Timing is Everything!

Like the photo of the whale popping up just in time to catch a slew of penguins? That had to be a shock to those poor penguins - life altering! Yet for the whale it was one welcome moment!

Animals, mammals, all of nature operates with an "understanding" of cycles. Bats fly in the same pattern, nature flowers in synch with temperature and seasonal changes, bears hibernate in the winter, and you know the rest of the story. Yet for some reason we humans tend to think we needn't use cycles.

In case you, in your life experiences, have never realized that timing is everything, let me open your eyes to this for a bit.

As the whale pictured above may have learned after "stumbling" into the waters where the penguins were, penguins have a fun yet expectant approach to their behaviors. And as one might expect,the whale was no doubt ready to eat and knew just where to go. It, in it's whale way, scoped out the area before, knew to return, kept returning until one day, just at that right moment, profit resulted.

Some who don't understand cycles may ask, "How did he do that?" We know the answer. We understand repetition, continually showing up, continually seeking.

When it comes to communicating, to developing relationship, it isn't enough to test the waters. Testing the waters simply tells us whether the temperature is warm or cold. Testing the waters is only about the present time. But the present time tells us nothing about relationship. Relationship is timing on a continuum. It's about the now, the before, the later.

Through time relationship develops. As my Certified Networker buddies know, when we work on relationships we move from Visibility to Credibility to Profitability. That doesn't happen in one sitting, nor does it in three. Relationship development, just like penguin research, is an investment in time. And that means finding reason to stay in touch, to communicate with frequency and to show up with pleasant unexpectedness. (is that a word?!)

When we discount relationship development, we also tend to be sketchy about our communication. We don't stay in touch and we drop the practice of communicating effectively. For example, many business owners I know - and this sometimes includes me - give up on potential clients too soon. Granted, I'm not talking about the "anybody, everybody" client. I'm talking about the target market, one that is qualified yet may not be ready to say Yes.

A potential client of mine just recently said to me, "No, not yet." And now I understand what that answer really means - "Yes, soon." Timing is everything. In the past I would have given up, upset I had invested so much into the relationship. Today I understand enough about needing things to be timely, that I am content to stay in touch, give valuable information often and act as though they are clients already.

Otherwise, I will miss the mark. I will try to dive in and not account for where I'm at and how deep the water is. I may take a turn, a twist, a maneuver that isn't going to work. And that can hurt. Staying in communication, like staying in practice with diving, keeps us safe, healthy, productive and as far as business goes, profitable.