People build up their impression of us over time. In our quest for instant results, sales, a promotion perhaps – the magical return on investment – we often overlook opportunities to create a valuable, subtle, nuanced relationship with potential clients, customers or colleagues.

The world is full of black and white thinking, polarised options – ‘if it isn’t this it must be that’ kinda thinking. That’s not the way us humans work. In fact, we all crave nuance and a sense of involvement that doesn’t come from one-off interactions. 

Instead of striving for the ‘killer’ article video or pitch, we should pay heed to the natural order of things. It takes time for people to build up enough of an impression of us to want to take the relationship further. I’m often approached by clients who have been aware of my work for years, who have read multiple articles, read my books, watched my videos and only then made the decision to pick up the phone or drop me a line. The magical thing is this – in taking their time to really get to grips with who I am and what I do – the work that results from that relationship is often much better quality than the results that arise from a spur of the moment choice.

Small amounts of content over time. Releasing ideas slowly, in easily digestible chunks. Showing one facet of yourself at a time. That way, people get to create a true picture of who you are. They get to appreciate your values. They get a sense of how you might respond when they ask a question or make that call. The classic, ‘know, like and trust’ criteria can’t be earned in single, easy, steps.

In truth, getting what we want is often a process of seduction rather than a binary ‘Here I am do you want me or not?’ approach.

My final point? The relationships that are won slowly, subtly, and in a trustworthy way over time are the ones that will last and that will sustain your business or your career.

I specialise in helping people find the confidence to connect more effectively in life, at work and in business. The How to Write about Yourself zoom course is a great resource to help you build your confidence in writing and speaking about yourself.

What people say about the course:

• ‘Excellent session packed full of really helpful writing tips – I’m inspired!’
• A concise, full of content, well researched and presented course. Thank you @petemosley. I emerged full of fresh ideas. Am still buzzing with it.
• Thank you Pete, I found your session really useful, lots of great insights and practical ideas, and well facilitated, thank you!
• Thanks Pete – was a great session. Really useful ideas which I’ve already started implementing.
• Thank you Pete, this has been very useful indeed and I will be putting much of this into practice.  

Find out about all my courses and resources here.