospective romantic partners can be ineffective and at its worst constitutes stalking, chasing business prospects or non-profit donors is likewise very UNattractive.

As Hall & Brogniez point out in Attracting Perfect Customers, if we get very clear what our business or mission is about, we can stand strong like a lighthouse, shining out that clarity, and the customer ships will know where to find us. No self-respecting lighthouse runs up and down the beach trying to get attention. That would just confuse the ships!

They write, “Marketing is and was always intended to be, about envisioning and then attracting to us those customers who are perfect for our business to serve.” Too many business people take anyone who comes along. In the long run, this is a big mistake. In the past few months I’ve turned down a couple of potential coaching clients, because I knew in my gut it would not be a mutually beneficial partnership. To me it’s no coincidence that in the same period I have attracted several great new clients who I am delighted to be working with.

Very few of the people I coach are initially clear about exactly what their unique business purpose is and who their perfect customers are. When they figure that out, they start attracting the business they want.

So create your own Biz Love Valentine – a clear message why you love what you do - and watch the suitors line up.

© 2009 Anne Alexander, all rights reserved in all media