Fortune Cookie Friday: Business Advice in an edible wrapper – Guide to Being Persistent

This Friday’s bit of business wisdom straight from a  fortune cookie …

“Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence.”

Persistence, the drive to continue to move forward and make progress, is a key characteristic of successful solopreneurs and small business owners. But what’s equally important is being persistent in the right ways.

Persistence – although generally interpreted as a positive – also has a negative connotation. Pushiness, relentlessness, nagging…not what you want to project to prospective partners, clients or the general public.

Negative persistence

Using overzealous sales tactics that “stalk” prospects and wearing out your welcome on social media by posting too many, too soon “push” marketing messages are the wrong ways to demonstrate persistence. I’m thinking of my own experience with an expensive local food delivery service that just wouldn’t take “no” for an answer after I cancelled service when our contract was through! We had a rather compelling reason for cutting the cord: I was starting my freelance writing business and would no longer have the cushy salary I had previously in my corporate job. Our family needed to cut out a few luxuries. I thought they understood, but then I started to get phone calls far too regularly. Their “persistence” was downright annoying and pretty much destroyed any chance that I will ever order from them again (whether we can afford it or not) or refer their services and products to anyone else.

Positive persistence

Use persistence, but use it wisely and for the good of your business and those who do business with you.

• Persist in an attitude of making your business serve your clients better.
• Persist in approaching challenges with fervor and creativity.
• Persist in viewing failures as learning experiences that will help you develop personally and professionally.
• Persist in recognizing opportunities.

Like the cookie said, “Nothing can take the place of persistence.” And nothing is more important than positive persistence.

To what extent has persistence helped – or hurt – you in your business?